Seiko Updates Sharp Edge Series With New 3 Day Automatic Movement

Seiko welcomed the Sharp Edge series back in 2020, and the watch has gone on to welcome some of our favorite Presage watches in the process, with last year’s GMT being a particular favorite. The broad, angular case with a distinctive fall off around the wrist is joined by the asanoha dial pattern to present a wholly unique experience within the Presage range. This week, Seiko welcomes a pair of new references to the Sharp Edge family, which open the dial to reveal a new 6R5J 3 day automatic movement within. The movement echoes the same updates we’ve seen rolled out across the 6R range, providing a small bump to the power reserve. 

The new Sharp Edge watches are indeed what you’d call ‘open heart’ designs, with an aperture directly over the balance wheel placed to the 9 o’clock side of the hand stack. It’s not quite that straightforward here, as there is a bridge layered over the view that recalls the very pattern seen on the dial, the asanoha, or ‘hemp leaf’ motif is rendered across the circular opening, adding a bit of visual continuity with the rest of the dial and presenting a slightly more interesting take on the open heart concept.

Two dial colors are on offer here: a light option called ​​shironeri (SBP415), which represents unbleached white silk; and a deep blue option called aitetsu (SPB417). The blue dial fades to darker tones at the dial’s perimeter, but both dials are rather dynamic thanks to the inset pattern offering plenty of surfaces for the light to play with. A framed sub-dial at 6 o’clock ditches the pattern for the benefit of the 24 hour display.

Both dials are set within a 40mm steel case that measures 13.5mm in thickness. Thanks to the angled lug I expect this watch to wear a hair trimmer than that number might suggest. Each are mounted to steel three link bracelets with polished accents. 

These are the first Sharp Edge watches that place the Presage label directly under the Seiko at the top of the dial. This, along with the “automatic 3 days” taking up another 2 lines of text underneath make for a slightly top heavy aesthetic, and somewhat unnecessarily if you ask me. A 3 day power reserve is about par for the course these days and I’m not sure it needs to be written on the dial, particularly when the outgoing 6R generation of Seiko calibers had around 70 hours of reserve, a mere 2 hours shy of 3 days if my math is correct. 

Overall these are a welcome pair of watches within the growing Sharp Edge collection and continue to explore new boundaries within this design language. Both of the watches are priced at $1,200, and will be available this summer. Seiko.