Seiko's new 1913-inspired Presage watches launch with enamel and urushi dials
One day after unveiling the Bonsai Pine edition, Seiko has announced another couple of new Presage watches that pay homage to the Laurel, the wristwatch it released in 1913 and Japan's first. The HCC005 and HCC006 arrive in September, and they take somewhat different routes to the same reference point.
The HCC005's white enamel dial uses Breguet-style numerals with a red 12 and blued hands — it reflects the original Laurel closely enough that the connection makes sense at a glance. Seiko used the same red 12 on its 110th anniversary enamel Presage back in 2023. The steel case here comes with a super-hard coating.
The HCC006 keeps the same layout but switches the mood up, thanks to its black urushi lacquer dial. It has gold numerals done in Kaga Maki-e, a lacquer and gold technique which is associated with Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, and sits in a gold-tone case. Because the urushi is applied by hand, Seiko says the dials vary slightly from one to the next.
One detail is pretty easy to misread. The sub-dial at six o'clock looks like small seconds, which is what the Laurel had, but it actually shows a 24-hour cycle. The 6R5H caliber doesn't have a small-seconds version, so the layout is more of a visual complication instead of a functional one — enthusiast page @plus9time explicitly mentioned this in his Instagram post.
Everything else is shared between the two launches. Both cases measure 39.6 mm across, 12.4 mm thick and 46.8 mm lug to lug, with 20 mm lugs and cow leather straps on three-fold clasps. Dual-curved sapphire covers the dial, and a see-through caseback shows the movement: 24 jewels, 72 hours of reserve, +25 to -15 seconds a day.
Surprisingly, Seiko lists both as splash resistant in its spec sheets, rather than giving a depth rating. UK pricing is £1,250 for the HCC005 and £1,400 for the HCC006, and neither is a limited edition, so getting your hands on one will be relatively easier this time around.
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