Seiko’s New Presage Is a Love Letter to Its First-Ever Watch

By Danial Martinus  •  08 Jan 2026 in Tick Talk

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As Seiko clocks 145 years in 2026, the brand is looking back in order to move forward.

The anniversary collection kicks off with four commemorative pieces, but if we’re being really honest, one of them particularly stands out the most for going right back to the very beginning.

Enter the Seiko Presage SPB538, a quietly confident tribute to Seiko’s first-ever timepiece (if you’re excluding their wall clocks), the Timekeeper pocket watch of 1895.

From humble beginnings in Tokyo to a global empire

Before Seiko was Seiko, it was K. Hattori & Co, a humble watch shop opened by Kintaro Hattori in Tokyo in 1881. The shop eventually grew into the Seikosha Factory in 1892, and three years later, it produced the Timekeeper.

The pocket watch had a white dial with slim Roman numerals, a cylinder escapement, and a European air to it. It laid the foundation for Seiko to become one of history’s most iconic watchmakers.

The SPB538 borrows heavily from that original blueprint, featuring a white enamel dial that keeps things clean and classical, as well as crisp black Roman numerals. Reinforcing its old-world elegance is a spade-shaped hour hand and a leaf-style minute hand.

The knurled bezel and oversized onion crown lean further into that nostalgic pocket watch inspiration.

Most importantly, though, is the fact that Seiko didn’t over-modernise the design of the SPB538. It’s a watch that wants to look old in the best way possible, giving it a tastefully timeless flair.

Still, the SPB538 is very much a modern watch if you take a closer look. The small seconds hand, for instance, is placed right in the centre as opposed to the 6 o’clock position on the original Timekeeper. Powering the watch is Seiko’s automatic Calibre 6R51, giving you a healthy three-day power reserve.

Its stainless steel case is finished in a warm gold tone, measuring a compact (or let’s say vintage) 35mm across. Watches made in the 21st century tend to start at 42mm. So this makes it one of the smallest new Seikos you can buy today. Plus, its vintage sizing also makes it a great unisex watch.

But one of its most charming details lies in the lugs, which are actually movable. It’s a pretty rare feature that nods to the early 20th-century, when people started converting their pocket watches to wristwatches. Paired with the pull-through brown leather strap, and you’ve got a wonderfully period-correct timepiece.

There’s one caveat though. The lug width sits at 11mm, which is quite uncommon when compared to modern watches. This means you might have a very difficult time finding alternative straps to pair with the watch. There are definitely 11mm straps out there, but good luck finding one.

With its restrained sizing, gold-toned case, and delicately textured dial, the Seiko Presage SPB538 doesn’t feel like a gimmicky commemorative novelty—quite the oppposite, really. It’s a love letter to the brand’s first foray into watchmaking.

And because of the significance of this new watch, it ain’t cheap. Limited to just 1,450 pieces worldwide, the SPB538 will cost you roughly RM7,722 (US$1,900) and is set to arrive in February 2026.

Click here to learn more about the Seiko Presage SPB538.

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