Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko Presage x Studio Ghibli Watch Review
It’s a little crazy to actually type this out but I never actually owned a Seiko watch until this year. Obviously I have reviewed, written about, photographed, and indeed appreciated dozens and dozens of Seikos throughout the decade I have been in this industry but there was never one that truly spoke to me as a collector. Well, that was until I saw news of the Presage SPB437, a beautiful limited edition done with a blue enamel dial as a tribute to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, one of my favorite movies of all time and the Hayao Miyazaki film that led to the creation of Studio Ghibli, the legendary Japanese animation studio. 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of Nausicaä which seems like the perfect opportunity to release a limited edition for the most hardcore fans. This is not the first Seiko watch done for Studio Ghibli as there was a pair of Presage watches released in 2020 for the also-great Porco Rosso. The first of these was the SNR047J1, a 500-piece limited edition done with a Spring Drive movement and a white enamel dial inspired by the cockpit of the Crimson Pig’s plane with subtle touches like red seconds hand, red R, and the The Tricolour Italian flag colors. The second of these was the SRQ033, a black enamel dial Spring Drive chronograph with similar color touches and a Tricolour seconds sub-dial at 3 o’clock that was limited to 600 pieces. These were magnificent pieces made for Ghibli-heads like myself though they were significantly pricer at ar...
