Seiko Willard.
By Jonathan Campbell
A Seiko is probably the best daily you can buy. As with so many wonderful Japanese brands and products, it’s the stories and the detail that make them so special—not to mention their reasonable price […]
I have two dailies that I keep on rotation and they are both Seiko’s, the “Willard” and the “Arnie”
Seiko is one of those quietly cool brands that just keeps on doing what it does best, producing high quality everyday watches. They are understated and stylish, even the “Tuna” which is a very large dive watch. Seiko has one of those iconic logo’s that simply spells its name but with such authority.
Seiko was started by Kintaro Hattori, as a young man he dedicated himself to learning the skills of watchmaking, he opened his first shop at the age of 21 and at 31 set up his first factory making wall clocks which he named Seikosha which means “House of Precision”. In 1913 he produced Japan’s first wristwatch, in 1929 Seikosha made Japan’s first official Railway Watch.
Seiko has a cult following in Horology circles, different watches with unofficial names. This watch is known as "The Captain Willard” as it was the watch that Martin Sheen wore in the film Apocalypse Now. The watch was a Vietnam period divers watch favoured by the troops because of its excellent time keeping. The watch has a black dial with square luminous hour markers, a framed date aperture and white type. The watch has “paddle” hands and a rather stiff rotating bezel. The crown is at 4o’clock for comfort.
The same 1970 Diver’s watch was worn by Japanese explorer Naomi Uemura, the first man in the world to climb the highest peaks of each of the world’s five continents.
This reinterpretation has a special fabric strap made using the traditional braiding technique used for the decorative cord that holds a kimono in place. The straps strength and resistance to degradation caused by exposure to sunlight, meet the demanding standards of Seiko’s dive watches. In addition, thanks to the unique braiding pattern the straps have a flexibility and air permeability that ensure maximum comfort on the wrist.
As with so many wonderful Japanese brands and products it’s the detail and stories behind the products that make them so special, and their reasonable price.
Seiko, probably the best daily you can buy.
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Images. The Obsessive, Ray Massey, Seiko Watch Corporation
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