Seiko is celebrating a unique piece of Japanese history with a new limited edition Seiko dubbed the Motocompo, after the ultra-compact foldable scooter introduced in Japan in 1981. The scooter was a master class of industrial design, folding itself into a rectangle for easy storage, and was the smallest scooter ever produced by Honda. The retro futuristic design remains a symbol of efficiency and style, and Seiko is honoring in their own way with a new Seiko 5 that borrows one of the scooters most distinguishing features.
Written across the side of the scooter in dot matrix style letters was the name MOTOCOMPO, and Seiko has recreated this design on the dial of the new reference HDB010 with the word AUTOMATIC at the bottom of the dial. To further drive the theme home, the grey passthrough strap also welcomes the full original Motocompo logo, complete with red details. Additionally, the box itself showcases the wonderful design of the original scooter from Honda.
The rest of the dial is vibrant yellow, with a single grey bar running horizontally across the center. At the left, the Honda branding appears in black, and at the right, the day and date. This is still a classic Seiko 5 field watch, and all of the hours are represented in Arabic numeral form outside of the grey bar. All of this sits within a grey hard coated steel case that measures 36.4mm in diameter. Turning the watch over will reveal a special caseback that reveals a graphic of the scooter over a red base.
The yellow and black color palette certainly won’t to everyone’s taste, but I love the idea of bringing a cultural icon like the Motocompo back to life through this watch. The scooter itself is not only a symbol of Japanese innovation, but a staple of industrial design at its peak. This is the kind of product design we aren’t often exposed to these days (the Motocompo, that is) and a younger generation of watch enthusiasts will now be exposed to something new.
Seiko will produce 8,000 examples of the Seiko 5 Motocompo Limited Edition, each with special packaging to commemorate the scooter itself. The price will be $375 with availability beginning in September. Seiko
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