As a restricted version (of almost 60,000 watches), Seiko and Capcom come collectively for this relatively attention-grabbing “Seiko 5 Road Fighter” set of timepieces that aBlogtoWatch has been capable of go hands-on with. As a Seiko fan and somebody who performed the Road Fighter online game sequence as a child, I’ve to confess there’s a number of attraction and trendy attraction within the Seiko 5 Road Fighter assortment. Road Fighter online game sequence followers will likely be impressed with a few of the smaller particulars and callouts to the sport universe and its characters. For extra details about this restricted version Seiko watch assortment total, please go to the Seiko 5 Road Fighter watches debut article on aBlogtoWatch right here.
It has been almost 30 years since I began enjoying Road Fighter. I recall the unique Road Fighter arcade sport, which was extremely primitive by in the present day’s requirements. It was not till Japan’s Capcom created Road Fighter II did the preventing sport sequence actually take off. Road Fighter II, as a franchise, spawned so many distinctive video games that it’s really unimaginable for me to guess what number of precise variations of Road Fighter exist. It barely issues since so most of the video games featured the identical solid of characters, six of that are given a timepiece homage to on this limited-edition set of watches.
Seiko selected to attach the Road Fighter V sport sequence with its Seiko 5 Sport watch assortment, given the continuity of the quantity “5.” The Seiko 5 title is historic however has come again just lately as Seiko positioned the 5 Sport watch assortment as its entry level for mechanical sport watches. Seiko has been totally prolific with restricted editions currently, all the best way as much as its most elite merchandise and all the way down to enjoyable mainstream fashions, such because the Seiko 5 Road Fighter.
The Seiko 5 watches themselves all have 42.5mm-wide (13.4mm-thick with a 46mm lug-to-lug distance) metal instances (some are coated with colours) that are waterproof to 100 meters with Seiko’s Hardlex crystals. The diver-style watches have unidirectional rotating bezels with metallic inserts. Contained in the watches is Seiko’s in-house-made caliber 4R36 computerized motion, which operates at 3Hz with about 41 hours of energy reserve.
Seiko is clearly utilizing limited-edition collections such because the Road Fighter watches to indicate off how totally different Seiko 5 watches can look with varied aesthetic modifications, together with totally different bezels, totally different dials, totally different case colours, and totally different straps. In that sense, the Road Fighter V watches are attention-grabbing as a result of it has allowed the Seiko design workforce to actually experiment and have enjoyable. Are all of them profitable designs? That’s actually as much as the wearer as a result of the aim of those watches is to positively join a wearer’s feelings with some sense of online game enjoying nostalgia. I feel it’s protected to say that whereas there are some cool designs in play right here, in the event you don’t have any historical past with Road Fighter, then the attraction of this explicit limited-edition set of sports activities watches might sound extremely peculiar.
How Seiko selected these explicit six Road Fighter characters is a little bit of a thriller to me. By the point Road Fighter V got here out, the roster of accessible characters to base designs on was relatively giant. Seiko as an alternative opted for legacy characters which were within the Road Fighter sport sequence because the early 1990s. These embrace Ryu (SRPF19K1), Ken (SRPF20K1), Chun-Li (SRPF17K1), Zangief (SRPF24K1), Blanka (SRPF23K1), and Guile (SRPF21K1). The six chosen characters every have a watch that, in principle, is supposed to go well with them. Seiko seemingly went the proper design route of creating a timepiece they may think about the characters themselves would put on — not a straightforward activity, although it’s aided by the truth that, throughout many online game titles, the feel and appear of those characters have remained constant and recognizable.
Would I instantly consider Guile, Ryu, or Zangief when seeing their respective limited-edition Seiko 5 Road Fighter watches? Not essentially, however followers will most likely nonetheless be impressed. The most effective of those watches are fashionably applicable to be worn round individuals who don’t must know you might be being reminded of a online game in your wrist. On that notice, items such because the Seiko 5 Road Fighter Ken (reference SRPF20K1) and Zangief (SRPF24K1) are my favourite by way of their appears — and never essentially how properly they match the characters. From a style perspective, I feel it’s clear that along with trying good on a metallic bracelet, the Seiko 5 sports activities watches are good-looking on NATO-style or sports activities material straps.
Every of the six watches is imbued with various references to the Road Fighter characters they’re meant to have a good time. The design of the watches is supposed to be impressed by each their costumes and enjoying strategies. For instance, a few of the watches make visible or textual content references to the backgrounds of the characters, in addition to their signature preventing strikes. To that final level, on the rear of every watch — printed on the clear caseback window — shouldn’t be solely the title of the character the watch is supposed to signify but additionally a diagram for learn how to use one’s online game controller to execute essentially the most well-known of their “particular strikes.”
Emotionally highly effective merchandise that mix high quality conventional watchmaking with cultural relevance is the bigger aim of what Seiko’s product groups are attempting to do today. Timepieces reminiscent of this are by no means the results of a system, and the outcomes are as shocking because the themes they start with. For that reason, I completely like it when main firms like Seiko determine to have enjoyable like this. I’m undecided I’d dedicate a number of private wrist time to celebrating a online game I as soon as sunk lots of of hours into, however I’m very happy that they exist, as being on this planet helps validate my collective cultural upbringing with so many different folks all over the world who additionally grew up enjoying Road Fighter. Only for that purpose, this timepiece assortment makes me smile. Worth for every of the Seiko 5 Road Fighter watches (every restricted to 9,999 items) is $440 USD. Be taught extra on the Seiko Road Fighter microsite right here.
