Seiko habitually unveils new watches that are incredible value propositions. At Baselworld 2016 Seiko outdid itself with the new Seiko Presage Automatic Replica Watch 60th Anniversary limited edition replica watch, a pair of chronographs to mark the six decades since Seiko’s first self-winding timepiece.
The first Seiko Presage Automatic Watch 60th Anniversary limited edition replica watch featuring a white vitreous enamel dial, the sort fired in an oven and typically termed grand feu in fancier watchmaking. The dials are made in-house by a team of craftsmen, albeit in large quantities. Featuring Breguet numerals and a red “12”, the dial design is inspired by the Laurel, the first ever Seiko wristwatch dating from 1913. The dial is a glossy white and surprisingly smooth, with little of the imperfections like bubbles that characterise enamel dials.
The only aesthetic shortcoming is the darkening and unevenness on the rim of the circular aperture for the date, which also serves as proof it is vitreous enamel and not lacquer. Like all genuine enamel dials, this is fade-resistant and will essentially last forever unless cracked.
The dial of Seiko Presage Automatic Watch 60th Anniversary limited edition replica watch is finished in deep, lustrous black urushi, a natural lacquer obtained from the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree. Each dial is hand-painted in the workshop of Isshu Tamura, a lacquer artist in Western Japan, and then sent to Seiko Mens Replica for assembly. The dials are painted by hand, left to dry and then polished, with each step repeated to achieve the smooth, inky finish. All the numerals and markings are made of silver powder, with the fine grains of the metal powder visible up close.
Both Seiko Presage Automatic Watch 60th Anniversary limited edition replica watches have the same stainless steel, 42 mm case that’s 15.2 mm high. That makes them slightly bulkier than the classical dial styles would predict, but nonetheless eminently wearable.
