Enter The Dragon With The Seiko 5 Sports Bruce Lee Limited Edition SRPK39

“I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times”. Probably the most famous quote by Hong Kong-American Martial Arts master and actor Bruce Lee. A quote that embodies his philosophy in life and in martial arts as he strived for perfection in everything he did. Known for movies like Enter the Dragon, Fists of Fury and the unfinished title Game of Death, Bruce Lee has transcended into a cultural icon the world over, and now finds its way, spiritually at least, into a watch. Seiko is honouring Bruce Lee’s legend with a special edition of the 5 Sports, a watch he wore frequently throughout his life. So, it’s time to put on a yellow and black tracksuit, enter the dojo, channel your inner Bruce Lee and start mastering his one-inch punch. While donning the Seiko 5 Sports Bruce Lee Limited Edition SRPK39, of course!

Although Bruce Lee sadly passed away at a young age, his spirit lives on not only through his movies but also through the very sport he developed by combining several martial arts into one. Known as Jeet Kune Do, he combined elements from his Tai Chi, Wing Chun, Karate, Judo, Escrima and Taekwondo background. Jeet Kune Do roughly translates into “the way of the intercepting fist”, and is considered a collection of ideas instead of a fixed fighting style as it doesn’t use predetermined stances or moves. This unique style has shaped his legacy and is the inspiration behind this striking-looking watch, honouring Bruce Lee and his Jeet Kune Do martial arts discipline.

From the outside, it’s all very familiar territory. The 42.5mm wide and 13.4mm tall stainless steel case is given a deep black coating for a dramatic look, befitting with the Bruce Lee theme. The unidirectional rotating bezel has a special insert with Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do spirit in symbols, translating to “Using No Way As Way, Having No Limitation As Limitation”. As ever, the crown is positioned at 4 o’clock and shrowded by a pair of guards protruding from the caseband. A bevelled Hardlex crystal covers the front, while a tinted sapphire crystal does the same for the back.

The black dial is emblazoned with a dragon figurine as Bruce Lee once drew it. It is surprisingly detailed by the looks of it, as you can see scales, claws, teeth, the frills of the beard and more. The hour indices have a gold outline with black inserts, which are repeated for the central hour and minute hands. The central seconds hand has a gold tip with a black counterweight section. On the right-hand side of the dial is a bevelled day-date window, a hallmark element of the 5 Sports series (although sometimes it’s framed).

The Calibre 4R36 is covered by a tinted see-through caseback which is decorated with the Jeet Kune Do emblem, a yellow and red Ying Yang symbol surrounded by the sport’s motto (repeated on the bezel insert). The arrows represent the endless interaction between the yin and yang. The movement underneath runs at a rate of 21,600vph and provides 41 hours of power reserve. Next to central hours, minutes and seconds it indicates the date and day of the week. Although it’s claimed to run between +45 / -35 seconds per day, it generally runs well within that bandwidth.

The Seiko 5 Sports Bruce Lee Limited Edition SRPK39 is limited to 15,000 pieces, which is a staggering amount but considering the enormous retail network that Seiko has it’s unlikely every official retailer will get one in stock. We’ve addressed this with the celebration SRPK17, and we’re pretty sure Seiko knows what it’s doing when it comes to limitation strategy. It might not be that hard to come by but don’t expect these to be available in big volumes at your local dealer. The watch retails for EUR 520 and you get two straps with it; a black leather strap with a special lining, and a yellow-and-black NATO-style strap mimicking the colours of Bruce Lee’s famous yellow tracksuit from the unfinished Game of Death movie.

For more information, please visit Seiko-Watches.com.