Presage "Urushi" Ref. SARX029

In the early 1910s, the Japanese watch manufacturer debuted its first mechanical watch. In continuation of its development, Seiko has launched its automatic calibre in 1950s, along with its own marvel, which is the creation of its shock absorbing system for the movement; known as the "Diashock" system.

Seiko has gone through decades of refinements and developing its mechanical watchmaking skills. This had led to the creation of Seiko's own all-mechanical collection; the Presage. The Presage line consist of Seiko’s leading mechanical watch collection, the calibre 4R, 6R and 8R, and today we introduced to you the latest model; the Presage Urushi Automatic SARX029.
 

Seiko Presage "Urushi" Ref. SARX029

Seiko is both a genius watchmaker and master in craftsmanship, not just in reliability and quality of their timepieces, but also in their aesthetics and craftsmanship. Therefore today we will be focusing more on the latter.

Seiko Presage Urushi SARX029, which like its name, featured a black vitreous lacquered dial, paired together with its gold accent handset and date frame, it allows the watch to be kept in-sync with the universal coolness of ” black and gold” combination.

The watch case measures modestly at 40.5mm with a slim profile of 12mm. With a lugs to lugs length of only 47.8mm, making it sit well most of our wrist. It includes a domed sapphire crystal that sits flushed to its polished case, with AR coating on the inner side.
 

Handmade dial by master craftsman Tamura Ichifune

The dial of the SARX029 is where the highlight is. Urushi, Japanse for lacquer, is almost similar to enamel finishing, where it has an unrivaled longevity, making it impermeable to almost anything for many years to come. Like enamel, the urushi dial on the SARX029 will continue to look as new as though it just came out fresh from the manufacturer

This artistry craftsmanship was traditionally known in Japan, and therefore the SARX029 is finished in real deep and lustrous black urushi,which is a natural lacquer obtained from the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree. Produced by local master craftsman known as “Tokinowaza”, commissioned by Seiko.
 

JDM Seiko Calibre, 6R15, Display Back

It was all done individually by hands of master craftsman Tamura Ichifune, who is a resident of Kanazawa. Further, as the complexity of applying lacquer at this level to the dials that bring out the glossiness and deep finishing, the production volume is relatively low at only around 15 made per day.

The roman hour markers are painted on top in white, with the date display and the Seiko logo on top, to be in congruent. The watch is then paired with the genuine alligator strap, elevating it on the elegant side of things, but one can swap out with another for a more casual look.
 

Genuine Alligator Strap with Deployant Clasp

As it is an exclusive JDM in the Presage line, the SARX029 uses the robust 6R15 automatic calibre, with a power reserve of 50 hours and accuracy of -15 to +25 seconds per day. The movement can be seen through the open display case back.

With the Presage Urushi SARX029, Seiko have once again showcase their ability to produce an elegant timepiece, packed with traditional Japanese artistry techniques. This dynamic combination also showcases the design discipline behind the Urushi collection. With clean lines and high level polishing with what is considered a unique dial available only to Seiko, this watch has a certain charisma that is not seen in many other watches.