Refresher Course: A Deeper Dive into Seiko’s Presage Cocktail Time Collection
Last month, the brand added three flavors to the family: Frozen Daiquiri, Frozen Mojito, and Frozen Skydiving.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
As our own Mike Espindle has noted, the watch press tends to give more attention to Seiko sports watches than its more elegant offerings. I know I’m guilty as charged.
However, as tastes shift toward dressier timepieces (or at least having a watch box with a more balanced representation of time-only models and chronographs), it seems like the perfect time to look at Seiko’s more formal collection, Presage.
Specifically, we want to talk about five models in the brand’s Cocktail Time collection, which means each of these new (or newish) models was inspired by a delicious cocktail.
Day Drinking
Like the 2024 Star Bar series, these new watches are a collaboration with Hisashi Kishi, the head bartender of STAR BAR in Tokyo’s Ginza district, past winner of the International Bar Association World Championships, and the first bartender to receive Japan’s prestigious “Contemporary Master Craftsman” award.
Fun Fact: The “Contemporary Master Craftsman” award, or “Gendai no Meiko,” is a highly prestigious annual award given by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare to individuals who demonstrate outstanding skills and expertise in their respective fields.
The 2024 series was inspired by drinks that were in turn inspired by Tokyo sunsets. For the three new additions to the Cocktail Time family – “Frozen Skydiving,” “Frozen Mojito,” and “Frozen Daiquiri” – Seiko used sweet daytime thirst quenchers as its jumping-off point.
Inspired by a Kishi cocktail that blends rum, blue curaçao, and lime juice, the SRPL61 “Frozen Skydiving” dial features a light blue hue that is almost lilac in color.
Meanwhile, the SRPL63 “Frozen Mojito” has a pale green dial that pays tribute to Kishi’s take on the classic mint-infused Cuban beverage.
Lastly, the golden SRPL64 “Frozen Daiquiri” gets its dial flavor from Star Bar’s Banana Daiquiri, which is an enticing mélange of banana liqueur, brown sugar, lime juice, frozen bananas, and rum. This version distinguishes itself from the others due to the gold-tone hour and minute hands, indices, and bracelet links that echo its dial’s radiant hue.
The aesthetics of this trio of timepieces suggest a sparkling beverage thanks to four diamond indices and a textured dial that mimics the appearance of crushed ice. For extra refreshment, each watch features a compact 34mm stainless steel case, mixed with tapered, mirror-polished, multi-link integrated bracelets.
These three timepieces may look sweet, but they pack a lot of punch thanks to Seiko’s in-house 4R35 automatic caliber, which provides a 40-hour power reserve and an accuracy of +45/-35 seconds per day.
Summer Nights
Of course, summer days turn into summer nights, so let’s revisit the recent Seiko Presage Cocktail Time STAR BAR edition inspired by the alluring scenery of Tokyo by night.
Available in two sizes – 40.5mm (SRPK93) and 30.3mm (SRE015), the dial of each watch combines a delicate pattern with gray layers and gold-colored hands and indices to evoke an original cocktail created by the renowned barkeep and owner Kishi called the “Night-time Tokyo.”
Of course, mixing the perfect libation requires layering the flavors and spirits just right. The size and shape of these two case-shaped options mean that you are bound to find a version that will look elegant on your wrist that best suits your style. The smaller-sized model even features a retro, facetted, box-shaped glass meant to evoke Tokyo’s skyscrapers.
Seiko’s in-house 4R35 automatic caliber also drives these timepieces.
The three new Seiko Frozen Cocktail Time watches are priced between $666 to $719, with the two Presage Cocktail Time Automatic Star Bar Night Time Tokyo models each limited to 9,000 pieces and priced between $550 and $650.
For more information, visit Seiko’s website.