Strong, functional, and beautiful, enamel gained widespread use during the Meiji and Showa periods (1868-1989), supporting the dawn of Japanese industry with applications in kitchenware, medical equipment, building materials, and bathtubs. In 1913, Seiko’s founder, Kintaro Hattori, chose enamel for the dial of Japan’s very first wristwatch, the Laurel.
The dial of the Seiko watchmaking 110th Anniversary Limited Edition is handcrafted with care by enamel craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa and his team, who inherited the techniques of their predecessors. The watch radiates an unfading beauty unique to enamel. “The dial will keep its beautiful luster for a hundred years or more” Yokosawa says confidently. “To have the watch passed on from one generation to the next is a wonderful accomplishment.”
Seiko Presage
Craftsmanship Series
Enamel Dial
SPB393
The dial of the Seiko watchmaking 110th Anniversary Limited Edition is handcrafted with care by enamel craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa and his team, who inherited the techniques of their predecessors. The watch radiates an unfading beauty unique to enamel. “The dial will keep its beautiful luster for a hundred years or more” Yokosawa says confidently. “To have the watch passed on from one generation to the next is a wonderful accomplishment.”
Kanazawa lacquerware began early Edo period (1603-1867), when renowned artists from Kyoto and Edo (present-day Tokyo) were invited to Kanazawa to develop a unique lacquer craft that blended graceful aristocratic culture with powerful samurai culture. The Seiko watchmaking 110th Anniversary Limited Edition Urushi Dial model pays homage to the beautiful city of Kanazawa, which still retains the atmosphere of feudal Japan by preserving the elegant culture of the time.
Under the supervision of lacquer artist Isshu Tamura, a team of lacquerware craftsmen repeats the process of applying a coat of lacquer to the dial and polishing it multiple times until it becomes a unique, glossy, reddish-brown
color.
“Works of true worth are appreciated more with the passing of time,” says Tamura. Gaze upon the watch and be transported back in time to a historic townscape.
Seiko Presage
Craftsmanship Series
Urushi Lacquer Dial
SPB395
Under the supervision of lacquer artist Isshu Tamura, a team of lacquerware craftsmen repeats the process of applying a coat of lacquer to the dial and polishing it multiple times until it becomes a unique, glossy, reddish-brown
color.
“Works of true worth are appreciated more with the passing of time,” says Tamura. Gaze upon the watch and be transported back in time to a historic townscape.
More than 400 years ago, a rare and high-quality porcelain stone was discovered on Mount Izumi in the Arita region where one of Japan's traditional crafts, Arita-yaki, was born. Arita-yaki is Japanese porcelain made by crushing porcelain stone into clay and carefully firing it. The Seiko watchmaking 110th Anniversary limited-edition Arita Porcelain Dial model is inspired by the Izumiyama Quarry, which remains the pride of the local people. The porcelain dial's unique ivory color and gentle luster are reminiscent of the stone.
Hiroyuki Hashiguchi and his team of craftsmen create the dials through a multi-step process that requires extremely high skill and patience. “We must challenge ourselves by innovating to pass our traditions on to posterity,” Hashiguchi says.
Seiko Presage
Craftsmanship Series
Arita Porcelain Dial
SPB397
Hiroyuki Hashiguchi and his team of craftsmen create the dials through a multi-step process that requires extremely high skill and patience. “We must challenge ourselves by innovating to pass our traditions on to posterity,” Hashiguchi says.
In 1833, Tsunekichi Kaji, from the Owari domain, which is now western Aichi Prefecture, studied foreign cloisonné brought to Japan by the Dutch and created the Owari Shippo enamel technique used today. Ando Cloisonne in Aichi uses the same 190-year-old technique to create the dial of the Seiko Presage Shippo Enamel Dial model.
Master craftsman Wataru Totani and his team repeat a multi-step process of glazing the surface of the dial by hand and then firing it. Finally, the enamel dial is polished down to a deep-blue color dial that, with its distinct pattern, represents breaking waves on the island country’s shores. All glazes used on the dials are lead-free, having minimal environmental impact.
Seiko Presage
Craftsmanship Series
Shippo Enamel Dial
SPB399
Master craftsman Wataru Totani and his team repeat a multi-step process of glazing the surface of the dial by hand and then firing it. Finally, the enamel dial is polished down to a deep-blue color dial that, with its distinct pattern, represents breaking waves on the island country’s shores. All glazes used on the dials are lead-free, having minimal environmental impact.