Models Inspired by the Celebrated Laurel Become Regular Members of the Seiko Presage Collection: The Untold Tale of a Historic Design's Transformation into Modern-day Products
The Laurel, Japan's first domestically manufactured wristwatch, was completed in 1913. It was an important milestone for not just Seiko but for the entire nation’s timepiece industry. Now, two newly developed products drawing on elements of the Laurel's design have made their debut within the Presage collection. One combines an Arabic-numeral index and an enameled dial surface inspired by the Laurel's design aesthetics, bringing two features of the Laurel’s design to the regular collection for the first time. Let's explore the thinking and craftsmanship behind these new timepieces.
The Seiko Presage HCC005 (left), which uses an enamel dial, and the HCC006 (right), which has an urushi lacquer dial. Both use Arabic numerals modeled after those seen on the Laurel, with creative approaches that are both clever and alluring.
Photograph by Yu Mitamura
Text by Masaharu Nabata
Special Homage Models Become Regular Offerings: The Laurel as the Starting Point for Seiko Wristwatches
Seiko wristwatches trace their lineage back to a model that occupies an undeniable place in Japan's timepiece manufacturing history. That model was the Laurel, completed in 1913 as the nation's first domestically manufactured wristwatch.
The size was 12 lignes, meaning it had a small movement—around 27 millimeters in diameter—in a case of approximately 30 millimeters. This was significantly smaller than the pocket watches that had come before, making it difficult to manufacture: the maximum output was just 30 to 50 units a day.
The Laurel's significance extended beyond its simple integration of a small movement to realize a compact watch. In 1910, Seiko succeeded in the first-ever domestic manufacturing of its own hairspring; in 1913, it successfully fabricated the model’s enamel dial face. Because these were both part of the Laurel, the model embodies two of Seiko's significant contributions to the history of timepieces.
Now, two models designed as homages to the Laurel have been welcomed into the Seiko Presage collection as regular products. What motivated Seiko to make this move?
According to the designers tasked with developing products for the Presage collection, they felt that the Laurel, which represents the origins of wristwatch design for the company, should serve as the inspiration not for limited-run products but instead for regular series models, allowing as many people as possible to experience the appeal of its distinctive design. Those same designers also hoped that conveying Seiko's watchmaking history through the new models would communicate the fascinating aspects of the company's watchmaking approaches to a wider audience.
A Long-awaited Enamel Regular Production Model That Inherits the Laurel’s Design Style
The first thing to note about this new regular model is its combined use of an Arabic-numeral index and an enameled dial, which are hallmarks of the Laurel's design and are now making their debuts as regular models.
One well-executed aspect of the Laurel's red 12 o'clock numeral is its use of a darker tone to facilitate better pairing with the overall dial face color.
With an enamel dial, each dial is individually sintered at a high temperature, so each piece develops its own subtly distinctive character depending on how it emerges from the firing process. No two are exactly the same, making each watch special in its own way.
Striking Expression Using Urushi Lacquer: A Key Facet of Japanese Traditional Crafts
Aside from enamel, some Seiko Presage models feature other traditional Japanese craft materials, such as urushi lacquer and Arita ware, for their dials. Joining the enamel version in the Presage lineup is another new model using a black urushi lacquer dial. The contrast between the white enamel model and black urushi lacquer model is striking—another reason to take a look at these alluring newcomers.
The design language of both the enamel and urushi lacquer models is consistent with the Laurel, their original inspiration, but the designers used different techniques for rendering their Arabic-numeral indexes in order to harness the characteristics of the dial materials. The enamel dial uses black markers to bring out the white coloring of the backdrop, while the urushi lacquer dial uses gold-colored markers and numerals to emphasize the black background.
And it goes without saying that designers employed a variety of clever techniques and ideas to maximize the appeal of each variant in its own way.
The designers put meticulous care into the index atop the urushi lacquer dial. With an enamel surface, the thickness of the application layer can be leveraged to make the markings stand out in three-dimensional fashion. In the case of urushi lacquer, however, they tend to lose their prominence against the deep and lustrous black of urushi lacquer. The designers rectified this by affixing metal-plate elements atop the urushi lacquer base to impart golden luster. Rather than simply making it glitter, the aim was to create a quiet radiance that emerges from a matte finish, which proved to be a great challenge.
Similar to the index markings, the hands also appeared too subdued against the urushi lacquer dial at first, and using a matte finish would have made the surface too grainy and thus detract from the metal texture. Therefore, the designers gave the central pipe section a reflective, mirrored finish and created the hands with gold coloring to impart texture variations while preventing these elements from blending into the dark background.
The Seiko Presage collection actually began using urushi lacquer dials around 2013, and component quality has improved year by year. The latest black urushi lacquer dials have a rich, mellow luster that makes for stunning beauty.
However, the dials of the enamel and urushi lacquer versions themselves have different thicknesses, with the enamel coating thicker than the lacquer coating. This results in a greater distance between the crystal and the dial in the latter model. To compensate, the designers mirror-polished the inner vertical wall beneath the crystal so that it would essentially disappear, creating a more open, spacious impression.
