The Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Star Bar SRPK75 & SRE014 with Gradient Dials

Not a habitual fountain of inspiration, the dials of Seiko’s Presage Cocktail Time watches are inspired by Japan’s famous cocktail culture. If cocktails might not strike you as a typical Japanese product, the scenes filmed in the skyscraper bar of Lost in Translation reveal how consolidated the cocktail scene is in Tokyo and the extreme attention lavished on producing exotic mixes. The latest ‘his and her’ Cocktail Time models feature gradient dials inspired by cocktails concocted by Hisashi Kishi, the award-winning bartender and owner of the Star Bar in the Ginza district of Tokyo.

Like most Japanese artisanal products, elaborating cocktails is considered an art, closer in spirit to the revered tea ceremony. Just to give you an idea of the attention to detail, the ice at the Star Bar is cut by hand. When Seiko envisioned the Cocktail Time sub-collection, it enlisted the godfather of Japanese bartending, Hisashi Kishi, as an advisor.

Inspired by two Star Bar cocktails – in turn, inspired by the colours of Tokyo’s sunsets  – the men’s model is called the Purple Sunset, and the petite ladies’ model is Pinky Twilight. Both feature gradient dials – with a twist. Instead of the conventional display of a lighter colour in the centre gradually darkening as it reaches the periphery, the gradient effect on these dials expands across the dial in horizontal bands, moving from a more saturated colour at noon and lightening progressively to reach the lower segment of the dial.

Purple Sunset SRPK75

The larger Purple Sunset stainless steel model – ref. SRPK75 – comes in a 40.5mm diameter case with a thickness of 11.8mm and a lug-to-lug distance of 47.5mm. The dial is protected by a Hardlex crystal, the screwed-down caseback has a see-through window, and the case is water-resistant to 50 metres.

Evoking the colours of a sky at sunset, the first band of the dial at noon is navy blue, and the colours evolve progressively to shades of purple as they reach the 6 o’clock area of the dial. The bands appear to have some form of light striations in the background, giving the impression of Côtes de Genève. The applied and faceted indices are golden, matching the frame of the date window at 3 o’clock and the razor-sharp hour and minute hands. Inside the case is the classic Seiko entry-level in-house automatic calibre 4R35, renowned for its decent precision and excellent reliability. It displays the time via central hours, minutes and seconds hands (the latter equipped with a stop-seconds mechanism), as well as a date at 3 o’clock. It features a gold-coloured oscillating weight and delivers a 41-hour power reserve.

The Presage Cocktail Time Purple Sunset comes with a dark brown calfskin strap with a triple-folding clasp with push-button release. The watch is a limited edition of 9,000 pieces and will be available in February 2024.

Quick facts: 40.5mm diameter x 11.8mm thickness – stainless steel – 50m water-resistance – applied faceted indices – date window at 3 o’clock – calibre Seiko 4R35, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 41h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds (hacking), date – brown calfskin strap – ref. SRPK75 – limited edition 9,000 pieces – EUR 560

Pinky Twilight SRE014

Seiko introduced compact women’s watches to the Cocktail Time collection in 2023. The women’s Pinky Twilight model is truly petite, with a 30.3mm diameter, a thickness of 10.9mm and a lug-to-lug distance of 37mm. The gold-plated stainless steel case has a box-shaped Hardlex glass over the dial, the caseback is screwed, and the water-resistance is 50m.

Peachy pink sunset colours are used to create the gradient dial that transitions from light pink at the top, gently fading to yellow. Like the men’s model, the gold-coloured indices are faceted and applied to the dial, and the date window at 3 o’clock is framed. The sharp contours of the hour and minute hands are complemented by a central seconds hand with a diamond-shaped counterweight. Hidden beneath the caseback is Seiko’s in-house automatic calibre 2R05. Powering the three hands and date function, the movement beats at 21,600vph and delivers a 41h power reserve.

The Presage Cocktail Time Pinky Twilight comes on a brown calfskin strap with a triple-folding clasp with push-button release. The watch is a limited edition of 5,000 pieces and will be available in February 2024.

Quick facts: 30.3mm diameter x 10.9mm thickness – gold-plated stainless steel – 50m water-resistance –applied faceted indices – date window at 3 o’clock – calibre Seiko 2R05, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 41h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds (hacking), date – brown calfskin strap – ref. SRE014 – limited edition 5,000 pieces – EUR 590

More details at www.seikowatches.com.