Post by: b_andersen

Seiya posted on his blog today (here) about the release of the “Wako Watch,” customized Seiko 6R15 automatics. They are based on Seiko SARB031 (here) and Seiko SARB030 (here). The difference appears to be the watch dials — the Wako models have Roman numerals in a thin font, metal detailing around the day window and hour indices, do not list the number of jewels on the dial above 6 o’clock, and feature the word “WAKO” at 12 o’clock where “SEIKO” is on the stock models. Unlike the standard versions, the Wako ones do not have a signed crown.

Two other differences are the Wako model is a limited run, and it costs about twice as much.

Photo of the Wako building in the heart of Ginza courtesy of Seiya Kobayashi

Wako is a luxury department store in the upscale Ginza district of Tokyo (here). The Wako building is sacred ground to Seiko worshippers. It’s the original Hattori Watch & Jewelry store, established in 1881 (here). US General MacAurthur used it as his headquarters after World War II because it was one of the only major structures left standing in Tokyo.

You can see the online ads for the silver Waco Watch (here) and the gold version (here).

Wako also released a customized version (here and here) of Seiko Mechanical SARC010 (here) and Seiko Mechanical SARC011 (here). They use Seiko caliber 6R20 movements.

I’ve posted several articles on my Seiko SARB031 (including here here and here). I believe this model is a “classic” Seiko watch, and the Wako release confirms that. Located in the original Hattori building, the store exemplifies good taste and style, just like these watches in their variations.

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 8:35 pm and is filed under Seiko. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.