Another unique design facet—this time in the enamel dial design—is the vertical level change between the outer portion of the dial where the indexes are and the dial's central area, which gives it an attractively melty, almost creamy look. The designers initially struggled with where to position this transition zone. If they had chosen to do away with the level difference altogether, the appearance would have been far too monotonous, without any shadowing, so they examined old models from the Laurel era and drew on what they found to carefully fine-tune their new design.
Flowing, Sleek Case Lines
Another feature of the overall design of the new models is the seamless integration of the lugs and the case, a fusion that accentuates the beauty of the dial design—the centerpiece of the product. Both new models aim for proportions that live up to the handsome bearing of the Laurel’s original design. Furthermore, the bezel is narrow and tight to make the dial appear wider, the crystal atop the dial utilizes a gentle curve, and the surrounding metal portion of the case is thin for a wide dial opening—all of which result in a light, elegant appearance.
Important Past Models Paying Homage to the Laurel
The Laurel, which was the starting point of Seiko wristwatches and a highly iconic model in its own right, became an established brand within Seiko's wide-ranging offerings, seeing its production continue into the post–World War II era. Over the years, Seiko has released several Laurel-inspired enameled-dial models, including the Laurel SV925 in 1995 and the Laurel 4S28-0040 in 2000.
In 2013, two models from the Seiko Presage with enamel dials, were released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Seiko wristwatches. Ten years later, the SPB359 and SPB401 marked Seiko’s 110th anniversary. Featuring the trademark Arabic-numeral font and red 12 o'clock marker, these two models reinterpreted and adapted the original, historic design of the Laurel to contemporary tastes.
Alternative Design Roots Based on the "Timekeeper" Pocket Watch
The "Timekeeper," Seiko's first-ever pocket watch, inspired the creative design of models preceding the HCC005 enamel-dialed model and HCC006 lacquer-dialed model.
These earlier models also adopted enameled and lacquered dials. The indexes utilized Roman numerals reminiscent of the original Timekeeper's, which used delicate fonts with figures so thin they appeared as nothing more than indistinguishable vertical bars from a distance. Seiko’s 100th-anniversary models revived those Roman numerals, although these reimaginings utilized thicker-stroke numerals and markings in pursuit of greater visual balance for results that retained elegance but delivered a more modern look.
Operated with a mechanical movement, the model uses thick, long, leaf-shaped hands in blue for the enamel dial model and gold for the urushi lacquered dial model.
The dial serves as the face of the product in both models. Because users look at their watch repeatedly from day to day, the design does away with all elements that might be tense or uninviting in any way to help create a comforting, pleasant appearance that draws the eye again and again. This design philosophy dovetails with both the Laurel and the Timekeeper.
The Craftsmanship and Aspirations of Designers in the New, Historically Inspired Models
These iconic models of the past, rooted deeply in Seiko's rich history, inspired and guided the development of the new HCC005 and HCC006. The goal for the development team was to create watches that would convey the depth and appeal of watch manufacturing and become watches that customers could treasure for many years to come.
At the heart of these products is respect for the artisans who fabricate the dials with their own hands: designers strive to realize designs that inspire the craftsmen and their desire to create, and the artisans respond in turn with commitment and motivation, producing more refined final products.
Creating a good watch design entails much more than making drawings of the final product. Designers visit production sites and deepen their knowledge of enamel, urushi lacquer, and other craft processes and material properties. Close communication with the artisans and Seiko's engineers forms bonds of trust, which help bring about designs with more sensitive consideration for fabrication techniques.
Today, manufacturers are turning their attention to producing goods that people can use and cherish for many years—and Seiko's enameled dial faces are one example of this. However, there are few enamelers left capable of harnessing this craft to produce watch dials. Fostering future generations to prevent this craft from disappearing is another reason Seiko chose to make the HCC005 a regular model instead of a limited-run offering.
The approach of pursuing close collaborations among developers, designers, and artisans on the front lines of fabrication to maintain high levels of motivation and engagement in manufacturing is key to creating more attractive and beautiful final products.
Why, exactly, does Seiko adopt production processes that integrate such wide-ranging, traditional craft techniques?
The answer lies in the concept on which Seiko built the Presage brand, one that has now become a ubiquitous global presence: incorporating Japanese aesthetics into mechanical watches and fitting them with graceful dials that draw on traditional Japanese craftsmanship techniques and aesthetics.
Furthermore, Seiko Presage is a brand capable of continuously producing models in substantial quantities, which facilitates the effort to make sure that future generations can carry forward traditional crafting techniques now on the brink of extinction. In an interview with the product development team, members emphasized that their products, including works of enamel, lacquer, cloisonné and Arita ware, were collaborations with the artisans and engineers working at production sites. They also said that they hope to sustain the pieces’ evolution, continually making improvements to ensure these crafts remain a part of our world into the future.
The team also hopes that when watch enthusiasts pick up a Presage timepiece, they will be astounded at the beauty of the enamel work and the deep luster of urushi lacquer. By sharing the appeal of traditional craftsmanship through its watches, Seiko aims to introduce these crafts to audiences around the world and cultivate new appreciation for the traditions themselves.
If an overseas competitor brand were to manufacture wristwatches incorporating traditional crafting approaches like we did, the price range would be considerably higher than what Seiko offers. No brand other than Seiko Presage could deliver them at a price within the reach of so many watch lovers. That accessibility speaks not only to the value of these new Laurel-inspired models—it also highlights the importance of the Presage collection itself.