Seiko's new limited-edition bedside clock flashes Ultraman’s chest red if you ignore it

Seiko Clock recently released a talking Ultraman alarm clock to celebrate the character’s 60th anniversary, limited to 2,078 units worldwide.

The JF860A is shaped as a bust of Ultraman with a polyester cape hanging from a metal chain. he dial sits in the figure’s torso. It measures 237 by 167 by 120 mm without the cape and weighs 465 g with it. It's a sizeable object for a bedside table. The case and front are plastic, and three AA cells drive a quartz movement with a stepped seconds hand.

Now, the interesting part. Ultraman’s voice greets the sleeper while the color timer on the chest glows green; if nobody gets up, the light switches to a blinking red and the voice warns that time is running short. Stopping the alarm gets you a sign-off. The sequence copies the show’s own device, in which the colour timer flashes red once Ultraman has three minutes of activity left. Volume is adjustable without steps. Plus, an alarm monitor lets owners play the sequence at any time rather than waiting for morning.

Seiko sets the price at 16,500 yen including tax, or about $104. Of the 2,078 units, 1,798 are allocated to Japan — that leaves 280 for everywhere else. Each ships in a 60th anniversary box with a serial-numbered commemorative card.

Seiko has returned to Ultraman several times, including a Premium Bandai collaboration watch in 2019 and the Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ79 built around Ultraseven. Although, those were wristwatches and not clocks.

The JF860A went on sale on 18 September. Seiko’s own online store has been down for maintenance for a while with no stated restoration date, so Japanese retailers are the way to get one for now.