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Seiko teams up with artist Kentaro Yoshida to bring time’s endless cycles to life in a bold and artistic Seiko 5 Sports Limited Edition collection!

It was only a few short months ago that Seiko unveiled the stunning Alpinist Australasian Limited Edition, a timepiece that I thought was one of the best releases from the brand in recent times, as it just ticked all the right boxes. Now, Seiko Australia is unveiling another limited edition release, this time three timepieces that are part of the Seiko 5 Sports Collection dedicated to the Australasian market.

Unlike the Alpinist Australasian model, these new 5 Sports models have been created in collaboration with renowned artist Kentaro Yoshida. Kentaro Yoshida is an artist who was originally from a small fishing village in Toyama, Japan. He moved to Australia at 18 to embrace a new lifestyle and now lives in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Kentaro has a passion for traditional and digital media art, which is shown through his pastel-coloured works. He specialises in hand-painted art, creating everything from large-scale murals to intricate watercolour paintings.

As part of the collaboration with Seiko Australia, Kentaro Yoshida was commissioned to create an original artwork “Time Goes by Forever”. Seiko Australia states “The theme embodies the concept of time as an endless cycle, reflecting the continuous motion of life. Drawing from elements of nature—Clouds & Sky, Sun, Moon & Beach, and Wild Plants & Flowers—Kentaro’s artwork captures the essence of growth, change, and the inevitability of time’s passage”.

As we can see, three different concepts are being used for the three timepeices. The overarching central theme to these timepeices revolves around time’s perpetual cycles: the sun rising and setting, plants blooming and withering, waves continually rolling in and the clouds that drift across the sky.

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“These motifs remind us that while time moves forward relentlessly, it is up to each of us to decide how to spend it. Each piece in the collection weaves these themes into its design, creating a cohesive narrative that celebrates the duality of time: both relentless and precious.“
Seiko Australia on the Seiko 5 Sports x Kentaro Yoshida Limited Edition Collection.

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The three new timepieces inspired by nature in the Seiko 5 Sports x Kentaro Yoshida Limited Edition Collection feature ref. SRPL25K dedicated to the Clouds & Sky, ref. SRPL26K dedicated to the Sun, Moon & Beach and lastly, ref. SRPL27K dis dedicated to Wild Plants & Flowers. The timepieces aren’t different from each other by various artistic dials either, like we would typically see from a collaborative collection. In fact, all three models are vastly different from each other. The timepieces offer different wearability, along with vastly different aesthetics that appeal to a wide audience, not just for enthusiasts of the Seiko 5 Sports collection but also for fans of Kentaro Yoshida.

As with most of the artworks released by Kentaro Yoshida, the dials of these timepieces have a skeleton in a playful pose, which is surrounded by the theme for each watch. For reference SRPL25K, the black chromatic dial has a subtle skeleton that is running through a sandy beach, carrying a surfboard. For fans of blacked-out timepieces, this one is for you. The entire watch has been blacked out, from the case, bezel, hour indices and hands to the silicone strap!

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In contrast to reference SRPL25K, this model is done in purely gold aesthetic from head to toe! The case and bracelet are made from yellow gold stainless steel, with the dial also done in gold but in a beautiful sunray brushed finish that plays with light well. This time, for dial imagery, we get a happy skeleton doing the “peace” sign. A timepiece beaming with happiness, perfectly reflecting the inspiration behind this timepiece of Sun, Moon & Beach.

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This reference is more of an “urban” model, especially with a green nylon strap. Dedicated to the outdoors, the dial features an artistic drawing of a skeleton holding a blooming flower. Out of the three timepieces in this Seiko 5 Sports x Kentaro Yoshida Limited Edition Collection, this is the most colourful watch. The white day-date window works really well in this model, as its just another addition of colour to this artistic and playful dial.

Final Thoughts

Seiko Australia has once again delivered a unique and exciting new release, this time blending watchmaking with the artistic vision of Kentaro Yoshida. The Seiko 5 Sports x Kentaro Yoshida Limited Edition collection brings forth nature’s perpetual rhythm through the playful artistic designs of Kentaro Yoshida. Each model is vastly different from the others, which I think is an excellent choice from Seiko Australia, as it offers a lot of variety within this new collection, which is sure to cater to many fans.

Whether it’s the stealthy appeal of the blacked-out SRPL25K, the vibrant beach-inspired SRPL26K, or the nature-infused charm of the SRPL27K, these watches highlight the versatility of the Seiko 5 Sports line while making a bold statement on the wrist! Each model also comes with a open case back which is engraved with Kentaro’s signature logo.

The Seiko 5 Sports x Kentaro Yoshida Limited Edition collection will be available from January 31, 2025, at Seiko Boutiques and Online and from 17th February 2025, at selected retailers across Australasia.