Seiko Presage Japanese Garden Collection Dress Watch: An Affordable, Wrist-Sized Slice of Zen

If you happen to’re available in the market for a nice-looking watch that doesn’t break the bank, there are many strong choices to select from: smooth Casios, Timex repros, burly G-Shocks. In your search, you’ll inevitably come throughout Seiko, whose popularity for crafting a number of the highest high quality watches on the planet has made the model a perennial GQ favourite within the sub-$1,000 vary. Prior to now, we’ve sung the praises of the Seiko 5 Sports activities, the Schwarzenegger-approved Arnie, and this budget-friendly different to the Cartier Tank—and that nonetheless doesn’t come near overlaying all the Seiko fashions worthy of a spot in your wrist. Working example: the model’s Presage Japanese Backyard Assortment SRPF51, a sub-$400 automated gown watch that might simply move for a timepiece quadruple the value.

Quietly introduced in 2020 as a part of a group impressed by the artwork of Japanese landscaping, this mannequin’s star function is a pale grey dial supposed to evoke the delicate texture of conventional paving stones. Paired with a refined 41mm stainless-steel case, classical feulle arms, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and a workhorse automated motion, it’s a textbook Seiko worth proposition.

If you happen to’re the kind of watch nerd who retains tabs on the most recent drops from the world’s prime luxurious manufacturers, you’ll discover that the SRPF51 bears greater than slightly resemblance to a number of the choicest current releases from Grand Seiko—the Lexus, if you’ll, to Seiko’s Toyota. Evaluating the Seiko Presage to watches just like the Grand Seiko “White Birch” SLGH005 isn’t completely honest to both (watches from the latter are handmade, utilizing a stage of artistry and a spotlight to element akin to elite Swiss watchmakers), however you’ll be able to catch a number of the similar vibes right here at a fraction of the value. It’s a mix that makes the Seiko Presage SRPF51 as straightforward to understand because the clear traces of a Japanese backyard—and a small value to pay in your personal little piece zen.