Post by: b_andersen

The ±0 design team lead by Naoto Fukasawa recently released a new analog watch. Made in Japan by Seiko, it’s called the “Plus Minus Zero Wrist Watch.” It follows the same ethos as Fukasawa’s designs for the Seiko Spirit Power Design Project.

The design is inspired by military watches and features fixed lugs. It has a 40mm wide case, is water resistant to 30 meters, and is powered by a quartz movement. I haven’t found any info on which Seiko movement it is, but hints include a ±20 seconds per month rating and 3 year battery. It’s not one of Seiko’s best quartz movements, those keep time between ±20-10 seconds per year.

Which brings up an interesting point. This watch is about simplicity, functionality, fashion and design, coupled with (from reviews I’ve read in Japanese) great build quality. It’s an example of a trend in design for things that are simple and work, without a lot of complications or need for adjustments. These retail for ¥28,000 in Japan, but sell for over $500 from vendors in the USA.

In Japan these watches are marketed to fashion-conscious young people, which makes sense. A simple, fashionable watch is really all that’s needed by 4G-phone-carrying youth. Who wants to be chimping their watch all the time, too.

A quote from a review on a book about Fukasawa makes the point:

[H]is objects let the user formulate his or her actions to fit into the context of the work rather than boldly announcing its presence … Fukasawa takes the ideals of the Modernists from a backlash against embellishment and neatly ties them into packages hand-tailored to fit human nature. [Link]

I’m becoming more interested in Fukasawa’s emphasis on utility and simplicity, at a mid price point, in contrast to Seiko Japan’s focus on traditional designs with high-tech movement technology. Give Seiko credit for going in both directions, and credit for working with top designers.

Would I like the Plus Minus Zero Watch more if it came with an 8J caliber quartz movement that kept time to ±10 seconds per year? I’m not so sure about that … ±20 seconds per month really is good enough, especially if you carry a a smartphone, then your watch just becomes an extra, an accessory to glance at quickly.

And I’m not alone. Though they’ve only been available for about a month — all versions except the one with the green strap and brushed case are sold out on the ±0 website. Not sure how many were produced, but it was over 500 units each, based on the serial number of the watch pictured below (it was the 570th made in January 2010).

Photos in this post courtesy of attract. Drawing from the ±0 website.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 25th, 2010 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Seiko. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.