Seiko - Presage Laurel 110th Anniversary ref. SPB359

Seiko released the Presage Laurel 110th Anniversary limited edition to celebrate the Laurel, Japan's first wristwatch launched in 1913. Price € 1,900

Kintaro Hattori established K. Hattori & Co. (the present Seiko Holdings Corporation) in 1881 to sell and repair imported clocks and watches. Eleven years later, he founded the Seikosha Factory in Tokyo to produce wall clocks. Having realised that times were changing, Hattori began to develop a wristwatch of his own. In 1913, Seikosha released the Laurel, Japan's first wristwatch.

The original Laurel wristwatch - 1913

This model laid the foundation of the wristwatch manufacturing industry in Japan. After its release, Seikosha made tremendous advances in the development of related manufacturing technology, from design to micro-fabrication and machine tool manufacture. It is not by chance that, in 2014, the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers designated the Laurel as one of its “Mechanical Engineering Heritages” in recognition of its contribution to the development of mechanical technology.

Limited to 2,500 pieces, the new Seiko Presage Laurel 110th Anniversary tribute edition brings back the original design starting from the 37.5 mm round case crafted from stainless steel and characterised by the large onion-shaped crown.

The white enamel dial on which the retro-styled blued hands stand out is protected by an AR-coated sapphire crystal and reproduces the characteristic black Arabic numerals - except for a red "12" - that mark the hours, including the distinctive design of the number four. 

While the original Laurel had a small seconds counter at 6 o'clock, here we have central seconds and a date display at 6 o'clock.

The watch is powered by the automatic Seiko caliber 6R27 beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour with an autonomy of 45 hours, whose reserve is shown in the sector indicator at 9 o'clock. The solid case back is marked with the words “Limited Edition” and the individual number.

Matched to a dark brown deer leather strap with a steel pin buckle, the Seiko - Presage Laurel 110th Anniversary Limited Edition (ref. SPB359) has a suggested retail price of Euro 1,900. seikowatches.com