Stories
Seiko's New Panda Chronograph Brings Playful Design to Serious Horology
- •Seiko is turning its playful Power Design Project concept into two limited-edition panda watches, the black-and-white HHK001 and the pink HHK002.
- •Designed by Kiyotaka Sakai, the watch features panda-themed details including eye-shaped subdial surrounds, bamboo leaf hands, a smiling mouth, and ears disguised as pushers.
- •The tachymeter is renamed the Sasameter and calibrated to a panda's maximum speed of 30 km/h, while the caseback cleverly depicts the animal from behind with a raised white tail.
- •Powered by Seiko's quartz calibre 8T61, the 43mm watch offers practical features like a three-year battery life and precision timing up to an hour.
- •The white version is limited to 3,000 pieces and the pink to 2,000, launching in November with a price of ¥83,600 in Japan.
Key Questions Answered
Seiko is releasing two limited edition models: the black-and-white HHK001, limited to 3,000 pieces, and the pink HHK002, limited to 2,000 pieces. Both versions are scheduled to go on sale in November and cost ¥83,600 in Japan.
Designer Kiyotaka Sakai incorporated drooping black surrounds on the counters to act as eyes, bamboo-leaf-shaped hands, and a small nose and smiling mouth at six o'clock. Additionally, radial embossing suggests fur, rounded pushers at eleven and one serve as ears, and the caseback depicts the animal from behind with a raised white tail.
The watch is powered by Seiko's quartz calibre 8T61 movement, which is accurate to roughly 15 seconds a month and can time events up to an hour. It also features a three-year battery life, a 43mm wide and 14.6mm thick case, Hardlex crystal, and a modified 'Sasameter' calibrated to a 30 km/h max speed.
