Seiko’s New Anime Collaboration Watch Takes Notes from an Iconic ’90s Sports Car

2 min readWhen it comes to anime collaborations in the watch world, few watchmakers can compete with Japanese brand Seiko. The team never fails to surprise and impress us with the franchises it picks—and this time the watchmaker has partnered with one of the most legendary anime series of the 1990s: Initial D.Seiko’s newest collaboration watch is a chronograph inspired by the character Keisuki Takahashi, one the racing franchise’s protagonists, and his Mazda RX-7 FD3S. The watch mostly uses its color to pay tribute to the character’s car, but some of the best fan service is in the small details.Seiko.A bright-yellow dial mirrors the Mazda RX-7’s signature body color, while a black bezel calls on the contrasting stark interiors of the car. Meanwhile, the chronograph’s three sub-dials with their red indices reference the car’s glowing-red dashboard. The 12 o’clock marker is a subtle nod to the RX-7’s rotary engine, and Takahashi’s RedSuns team logo sits at three o’clock. Design-wise, this is a watch made for fans of the franchise, through and through.Seiko...Nodding to the fact that the manga series initially launched in 1995, the watch will be limited to just 1,995 individually numbered pieces, making it one for fans and collectors. It also comes in a special collectors box, which has a bright-yellow design just like the RX-7. Its lid is printed with the Initial D series logo and the RedSuns team emblem, and it’s got a full-color illustration of Keisuki Takahashi and his car on the inside.Expected to launch at the end of January next year, it’ll be priced at ¥65,780 ($418), placing it firmly within Seiko’s affordable range. It’s likely to remain a Japan exclusive, sold through Premico, but international shipping may be possible through third parties.