Limited edition watch honors the ‘Whiskered Pitta’, a bird endemic in PH rainforests
Seiko unveils its fifth Philippine Prospex timepiece—and it’s not a diver’s watch
For the fifth time, Seiko has unveiled a limited edition timepiece that’s available only in the Philippines—and, this time, it’s not a diver’s watch.
Seiko’s new Prospex Philippine limited edition watch is a tribute to the Whiskered Pitta, a bird found in rainforests in the country. In particular, it is endemic in the Sierra Madres, where it is known for its distinct bird call and vividly colored plumage, typically of brown and blue and red patterns.
True to its inspiration, Seiko’s fifth PH limited edition watch (which, we’re referring to as the Seiko Whiskered Pitta) moves away from the diver style watches of previous iterations and turns toward the Alpinist line of timepieces from the renowned Japanese watch brand.
As is typical of Alpinist watches, it features a stainless steel case with a screw-down crown. It follows the color scheme of the Whiskered Pitta, with a brown textured dial and yellow-ish hour markers (with arabic numerals for 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10), and a splash of red found on the compass bezel (which is in a dark shade of blue). With a red second hand, the watch also has Seiko’s LumiBrite lume technology on its cathedral hour and minute hands, and indices.
What is, perhaps, more appealing to watch enthusiasts is its movement. This Whiskered PItta Alpinist is powered by Seiko’s 6R35 automatic movement, which gives it a 70-hour power reserve and a daily accuracy of +25 to -15 seconds.
And then there’s the size, which is another distinguishable feature of this year’s PH-limited edition watch. While those that came before it were of the over 40 mm variant, this Whiskered Pitta Alpinist comes only at 39.5 mm, and wears like a 36 mm on the wrist. With a resurgence of interest in smaller-sized watches, this might just make it more appealing to both watch enthusiasts and the casual collector or even to the average buyer.
With only 1,288 pieces made, the Whiskered Pitta Alpinist is available in a stainless steel bracelet or on a calfskin strap with a three-fold clasp, for that added explorer vibe.
With every purchase of the Seiko Whiskered Pitta Alpinist, a tree is planted in the rainforest of the Sierra Madre (in an area dubbed as Seiko Forest) under the buyer’s name. This is made possible to this year’s partner, which is Fostering Education & Environment for Development, Inc. (FEED), a non-government organization active in the Sierra Madre mountains.
Seiko’s fifth Philippine limited edition watch is now available for pre-order online at its standard retail price of P54,000.
Words by Dom Galeon
