In 1881, a young entrepreneur named Kintaro Hattori decided to open a small shop in Tokyo’s Ginza district to sell and repair timepieces. Of course, that shop would eventually grow into Seiko. And 145 years later, the brand remains inseparable from the city that built it.
So for its anniversary, Seiko is skipping the usual gold-and-diamonds routine and reaching for something far more local: the six-piece 145th Anniversary “Edo Purple” collection.
A Shade Straight Out of the Shogunate
Edo purple dates back to the Edo period (1603 to 1868), when Tokyo still went by its old name and the cultural DNA of the modern city was being written. The color became so associated with the capital’s character that it’s carried the name ever since.
Now, Seiko has splashed that hue across six limited editions spanning nearly its entire catalog, each finished with gold accents as a nod to Hattori’s founding ambitions.
The Mechanical Trio
The headliners are three automatics. The Prospex Alpinist ($900, 7,000 pieces) wears the softest take, a sunray lavender dial paired with purple stitching on its croc-pattern strap, backed by the 6R55 movement and its three-day power reserve.
The Presage Cocktail Time GMT ($625, 6,000 pieces) has our favorite backstory of the bunch. Its deep, radial-textured dial is modeled after “Edo Murasaki,” an actual cocktail created by STAR BAR’s Hisashi Kishi, the first bartender ever named one of Japan’s “Contemporary Master Craftsmen.”
Rounding out the trio, the 5 Sports SKX ($450, 9,999 pieces) gets the darkest, moodiest purple of the lot, set against a glossy black Hardlex bezel.
Solar, Satellite, and a Space-Age Throwback
The remaining three cover Seiko’s tech spectrum. There’s a solar Prospex Speedtimer chronograph ($750, 8,000 pieces) with black subdials popping against the violet, plus a $2,900 GPS-equipped Astron whose gradient dial mimics a dusk sky over titanium and ceramic.
But the sleeper hit is the Rotocall ($585, 4,000 pieces), a revival of Seiko’s 1982 digital cult classic that reportedly found its way onto astronauts’ wrists. Its signature rotary function switch now comes rendered in purple against an all-black case.
Spec Sheet
Collection: Seiko 145th Anniversary “Edo Purple” Limited Editions
Prospex Alpinist (HBC006): 39.5mm, Cal. 6R55 automatic, $900, 7,000 pieces
Prospex Speedtimer (HBJ005): 41.4mm, Cal. V192 solar chronograph, $750, 8,000 pieces
Astron GPS Solar (HAB011): 43.3mm, Cal. 5X83, titanium/ceramic, $2,900, 2,000 pieces
Presage Cocktail Time GMT (HCB006): 40.5mm, Cal. 4R34 automatic GMT, $625, 6,000 pieces
5 Sports SKX (HDB003): 42.5mm, Cal. 4R36 automatic, $450, 9,999 pieces
Seiko Selection “Rotocall” (HFL001): 37mm, Cal. A824 quartz digital, $585, 4,000 pieces
Case Back: “LIMITED EDITION” engraving on all six models
Pricing & Availability
The full Edo Purple collection lands in October 2026 at Seiko Boutiques and select retailers worldwide, with pricing running from $450 for the 5 Sports up to $2,900 for the Astron. Head over to Seiko’s website to check out the whole lineup.
Recap
Seiko 145th Anniversary “Edo Purple” Collection
Seiko marks 145 years since its founding in Tokyo with six limited editions, spanning a $450 5 Sports to a $2,900 Astron, all dressed in a traditional purple born in the Edo period.
