Seiko 5 Sports x Pink Panther Limited Edition Watch Review

Thanks to my dad, I grew up on a film, television and radio play diet of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, The Goon Show and Peter Sellars comedies. So, a vital part of that education came in the form of The Pink Panther and Shot in the Dark, the films that introduced the world to Inspector Clouseau and the famous animated Pink Panther character. More than half a century later, a new Pink Panther film is in the works from the team behind the recent hit Sonic the Hedgehog films, currently due for release in 2026. In celebration of the upcoming film, Seiko have announced a collaboration watch with the Pink Panther franchise (the first official partnership between Pink Panther and a watchmaker), the Seiko 5 Sports x Pink Panther Limited Edition.

Getting hands on with the watch, it’s impossible not to start humming the legendary theme song as you slip the steel bracelet onto your wrist. The steel case is based on the SKX style with a 38mm diameter that makes the watch well-proportioned on the wrist. It has an asymmetrical design with built up crown guards around the 4 o’clock crown that give it a bolder, sportier feel than the size indicates on paper. But without feeling so large that it presents a wearability issue or prevents it being unisex.

The dial, as you may have noticed, is as pink as the Pink Panther himself. It features some hidden footprints between 6 and 11 o’clock reminiscent of the old Save the Oceans models with penguin silhouettes and bird tracks. The choice to keep the footprints hidden in tone on tone pink comes from the fact that the watch is inspired specifically by the first animated short to feature the character in 1964, called The Pink Phink, (prior to the launch of The Pink Panther Show in 1969) in which the Pink Panther paints a house pink against the will of a painter who wants the house to be blue, and in which the Panther often disguises himself against the house by being pink on pink.

Turning the watch over makes that connection even more apparent because the caseback features the iconic image of the Pink Panther’s eyes as the only part of him visible against the pink backdrop. The pink backdrop itself is a coloured crystal, serving as an exhibition window revealing the workings of movement inside the watch. That movement is the 4R36 automatic with 41-hour power reserve.

In addition to the steel bracelet, the watch comes with a nylon band that is, naturally, pink. It also features the paw print pattern and an inscription marking it as “Wet Paint”, another tie in to The Pink Phink. For the theme of the watch, I would probably choose to wear it on the nylon strap though I do prefer the look of the watch on the bracelet as the full pink is a bit overwhelming. On the bracelet you can almost forget the panther connection and think of it as just a pink SKX.

The Seiko 5 Sports x Pink Panther Limited Edition is priced at £380 in the not so limited quantity of 9,999 pieces. I always find it amusing using the term limited to describe a watch that outstrips the entire annual production of 10+ Swiss ateliers combined. I must confess that I am sorely tempted to pick one up for myself – if my introduction hasn’t already given away my investment in the Pink Panther, then perhaps the fact that when I was 15 I dressed up as Clouseau for the school Halloween costume contest (trilby and all) will make you understand the level of nerdom here.

More details at Seiko.