Seiko 5 Sports Masked Rider Limited Edition automatic green dial leather strap 42,5 mm

An iconic collection

Appearing in the 1960s, the Seiko 5 was a new standard in the world of affordable mechanical watches at the time. Many even are the watch lovers who discovered watchmaking thanks to one of these models as affordable as robust and reliable! Synonymous with reliability, durability and performance, these values are unquestionably appreciated by mechanical watch enthusiasts around the world.

For some time now, Seiko has been collaborating with several other Japanese companies to make super cool collabs. We could find tributes with Brian May, Naruto watches, Street Fighter or even Ultra Seven. Today, the brand presents a limited edition of 4,000 pieces in collaboration with Masked Rider!

A vintage inspiration

In this Japanese series, the hero wears a Seiko 5 Sports presented in 1968, the reference 5126-8090. Since then, fans of the brand have renamed this model to "Hongo" or even "Kamen Rider", to pay tribute to Takeshi Hongo, the main character of "Masked Rider".

For this 2023 model, the brand was therefore totally inspired by this reference. However, the model has been improved thanks to technologies to modern materials, and has been embellished with some design elements that refer to the Masked Rider 1.

So we find the 42.5 mm diameter stainless steel case from the Seiko 5 Sports collection, which offers water resistance to 100 meters deep and a hardlex glass. The unidirectional bezel has a brushed steel insert specific to this model, with a black scale, just like the original model. Its textured dial is funky in design and color (dark green). The latter is inspired by the Masked Rider 1's helmet, and features applied indexes and baton hands, all filled with slightly beige LumiBrite for a vintage look, a silver-colored "block" timer and a "lollipop" seconds hand.

Finally, the case back features the Tachibana Racing motorcycle team logo, a logo notably used in the design of the motorcycle and the hero belt. The case back also features the words "Limited Edition" and the serial number.

Technical side

This Seiko 5 Sports embeds the manufacture caliber 4R36 with automatic winding. This is one of the Japanese firm's must-have movements that is notably used in most Presage and Prospex watches. It beats at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 42 hours. Designed to be reliable and robust, its construction is as simple as possible. In addition, it offers a most appreciable "Day / Date" complication!