Introducing The Seiko SRQ029 & SRQ031 Limited Editions

The heritage-inspired release earlier this year of the SLA033, which most folks will know simply as the “Willard,” was a 1:1 re-creation. These 50th and 55th anniversary watches are only loose interpretations of their forebearers, however. The original Crown Chrono was a monopusher chronograph and the original watch the  6139 caliber was launched in featured a dual-register “panda” dial. Due to the architecture of the caliber 8R48 (introduced in 2014), both anniversary models will feature a triple-register layout. Beyond the superlative movement, zaratsu polishing, a trickle-down bonus from Grand Seiko, is applied to the lugs, along with a “super-hard coating” on the entire case. As a hat tip to the Seikos of yore, both watches feature a sapphire box crystal with anti-reflective coating. All the neat stuff from ’60s watches has remained, and in that sense, it hasn’t lost much of the spirit of  the original despite a major aesthetic shift in the form of three registers.