Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary Peanuts Limited Edition
Happiness is a Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary PEANUTS Limited Edition
Here are five things we love about the Seiko SRPK27 and SRPK25 Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary PEANUTS Limited Editions.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
Character watches own a unique place for collectors. You can have horological giants like Audemars Piguet producing limited edition Spider-Man tourbillons that cost over $200,000, or you can go for a Peppa Pig-themed LCD watch costing well under $30. As someone with a watch box filled with Mickey Mouse watches, who am I to judge?
My point is: The allure of cartoon-decorated timepieces rests in the wearer’s emotional connection to the characters. Take, for instance, the classic Mickey design (gotta get my hands on a Genta one someday). First, it lends itself easily to a watch face. But more importantly, the character of Mickey Mouse is a cultural touchstone that is also inextricably linked to Disneyland and its longtime claim to fame as “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
Similarly, no serious observer of the watch community could credibly say that we aren’t equally drawn to the antics of the “Peanuts” gang, especially Snoopy. Cartoonist Charles Schultz’s canine creation has decorated the dials and casebacks of dozens (if not hundreds) of watches ranging from Omega Speedmasters to Timex Marlins.
So, you can imagine our delight when Seiko announced its collaboration with Peanuts and the release of two limited edition Seiko 5 Sports models as part of the collection’s 55th-anniversary celebrations in 2023.
Good Character
“Peanuts,” the ageless comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, ran from 1950 to 2000, but it lives still on in reruns (and watches).
Like the Seiko 5 Sports collection, Schultz’s characters are enduring because they are accessible and relatable to all. Charlie Brown is the “Everyman,” but his beagle Snoopy is more aspirational. Fun Fact: During the Apollo era of NASA, the agency created the Silver Snoopy Award to celebrate achievements related to mission success and human flight safety.
Thus it’s fitting that the SRPK27 Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary PEANUTS Limited Edition, which is based on the Seiko 5 Field Sports style, features Snoopy using his ears to “helicopter” across the dial. Meanwhile, on the caseback, his bird buddy, Woodstock, is depicted floating to earth attached to a parachute emblazoned with the collection’s signature “5 in a shield” logo.
Hang Ten
Snoopy has many alter egos, with campus kingpin “Joe Cool,” the “WWI Flying Ace,” and “World Famous Author” being the best known of these personas.
However, Seiko did their homework before making these two timepieces, and the SRPK25 Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary PEANUTS Limited Edition is proof.
Based on the SKX Sense style, the SRPK25, a.k.a. “Surfboard Snoopy,” recreates scenes from a 1969 panel picturing the pup peering out from behind a surfboard to which Seiko has added the words “Seiko 5 Sports.”
And with this model, Snoopy reappears on the caseback riding the waves. And as is the case with the SRPK27, the original comic strip, upon which the SRPK25’s design is based, has also been reproduced on the inside of its presentation box. Cowabunga!
The Right Type
What really sold us on these anniversary watches was the design details, specifically the typography.
To further tie in the artwork to the watch, Seiko uses Schultz’s hand-drawn script on the bezel display of the SPRK25, on the dial of the SPRK27, and for the “LIMITED EDITION” text on both models’ casebacks.
Plus, Snoopy’s footprint (or should we say, “pawprint”) also appears on the crown of each edition.
The Right Price
Finally, the Seiko SRPK27 and SRPK25 Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary PEANUTS Limited Editions are built to last at least another 55 years without breaking the bank, with both models boasting a robust 4R36 Automatic with manual winding movement, a power reserve of approximately 41 hours, 10 bars of water resistance, and magnetic resistance of 4,800 A/m.
The SRPK27 is a proper field watch with its 36.4mm stainless steel case, black calfskin leather strap, stop-seconds, and day/date function. Meanwhile, the SRPK25 features a unidirectional rotating bezel and offset crown typical of the brand’s dive watches. Moreover, the SRPK25, which comes on a nylon band, has a 38mm stainless steel case and is surprisingly comfortable, considering it’s 12.1mm thick.
While the true value proposition of these watches comes from their construction and materials, it doesn’t hurt that the SRPK27 (limited to 6,500 pieces) costs only $400 while the SRPK25 (limited to 8,900 pieces) has a price tag of $425.
For more information, visit Seiko’s website.
(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)
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