Taking a leaf out of its top-end stablemate Grand Seiko’s nature-inspired playbook, Seiko has unveiled the latest additions to its Presage Zen Garden series: a trio of 41.8mm timepieces inspired by the ancient capital of Kyoto.
More specifically, the Seiko Presage Zen Garden trio reflects the serene beauty of Kyoto’s traditional ‘Karesansui’ dry gardens: a representation of Japan’s appreciation of nature, much like Grand Seiko’s Mount Iwate textured dials, which have charted the creep of verdant moss, crystalline snow crystals and warm sunrises
Each model features a glossy three-dimensional dial pattern designed to resemble raked Karesansui sand. encouraging mindfulness, should the steady tick of Seiko’s in-house automatic 4R39 calibre not prove ‘zen’ enough.
Presage Zen Garden – Kyoto Cherry Blossom is inspired by the graceful springtime cherry blossoms of Kyoto, featuring a soft, pale pink dial.
Presage Zen Garden – Kyoto Autumn Leave is adorned by a luscious brown dial that evokes Kyoto’s vibrant, colour-changing autumnal leaves.
Presage Zen Garden – Kyoto Golden Age, meanwhile is designed with a gold-toned dial meant to depict the luxurious golden era of Kyoto when it flourished as the former capital of Japan, before the Emperor’s official residence shifted to Edo in 1868 (eventually renamed to Tokyo, of course).
The Seiko Presage Zen Garden series will be available for pre-order on the 1st of September at Seikoboutique.co.uk, £470-£530 / $590-$640; seikoboutique.co.uk