KUALA LUMPUR: Three limited-edition watches drawing on a range of Seiko technologies have joined the Speedtimer series, paying homage to the shared legacy of the Datsun 240Z and Seiko and their advancements in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
An additional three watches join the main Prospex Speedtimer series, adding to the automotive spirit of a series built for speed and precision.
The 1960s were an important decade for Seiko, which made advances in the measurement of elapsed time by taking part in various international sporting competitions, supporting athletes who required reliable and accurate timing to the nearest one-hundredth of a second.
In 1969, Seiko introduced the Speedtimer, the world’s first automatic chronograph equipped with both a vertical clutch and a column wheel, two features that greatly enhanced the measurement of elapsed time.
Also launched in 1969, the Datsun 240Z became a worldwide hit, especially in Japan and North America.
With the aim of demonstrating its high performance as a sports car, the Datsun 240Z began to participate in world rally competitions.
Seiko, sharing Datsun’s spirit for taking on challenges, supported the Datsun 240Z in motorsports activities in the early 1970s.
In 1971, adorned with the Seiko logo, the Datsun 240Z with No. 11 on its side conquered harsh terrain as it raced 6,200 kilometers to overall victory in the East-African Safari Rally, widely regarded as one of the toughest races in the world.
Each watch in the collaboration is inspired by the Datsun 240Z, with design elements echoing the car’s iconic chassis in red and black tones and dials that feature different styles of the Datsun logo.
The SPB517, a watch powered by the mechanical Caliber 6R55, features a logo with a red circle and blue rectangle with white Datsun lettering.
The SRQ057, powered by the mechanical chronograph Caliber 8R48, displays the Datsun name in cursive script, while the SSC957, powered by the solar V192 chronograph movement, features the Datsun name in block letters.
The SSC957 case back is adorned with an original illustration of the Datsun 240Z, specially made for this watch.
The leather straps are sourced from tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group, of which Seiko is a member.
The three collaboration timepieces are available now at the Seiko boutiques and select retail partners worldwide.
Each will be offered as a limited edition: 2,500 pieces for SPB517, and 500 pieces for SRQ057, and 4,000 pieces for SSC957.
In addition to the collaboration timepieces, two creations powered by Caliber 6R55 and one creation powered by Caliber 8R48 join the main Speedtimer series.
Both the limited-edition and continuous-production models powered by Caliber 6R55 have a case diameter of 39.5mm and a thickness of 12mm while achieving 20 bar water resistance.
The recommended retail prices in Malaysia are RM4,700 (SPB513, SPB515) and RM6,000 (SPB517) as well as RM13,000 (SRQ055), and RM16,500 (SRQ057).
