Seiko Finds Zen In New Presage "Japanese Garden" Watches

Seiko is fleshing out its Presage collection this week with a pair of new "Japanese Garden" references showcasing asymmetrical, open-heart designs. The term Japanese Zen Garden may bring to mind a serene, simple aesthetic, but that’s not what we find here. Instead, Seiko is using colors to elicit the desired emotion, with a palette of soft gold and deep green doing the heavy lifting. Conversely, the dials themselves feature a mixture of textures and motifs, highlighted by an offset "open- heart" aperture revealing the balance of the movement within. This is a watch of contrasts, and that’s exactly what makes these two references interesting.

Open-heart designs can be polarizing, and Seiko seems to embrace that fact with the References SSA464, in gold-toned sand, and SSA463, in fern green. Each makes use of Seiko’s 4R39 automatic movement, which places a 24-hour hand in a subdial set just above, and left of the hand stack. The asymmetry is highlighted further with the dial opening, the use of patterns, and even the Roman numerals marking the hours. This is truly a unique dial, and while it won’t be for everyone, it sets an interesting tone for the collection. 

The right side of each dial gets a pattern not entirely dissimilar to the wallpaper your grandmother may have used in her bathroom in the ‘80s. Lines set at 90º to one another create vertical rows that end through the center of the 24-hour subdial, which means it provides coverage for approximately 60 percent of the dial. Three levels remain in this area, defining a segment for the placement of the hour markers. Further, while the right side gets each of the Roman numerals, the left side uses a mixture of applied bars and Roman numerals. The offset subdial and open-heart aperture don't really result in a design that comes together in a cohesive way.

When taken for its individual components, these new Presage watches may feel disjointed. However, they manage to pull together to create a memorable experience that feels utterly unique to Seiko. At 41.8mm in diameter and 12.5mm in thickness, these watches should offer a robust experience on the wrist befitting of the wild ride that you’ll find on the dial. These watches represent a different, and dare I say welcome, take on the formal genre in a way only Seiko could manage. 

The Seiko Presage SSA463 in fern green is priced at $575, while the gold-toned sand reference SSA464 is priced at $625. Both will be available in early 2025. You can learn more at seikowatches.com