Just Because: The Wacky Watches Of Seiko’s “Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition 2”

Last year, Seiko brought back a tradition from a 13-year hiatus, its internal Power Design Project. It’s a fascinating idea that offers Seiko Watch Corporation’s internal designers a way to let off some steam by exploring watch concepts entirely off the beaten path. Last year’s prompt, the “Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition,” was meant to have designers create seriously utilitarian watches, but perhaps not in the way we’re used to.

If you weren’t paying attention last year when the project introduced the most epic literal take on a “Panda” chronograph, you missed out. But do not fret—the Japanese brand is back again with the straightforward yet apt title of this year’s “Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition 2.”

Commercial viability be damned—this is a terrific way to see a giant conglomerate raise its internal talent and see a bit of playful personality cut through the giant product assortments. It’s a reminder of the humanity behind the watch designs of a brand, no matter the scale of its operation. This year, we see six watches in total, and boy, are they specialized.

Night Mode

Up first is the Ninja Stealth Watch. This is when “tacticool” meets tactical. It must be all black since ninjas operate in the darkness of night. To protect from the obvious external shocks that ninjas deal with (so relatable, amirite), this design by Yuya Suganuma uses a swinging lid (in the choice of a glass or metal) to protect the hands when said ninja is not reading the time.

Of course, you’re not putting this on a shiny metal bracelet or a dainty leather strap. Suganuma designed a hybrid cuff strap for the Ninja Stealth Watch, which fastens to the arm by wrapping the thinner leather pieces around and around while protecting the skin. Seiko says that the upper arm or ankle are also viable places that a ninja may want to wrap this watch around. I wonder if this might accommodate a spring drive movement.

If stealth isn’t your thing, perhaps go for the complete opposite and embrace the eye-watering lights and eardrum-shattering sounds of the nightclub with the Specialized Watch for Club DJs. While Seiko makes it clear that none of these concept watches are for sale, the infinity mirror concept on this watch, specifically designed for DJs, is something I would love to see on a consumer product. From an aesthetic perspective, the neon Blade-Runner-esque color scheme is captivating. From the looks of it, most elements wouldn’t even need Seiko’s Lumibrite as a coating—if you’re DJing in a club, these paints would most certainly glow under blacklight.

Given that this watch is for DJs, the time-telling scale on the dial assumes an improper sleep schedule, meaning the only hours here are from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. The designer, Kento Ito, incorporates an automatic Seiko movement in the watch, though I have zero idea how this abbreviated timescale would work without a digital caliber. You’ll see across all of these entries that everything is considered down to the strap – in this case, a leather strap with a split of white UV-reactive fabric down the middle is the decision to tie the whole concept together.

From Dusk To Dawn

Much like how characters in Christopher Nolan movies often wear Hamiltons, perhaps last year was Robert Eggers’ chance to fit a corporate sponsorship into Nosferatu and outfit Count Orlok with this dazzling Vampire-ExclusiveWatch, fit for any blood-sucker in your life. But if you look past its bejeweled exterior, the watch might have a case for being a must-own for any solarphobic Transylvanian.

Yu Ishihara, Design Director across Seiko’s high-end product lines, makes sure to design a concept where all the elements of the dial lend themselves to helping vampires know when it’s safe to go out. The rotating bezel is set with crystals in a gradient from red to clear, allowing Mr. Vampire to mark the elapsed time from when the last blood feast was.

If you can see your reflection in the mirror and wake up when the sun rises, chances are you’re ready for a well-balanced breakfast to start the day. That would be when the Egg-Boiling Watch for Boiled Egg Lovers comes in. The pushers on the side of the case, which, by the way, is made from a plastic composite containing 10% egg shells, allow you to select a preferred done-ness to the eggs (which I would only keep on soft-boiled, thank you very much) when you start the timer. 

The hand sweeps around and eventually oscillates, indicating the eggs are ready. Of course, the aesthetics reinforce the watch’s purpose, including a beautiful orange-yellow gradient dial to complement that literal eggshell case. This watch, designed by Kiyotaka Sakai of Grand Seiko, is a bit taken to the eggstreme. Just ask the Tamalier (egg sommelier?!) featured on the design page.

Old Traditions

It was about time that we saw a fully lumed dial make its way into one of these designs, but I was not expecting a watch designed for Santa Claus himself. Presenting—Santa Claus’ Specialized Watch. A red reindeer marks the tip of the otherwise white seconds hand on that glow-in-the-dark dial. Though if I remember correctly, it was just Rudolph’s nose that was red. But I digress. The hour scale only factors in the night to correspond with Santa’s gift delivery schedules, but a GMT hand in the shape of a star points to a second-time zone.

I’m not sure I’ve fully understood how the discrepancy in time scales might function in a real-world setting. Still, I also realize that this is like arguing about the laws of thermodynamics in a wizard movie. The hunter case on this watch, designed by Takuya Matsumoto, is perhaps the most ornate, with vintage pocketwatch design cues and a beautifully designed and engraved cover.

Now, if what you really wanted for Christmas was knowing if you’d find true love, perhaps the final watch in this exhibit will answer that very question. In a very adorable concept by designer Yu Hirose, A Watch for Girls in Love seeks to aid love-struck, hopeful youths in their quest to find their soulmate. 

One of the hands is a translucent flower disc with a cutout in one of the petals. When the “flower fortune-telling” functionality is activated, the disc randomly stops at one of the underlying petals, printed with “LOVE me” or “Love me NOT,” to reveal the true answer. With a heavily distorted crystal, the answer will remain secret to the one who asks.

For Exhibition Only

While none of these watches have found themselves in retailers’ cases (or even the formal production process, for that matter), this is just a downright fun tradition that I hope Seiko keeps up for years to come. I can’t stress enough that it’s crucial for more brands to take themselves less seriously, and this is an excellent example of doing something that won’t necessarily affect the actual commercial products themselves.

Small details of the exhibition, such as playful animations on the website, as well as “industry relevant” testimonials, just make this whole thing such an enjoyable thing to peruse. I love the designer bios and how they mention what products or lines they design for at Seiko. I’ll never look at an Astron the same way again when I know the “infinity mirror” DJ watch is by one of the guys on the team. Go check out the website to get the full details on all the watches. I promise you it’s a very fun read.

And, of course, this is not just a website with some renderings—this is a physical exhibition with free admission in Harajuku, Tokyo. It’s been up since the end of December, but if you’re reading this now and will find yourself in Tokyo in the next week or so, don’t miss the chance to see some of these in person. It closes on February 16th. And if they happen to be selling the egg timer, bring one back for me, will you?

​Hodinkee 

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