This Seiko Is the Most Hyper-Specific Tool Watch I’ve Ever Seen

Tool watches defining feature is that they are purpose-built. After all, the entire reason the genre exists is to help the wearer accomplish a specific task. That’s why we have tool watches created for divers, drivers, pilots, etc.

But what if a tool watch were so hyper-specific in its mission that it was created not for a singular occupation or activity but for one single person?

That’s what Seiko has dreamed up as part of its second-ever “Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition.” The event sees Seiko designers using their unrestrained imaginations to create the most radical designs they can come up with, unencumbered by practicality or manufacturing realities.

One of the most intriguing concepts to emerge from this year’s event was a tool watch designed for one specific person: Santa Claus.

Seiko

To All a Good Night

The Santa watch has several features that are optimized for one high-speed, high-stress, globe-trotting night of work for a jolly old elf.

Let’s take a look at the dial first, as it’s quite unusual. The timing scale effectively begins at the 7 o’clock index, marked “19” to denote 7 pm in a 24-hour format. Working our way around the dial, you’ll notice the military-time scale continues up to 6 am, which occupies the 6 o’clock index. Effectively, this means the watch only keeps time during the evening, nighttime and early morning hours — the exact window when Santa is plying his trade on December 24.

Seiko

The minute hand is topped with a bright red reindeer, which is highly visible and reminds Santa that every second counts during his once-a-year journey. There’s also a star-tipped GMT hand which Santa can use to keep an eye on the time back at the North Pole or track a time zone where he still needs to travel.

How could such a movement actually function? Seiko doesn’t get into specifics — and this watch will likely never actually be made — but I assume it would require some kind of mechanical or electronic memory, depending on the type of movement used, that causes the hands to stop moving at 6 am and lay dormant until 7 pm, when they jump back into action.

Seiko

The dial is fully lumed with Lumibrite, naturally, as we’ve already established that Santa only works at night. The crystal is printed with the Seiko logo and the slogan “For the happiness of all children” in the shape of a smile, which I’m sure serves as a reminder to Kris Kringle as to why he continues to take on his grueling annual mission.

Santa the Pilot

The case is gold with a fluted bezel that makes it classically attractive like an old-school pilot’s watch — I can’t imagine St. Nick would want anything too modern-looking. It uniquely features a hinged lid that allows Santa to put the watch into stealth mode when entering people’s homes, as the lid keeps the Lumibrite dial from being seen by any youngsters creeping down the stairs or napping on the sofa.

The crown is located at 6 o’clock to prevent it from digging into Santa’s wrist as he maneuvers his sleigh around countless rooftops, and the watch is mounted on a leather bund strap.

Seiko

In addition to the style’s long association with pilots, the bund also serves a practical purpose as it prevents the case from making contact with Santa’s skin. This should serve him well in cold climates while also keeping his wrist protected from the intense heat caused by the blistering speeds at which he must travel to keep his impossibly demanding schedule.

The designer of the Santa watch is Takuya Matsumoto, who is in charge of product design for Seiko and mainly works on the Presage and King Seiko lines. The watch is very imaginative and is a ton of fun, and while it is about as physically real as Santa Claus himself, I’m still happy Seiko allows its designers to think outside the box and spend their time cooking up such crazy creations.

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