Seiko’s New £300 Collaboration Watch With Cult-Classic Anime Series

2 min read

Another day, another Seiko watch inspired by a much-loved anime. This time around, it’s the dark fantasy manga franchise Fullmetal Alchemist that’s getting the horological treatment.

Nods to protagonist Edward Elric appear throughout. The black dial is decorated with the famous signature red alchemic transmutation circle—which, in the series, acts as a conduit for the flow of energy and power—while the brothers’ mystical “Flaming Cross” emblem appears in the bottom right. Then there’s the hour marker, with indices inspired by the screws in Edward’s automail right aim. What’s more, the small second sub-dial boasts the Amestris military emblem, with its line-drawn dragon. The 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions are luminous green in the dark, as are the hour and minute hands. In every tiny detail, there’s a subtle reference to Fullmetal Alchemist that a fan is sure to catch.

The watch also has “Don’t forget 3. OCT. 11.” engraved into the casebook, gesturing to the phrase on the back of Edward’s pocket watch from the series. But the tributes don’t stop there: the crimson wrapping paper and box of the packaging recall the color of Edward’s signature cloak, and the box, which is designed to showcase the watch, has another famous line from the franchise printed onto it: “Stand up and walk. You have two perfectly good legs, don’t you?”

Currently, not much has been revealed about the watch from a technological standpoint, but we do know that it’s a chronograph watch with a 12-hour counter and a tachymeter bezel (and the same phrase on the box on the inside!). This Seiko watch has currently only been announced for Japanese release through anime e-commerce platform AMNIBUS, where it’ll cost ¥65,780 (about $410), but it’s unknown whether it’ll be given a broader global release as of yet.