You may never have heard about it but I am about to share with you perhaps the most outrageous watch designs to come out of any maison from anywhere in the world. I am referring to the “Power Design Project” which began in 2001 for Seiko Watch Corporation’s designers to “explore the essence of watches and pursue design possibilities in a style different from their regular work.”

The first Incredibly Specialized Watches Exhibition was held last year, and now we have the 2nd installment. There is literally no way for me to prepare you for the watches that are about to unfold in the below passages, so buckle up and prepare to throw on a vinyl, boil an egg, suck some blood, cosplay Santa, throw a ninja star, and find love (this will all make sense soon).

Each of the watches in this exhibition are designed by current Seiko and Grand Seiko designers who really flex their creative juices in six specific and vastly different watches. I cannot wait to hear what you think of these.

The Ninja Stealth Watch

Coming from a Seiko designer that typically operates in the world of Seiko 5 Sports models, we have a watch fit for the Ninjas of old. It has to be stealth because it needs to be able to be read in the dark..but without the use of lume. So how does that happen?

Well, you slide the large piece of glass out of the way and tell the time by touch. Yes, seriously. The watch itself is also shaped in the mode of a mythical ninja weapon and includes the emblem of a potential Ninja lord on the caseback.

The black on black isn’t legible, but boy, is it stealthy. These things are so wild I am literally grinning ear-to-ear while writing.

Watch for Club DJs

Enter an Astron designer to come up with an idea to evoke the sense of clubbing into a watch. Unlike the Ninja, this at least takes a more conventional form and shape. The design brief — or goal, I should say — was to create an infinity mirror effect on the dial.

As Seiko puts it, this was done using a combination of Lumibrite and fluorescent paint. The brand says that “The appearance of the watch transforms dynamically, not only shifting between day and night, but also revealing its 'perfect form" when illuminated by the black light commonly found in music clubs.”

The result is a panoply of color and light. And where you might think this was a watch made to house a quartz caliber, you won’t only find an automatic movement but one exposed by an exhibition caseback, to boot.

Vampire-Exclusive Watch

I have no idea what Vampire-Exclusive means in a functional sense, but I am into it. This thing is Gothic bonkers in every way. Like a Coppola-Stoker fever dream. It’s opulent, with red being the dominant color.

Just read this description: “If you rotate the bezel and set the deepest red crystal glass to the day you consumed blood, you can instantly see how much your current blood supply has depleted. Of course, it also includes a reverse rotation prevention function.” Yes, a rotating blood-supply bezel.

The watch also only displays the time between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m, which Seiko says is tailored for the the vampire nocturnal lifestyle. It features a hand that rotates in 24-hour revolutions and the power reserve of the movement is “3 nights.” Also notice how the daylight hour markers are opaque. Actually, you know what? Just look at it in general; it speaks for itself. You may recognize the designer of this watch, Yu Ishihara, from our recent video on the Kodo. Talk about a vast design sensibility.

The Egg-Boiling Watch For Boiled Egg Lovers

Yes, that is the name of the watch which  takes on a very Seiko Instruments approach to its overall look.  In Japan, many things are taken seriously to the level of artistry and eggs are no exception.

The watch features a white hand that completes a full rotation in 12 minutes, allowing you to select your “preferred level of doneness in 30-second increments.”  The designer recommends 7.5 minutes for the perfect egg, and he wants you to make sure not to “forget to put your egg into the boiling water using a ladle.”

That warning is literally printed onto the watch. There is a really yolk-y sense to the dial color and a shell-like exterior. This, as they say, is a tool watch. You can thank Grand Seiko designer Kiyotaka Sakai for the existence of this beautiful object.

The Santa Clause Specialized Watch

Christmas has come early! Here again I leave you with Seiko’s own words to describe this charming piece of tech – one that is literally meant to be a tool to Santa himself. A limited user base, I’d say, but perhaps worth it:

“The time scale is marked with Arabic numerals from evening to dawn (7 p.m. to 6 a.m.) to suit Santa Claus, who is active during the night. The red reindeer marks the second hand, while the long and short hands indicate the current time. The glass features the Seiko logo and the slogan “For the happiness of all children,” arranged to represent a smiling face, symbolizing the wish to deliver presents that will bring smiles to the faces of all children.”

Similar to the stealthy nature of the ninja watch, this has a case cover that allows the fully lumed dial to be covered as to not alert children of Santa’s presents. I literally cannot believe I am typing this. 

King Seiko designer Takuya Matsumoto was responsible for this one and gave it an overall pocketwatch feel which plays interestingly against a bund strap. Fashion, Santa.

A Watch For Girls in Love

Forgive me for not thinking perhaps the title here got a little lost in translation. I mean, sure it is accurate but a little clunky and awkward in its literal transliteration. This is also the most abstract design of the lot coming from Yu Hirose of Presage.

I will let you take in the visuals of this model via the photos but just know that, really, this is not so much a watch as it is a magic eight ball, but one that has two options only.

As the pedals of the flower on the dial spin you are left with “Love me” or “Love me not.” The petals are translucent and give a feathery, airy, appearance to the watch. This is a fortune telling device, and we’ve all been there… just maybe not on a watch.

If you happen to be in Toyko, you still have time to see these watches on exhibtion. Visit the Seiko Design website for more.