2026 marks the 145th anniversary of Seiko and in honour of the milestone, they have been paying tribute to the brand’s past, present and future. Each of those periods is reflected through a different colour across this year’s releases: gold for the past, blue for the present and now Edo purple for the future. There are six watches in this new ‘future’ collection, an Alpinist, Speedtimer, Cocktail Time, 5 Sports SKX, Rotocall and Astron model.
Seiko HBC006J1 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Alpinist “Edo-Murasaki”
Last autumn, Seiko refreshed the Alpinist collection with a new core range featuring updated dial visuals and an upgraded movement. The new Seiko HBC006J1 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Alpinist “Edo-Murasaki” also features that suite of updates. On the wrist, it wears the same as well, measuring 39.5mm x 12.7mm – a great size for a rugged adventure watch with 200m water resistance. The Alpinist is Seiko’s dedicated mountain exploration watch inspired by Japan’s Mountain Men.
For the dial, we have a lovely Edo purple display with sunray brushed finish. It’s a shade of lavender that reminds me of exploring meadows outside while also having those connotations of prestige and royalty that make it the perfect colour for an anniversary collection. It uses alternating Arabic numerals and triangular hour markers for legibility and there’s a date window at 3 o’clock. There’s also a compass scale around the outer edge for extra utility.
Powering the HBC006J1 is the 6R55 automatic movement with 72-hour power reserve. It’s one of Seiko’s top movements (outside of the calibres they occasionally use from Grand Seiko) so the value for money it offers in the Alpinist collection is very strong. At £820, it’s a great little watch, though I must admit I always have a soft spot for this collection by dint of owning an Alpinist myself. Limited to 7,000 pieces.
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Seiko HBJ005P1 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Solar Speedtimer “Edo-Murasaki”
We had the opportunity to get hands-on with this watch and I’m glad because I was sad to miss out on the Prospex Solar Speedtimer 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships edition, which first put the notion of a purple Seiko on my radar last year. However, while they’re both Edo purple Solar Speedtimers, they are quite different watches. The Anniversary edition is significantly larger at 41.4mm diameter with a 13mm thickness, giving it a much bolder wrist presence.
It features a flat tachymeter bezel for calculating your speed, finished nicely in black with a purple segment at the start. That purple colour is also seen across the main portion of the sunray brushed dial, punctuated by tricompax subdials that display small seconds, 24-hour indicator and 60-minute chronograph counter. There’s also a power reserve indicator on the 6 o’clock subdial too. A silver-tone chronograph seconds scale on the flange around the periphery of the display adds a nice contrast to the black and purple.
Inside the watch is the V192 Solar chronograph movement. Being solar means that so long as the watch is exposed to light, it will never need a battery change. This adds more reliability and convenience to the watch in combination with the accuracy of a quartz calibre.
I do think that the slightly more minimalist design of the 2025 World Athletics Speedtimer is a bit more cohesive than the 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Solar Speedtimer “Edo-Murasaki”. Yet the more structural, detailed appearance of this watch suits the occasion of an anniversary. It’s priced at £670 in a limited edition of 8,000 pieces.
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Seiko HCB006J1 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Cocktail Time GMT “Edo-Murasaki”
Third in the anniversary series is the HCB006J1 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Cocktail Time GMT “Edo-Murasaki”. As it’s a GMT, it can display multiple time zones at the same time thanks to the addition of a gold coloured 24-hour hand – the ultimate reminder that it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere. The gold colour contrasts nicely with the intense purple of the dial, which is a more saturated tone than either the Alpinist or Speedtimer. It features the radial pressed pattern used on the ‘Silver Bullet’ Cocktail Time GMT.
For the case, it’s a clean, circular design measuring 40.5mm in diameter with a 12.8mm thickness, which makes it quite large by dress watch standard. However, for a party watch that wants to show itself off, a bit of extra size isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Inside the case is the 4R34 automatic GMT movement with 41-hour power reserve.
The 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Cocktail Time GMT “Edo-Murasaki” is limited to 6,000 pieces at £520. It’s the dressiest watch in the anniversary collection, adding a welcome alternative style in contrast to the tool and sports watch offerings.
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Seiko 145th Anniversary Seiko 5 Sports SKX Limited Edition
The HDB003K1 145th Anniversary SKX Limited Edition “Edo Purple” brings Seiko’s anniversary celebrations to their most affordable sports watch collection. Measuring 42.5mm x 13.9mm, it’s the largest mechanical watch in the series, presenting traditionally masculine proportions. The crown placement at 4 o’clock rather than 3 helps the watch to feel slimmer while also preventing the crown from digging into the back of your hand.
For the dial, they’ve gone for a darker, more intense shade of purple. It pairs nicely with the black 60-minute bezel, giving the watch a serious and sporty feel despite purple not being a typical sporty colour. The display features oversize hour markers and plenty of lume for low light legibility.
The movement at the heart of the HDB003K1 is 4R36 with 41-hour power reserve. It’s priced at £380 in a limited edition of 9,999 pieces, making it the most widely available of the anniversary watches.
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Seiko HFL001P1 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Rotocall “Edo Purple”
While it has a digital display, the 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Rotocall “Edo Purple” is low-key the coolest of the releases. It’s the first expansion to the Rotocall line that was introduced last year, inspired by the 1980s ‘Astronaut’ A829-6029. The anniversary edition immediately switches things up by introducing a new black coating to the steel case, giving it a more stealthy, sporty appearance.
The Edo purple theme is present across the watch’s octagonal bezel, which displays the various functions that can be activated by rotating the bezel to the appropriate marker. It’s a cool blend of practical digital, quartz timekeeping and retro styling. At £560 it’s also worryingly close to being an impulse buy, though it is more expensive than its standard counterparts at £480. Limited to 4,000 pieces.
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Seiko HAB011J1 145th Anniversary Limited Edition Astron GPS Solar “Edo Purple”
The last watch in the purple 145th Anniversary series is the HAB011J1 Astron GPS Solar “Edo Purple”. It has a titanium case that measures 43.3mm x 13.4mm with a bezel made from a combination of both titanium and ceramic. That makes it the most advanced case design in the whole anniversary collection, which is fitting because the Astron is Seiko’s high tech GPS model.
It’s powered by the calibre 5X83 with solar charging. It’s equipped with a whole suite of functions that includes time, chronograph, day, dual-time, automatic time zone adjustment, flight-mode, calendar, power reserve indicator, status indicator and world time. All set against a horizontally striped Edo purple display. As this is the most advanced watch in the series, it’s also the most expensive at £2,600, in a limited edition of 2,000 pieces.
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More details at Seiko Boutique.
I’m a Seiko collector and a passionate enthusiast. My first Seiko was in 1995 when I visited Italy and bought the Diver’s 200m, caliber 7002-7020, which I still have in perfect condition. Since then, I’ve acquired many models that I treasure, and I hope to get my hands on one of the limited-edition 145th anniversary models. Keep up the great work!