The First Seiko Watch Reborn: Introducing the Presage Craftsmanship Series SPB495

Seiko’s Presage collection has long been known for its devotion to artisanal dialmaking and for elements inspired by the Japanese watchmaker’s prestigious history, going back to the late 19th Century. Both specialties converge in the latest release from the collection’s most exclusive echelon, the Presage Craftsmanship Series. The Ref. SPB495, which joined the lineup this week, re-imagines Seiko’s very first pocketwatch as a wristwatch, and gives it a dazzling white enamel dial.

The inspiration for the new watch, a limited edition of 1,500 pieces, is the Seikosha Timekeeper, created in 1895 by the company’s founder, Kintaro Hattori. At age 21, Hattori opened up his watch-and-clock workshop in Tokyo’s Kyobashi District, the business that would eventually become today’s Seiko after Hattori partnered with engineer Tsuruhiko Yoshikawa to establish the Seikosha watch factory in 1892. The Timekeeper, with a 55mm case made of silver and a Swiss-made movement, was the first watch to emerge from the factory after several years of producing wall clocks; it preceded the first Seiko wristwatch, the Seiko Laurel, by nearly two decades. The fact that it was sold in Japan but had the English-language name “Timekeeper” was a testament to the business savvy of Hattori, who foresaw the possibilities of exporting his timepieces to the international market.

But enough of the history lesson; on to the newness. The Presage Craftsmanship Series Ref. SPB495 has a stainless-steel case, with the brand’s hallmark “super hard” coating, measuring a wrist-friendly 40.2mm in diameter (48mm lug to lug) and 12.1mm thick. The case is water-resistant to 100 meters and magnetism-resistant to 4,800 A/m, and comes on a black cowhide leather strap whose sustainable supply chain has been certified by the non-profit Leather Working Group (LWG). 

The dial, which replicates elements of the 1895 pocketwatch, is a study in elegant contrast: black-printed Roman numerals and a set of blued, leaf-shaped hands stand out against the lustrous white surface of the enamel. A classic railroad-style track surrounds the hour numerals, while a smaller version of it frames the 6 o’clock subdial that, at first glance, appears to host the running seconds but is actually a 24-hour indication of the time shown on the central hands. The artisanal dial comes from the workshop of Japanese craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa, whose skilled hands have been working in enamels for more than 40 years. 

The movement inside, on display behind a sapphire exhibition caseback, is Seiko’s automatic Caliber 6R5H, which boasts a three-day (72-hour) power reserve, a stop-seconds function, and a precision of +25/-15 seconds per day. Because of the painstaking hand-application process that creates each dial, which can create tiny dimples, dots, and small surface areas of roughness, every watch in this limited series is truly unique, with no two pieces exactly alike. The Seiko Presage Craftsmanship Series SPB495 is available as of February 2025 at authorized Seiko retailers, with an MSRP of $1,400.