SEIKO PRESAGE CLASSIC SERIES SHIRO IRO - SPB469J1

The inspiration for the new Presage Classic Series comes from the soft and gentle side of Japanese design. When you compare the Classic Series to the brand’s Sharp Edged Series, you’ll quickly notice the more rounded shapes and softer tones on the dials. 

The watches have a 40.2mm case diameter and are 13mm thick. Apart from the tops of the lugs, which are brushed, the rest of the rounded case has been polished, including the stepped bezel. The elegant bracelet has a push-button butterfly clasp and consists of seven rows of links. Three of these rows have a high-polished finish, while the rest are brushed. From the side, the links almost look like little coffee beans because of their curved shape. Seiko made them this way to limit the amount of material touching your wrist and improve wearing comfort.

Just like on the three-handers, the dial has a slight curve, as do the hands and indexes. In addition, at 6 and 9 o’clock, there are two cutouts disrupting the soft pattern on the dial. The sub-dial at 6 o’clock has a 24-hour scale and functions as a day/night indicator. Through the other cutout, you get a look at the heart of the movement with Seiko’s proprietary Diashock shock absorber right in the middle of it.

The inspiration for the dial finishes comes from raw silk yarn, which results in a soft radial, almost-sunburst texture. The off-white color on the SPB469 is the same Shiro-Iro as on the aforementioned SPB463. The dark gray/black hue on the SPB471 is called Sumi-Iro, meaning “ink color,” which was the color of garments traditionally worn by Buddhist monks.