Seiko Introduces the HCC009, a New Presage Limited Edition Inspired by Bonsai

When this one came across my inbox earlier this week, it honestly took me by surprise. How is it, I thought to myself, that Seiko hadn’t already made a bonsai themed watch at one point or another? 

Look, there are certainly dozens, if not hundreds, of Seiko releases over the years that are simply a blind spot for me, so it’s completely possible that they’ve done a bonsai watch in the past and I simply wasn’t aware of it. But doesn’t it seem like the most natural thing ever? Seiko, through their Presage collection, has long explored traditional Japanese craft techniques, and bonsai has to be among the most internationally recognizable and quintessentially Japanese of crafts. Bonsai is also connected to nature, another theme that runs through Seiko and Grand Seiko’s work pretty consistently. 

The new HCC009 is a new limited edition in the Presage family made in partnership with Tradman’s Bonsai. Tradman’s Bonsai was founded in 2015, and has a “ a mission to share the traditional Japanese art of bonsai with the world.” Since their inception, they’ve worked with collaborators in the fashion and art world in an effort to both preserve what’s important about traditional bonsai while simultaneously “redefining the concept of Japanese cool,” according to a press release. 

The watch itself has a 38mm gold tone case and matching gold tone bracelet. The dial  is inspired by Japanese black pine bonsai when illuminated by the moon, and is rendered in matsuba-iro green, which Seiko tells us is a traditional Japanese color associated with good fortune. It has a prominent texture that evokes pine needles, which the brand says is inspired by the appearance of pine trees as they age. It’s a nice looking dial, to be sure, and the green/gold combination is about as classic as it gets. I think this watch could easily appeal to anyone looking for a classically elegant dress watch, irrespective of their interest in bonsai. 

The watch runs on Seiko’s 6R51 movement, which has 72 hours of power reserve on a full wind and according to Seiko is accurate to +25/-15 seconds per day. The lug to lug on the 38mm case is 43.8mm, and it is 12.9mm thick. The watch ships with an additional leather strap with a pine needle motif on the reverse side.

The HCC009 is a limited edition of 2,000 pieces. The retail price is set at $1,350. Seiko

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