Last week, Seiko Australia, in conjunction with Watch Advice, held an amazing event at Howard Smith Wharves to showcase the best of the world of Seiko, and some very special surprises along the way!
I’ll start by saying this, Seiko know how to throw an event! Watch Advice has been to several launches and celebrations across the years, and they’ve always been done so well. So, when we started talking to the team at Seiko Australia earlier in the year about an event, in our hometown of Brisbane, no less, we knew it had to be good. And good is possibly an understatement for the event last week at Biougainvillea House at Howard Smith Wharves. With over 100 people in attendance, we can safely say the love for Seiko in Queensland is strong, and when you see all the different collections on display that tap into different interest areas, topics and styles, you can quickly understand why.
With the Story Bridge as the backdrop, and a pleasant 25 degrees, guests arrived at a night of entertainment, education, and fun. With a load of displays that housed the various collections from Seiko, from Prospex, to Presage, from King Seiko’s VANAC, to the Astron, there was something for everyone.
As guests entered, members of the Watch Advice crew were there to greet them and welcome them to the event. It was also a good opportunity to grab a photo with some new friends and old as well. One of the best parts about the watch community here in Brisbane, and all over the country, are the people you meet and have a shared passion with. In fact, I find that this is the case all over the world.
Once inside, there was a whole world of Seiko to explore. A range of Presage watches for him and her on display, including the Cocktail Time models that have proven a hit over the past few years, which included the new Seiko Presage Conte Australasian Limited Edition, designed to emulate a Negroni with Bar Conte in Sydney.
The King Seiko VANAC proved popular as well, as this is a model that talks to the heritage of Seiko, as well as the lineage of King Seiko in a retro-styled 1970s case design. Released earlier this year, and standing for Vibrant case design, Active lifestyle, Novel dial ring, Alternative dial design & Comfortable bracelet, this model is a throwback to 1972, just 11 years after King Seiko was established; however, just 4 short years later was discontinued, and shortly after, so was King Seiko. But both made a comeback, with King Seiko being reintroduced in 2021 and then this year, the VANAC.
For those sports enthusiasts, the Seiko 5 was a big drawcard too, given the versatile nature of the watch as well as the collaboration with motor sport, like the Supercars, for which Seiko has produced a limited edition this year. With Seiko’s association with the Supercars, why not have a simulator for guests to test their skills at around the Laguna Seca track in the U.S.?
If driving wasn’t your thing, but you like entertainment, a roaming magician was working his way through the crowd, doing some close-up and sleight of hand magic. I love a bit of magic, especially in person, when you are convinced that you can spot exactly what is happening and how the trick is done. I’ll be honest here, I’m still not sure how he did some of the tricks on the night, but that’s half the fun isn’t it?
One of the special events on the night (the other we’ll get to shortly) was the watchmakers from Japan who flew out specially for the event, to take people through a live demonstration of disassembling and reassembling a Seiko movement in real time, giving people a taste of what it is like to be a watchmaker. For those who are not aware, this is actually a big deal, as very few brands will fly out their watchmakers for events and demonstrations like this, so it was a rare opportunity for those in attendance to witness this, and be able to talk with them in person.
One of the big focal points was the Prospex range, as this year, Seiko celebrates the dive watch’s 60th Anniversary. It’s a big deal for Seiko as this is one of their best-selling collections, and being a dive watch lover myself, it is always good to see the history of the Prospex. Seiko brought some heritage pieces to display on the night, which, for quite a few of the Seikoholics in the crowd, was a massive attraction, as were the displays that had some of the educational information around the Seiko Dive Watch history.
And, still talking about the Prospex collection, the guests were treated to a very special occasion. The global unveiling of the new Prospex Sea “Kame” (Japanese for Turtle) Australasian Edition, which is inspired by the tropical paradise of Fitzroy Island and its surrounding turquoise waters off the coast of Cairns. What also makes this watch special is that Seiko has adopted a rehabilitation turtle, named Kame, and a portion of the proceeds of each watch will go to help the efforts of the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.
To make this even more special for the guests on the night, Seiko, along with retail partner Wallace Bishop, gave people the opportunity to purchase and take home the watch on the night. And for those that did, they went into the draw to win a trip for two, up to Fitzroy Island to visit the centre and see the work being done by Jennie and the team.
As part of the formalities, Watch Advice Founder, Chamath Gamage, welcomed everyone to the evening along with Dan Findlay, Seiko Australia’s Marketing Manager and Managing Director of Seiko Australia, Ms. Kinuyo Sakata, with special guest mentions for Australian Olympic Swimmer, Olympic Gold Medalist and former World record Holder, Zac Stubblety-Cook.
Above all, it was a great night and a chance for Seiko to connect with some of the Australian watch community here in Brisbane. A big thank you goes out to all the people who attended, and with a successful night such as this, we hope to do it all again very soon!
