100 years of watchmaking « AZ Fine Time Blog

For the 100th Anniversary of watchmaking for Seiko, they have introduced a series of Limited Edition automatics, in one of their most iconic series, the “Monster”. The first in our review is SRP455 which is the closest to the actual monster everyone knows and loves. Recently, Seiko made some upgraded Monster’s using their 4R36 movement, and the SRP455 is no exception.

The use of the upgraded 4R36 is beneficial in several ways. First and foremost, this model will have a hack (stop seconds) and manual wind feature, which you did not have in the infamous “Orange Monster”. The 4R36 has 24 jewels, 21,600 bph, and displays centralized time day and date.

The bezel on this piece is a dark metallic blue plating that looks truly impressive in person. There is also yellow gold plating for the hands and 4:00 crown and a blue polyurethane strap. These colors signify the theme of the 100th Anniversary of Watchmaking for Seiko. The overall flow and color scheme mesh together perfectly.

The dial on the SRP455 is a metallic gradient blue in a sunburst pattern with dark blue (almost black) chapter ring. The indexes on this piece are monstrous and heavily coated in lume. The sharp, shark tooth style indexes compliment the large hour and minute hand very well, and bring tremendous luminous aspects to the watch in the dark.

The stainless steel case measures out just slightly over 43mm and as with all mosters, has a great case side design that is shaped to match the sides of the bezel. The attention to detail on such an inexpensive watch is really impressive.

The new Seiko Monster SRP455 Superior Limited Edition is set to retail at $495. I have to say that you cannot beat the price for such a unique and quality limited edition.