ⓘ U-Honey
Seiko put Kessoku Band on a chronograph. Only 300 people will receive one. U-Treasure opened pre-orders on October 7 for the first one Blow the Rock! watch that Seiko made. It costs 59,400 yen, about $375, and the window closes on November 27 or whenever the ride ends.
Let’s start with the dial. It is black and cut with concentric grooves, so it reads like a record. The twelve o’clock marker is a guitar pick with the Kessoku Band logo. The dial at six o’clock contains the image colors of Hitori Gotoh, Nijika Ijichi, Ryo Yamada and Ikuyo Kita, with Bocchi La Roccia! printed below. The crown is also engraved with the band’s logo.
Flip it over and the caseback features the series logo, a serial number, and Shimokitazawa’s Tsuchinoko. U-Treasure then adds a warning that most brands wouldn’t. Due to the way the case is constructed, the case back may not stay upright – your tsuchinoko may arrive crooked.
The watch below is a basic Seiko. Japanese quartz, plus or minus 15 seconds per month, three years on one battery. The stainless steel case measures 39.8mm in diameter, 47.0mm lug to lug, and 11.7mm thick. Water resistance is 10 bar. LumiBrite is found on the indexes and hour and minute hands, and the bracelet fits wrists from 14.5 to 19.5 cm. The glass is curved Hardlex, not sapphire.
Serial numbers go up to 300 and are distributed randomly, so no one chooses their own. U-Treasure did not say when the watches will be shipped. It sells the piece online and through its concept stores in Ikebukuro and Shinsaibashi, with a sample on display in Ikebukuro as pre-orders take place.
Buy the Seiko SSB427P1 on Amazon.
Most of my time is spent writing, and somehow, it still hasn’t stopped being fun. My work mostly revolves around everyday technology, games, watches, DIY modding, and occasional pieces on the chaos of tech politics when companies and governments collide. I try to keep things simple and honest, without sounding like a product brochure. I have a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and an associate’s degree in English studies from the College of New Caledonia in British Columbia, Canada. Away from articles and deadlines, life is usually focused on making music, taking photos, or trying to finish games that should have been completed months ago.
