Seiko Joins Another Japanese Cultural Icon on This Retro Chronograph

It’s only fitting for the video game company that brought us Sonic the Hedgehog to celebrate its 65th anniversary with a chronograph watch.

Since that cheeky blue superhero is known for sound-barrier-shattering speed, fellow Japanese icon Seiko provides a quartz movement that tracks down to 1/20th of a second for its new collaboration with Sega. While that’s probably still not accurate enough to time everyone’s favorite fictional hedgehog, this co-branded chronograph is both perfectly executed and remarkably affordable.

Sega

The Seiko x Sega 65th Anniversary Model is a 1960s-style chronograph adorned with a tastefully restrained selection of the video game brand’s iconography. Sega’s logo appears directly under Seiko’s, which corresponds with the Arabic numeral hour markers in Sega’s trademark font.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper celebration of Sega without Sonic. A tiny silhouette of the lovable hedgehog’s head appears at 6:00 on the lower half of the chronograph totalizer.

Sega

This collaboration is a reprisal of the Seiko chronograph created for Sega’s 60th anniversary, but this time, there was clearly more thought put into it. The previous version had a more generic look, while this one adopts a cool vintage aesthetic.

The panda and the Genesis

Sega’s celebratory chronograph is available in two colors.

First, there is a steel case and bracelet featuring a panda-style white dial fitted with blue subdials and a blue tachymeter rehaut. The hour hand and minute hand are metallic, while the chronograph seconds hand, subdial hands and Seiko logo are all gilded.

Sega

The other option has a faded black case and bracelet, which is likely achieved with a PVD coating, but it is not explicitly stated. The dial is black with gray hour markers, and the subdials are black with blue frames that match the rehaut. All hands and the Seiko logo are a uniform steel gray.

In both cases, the Sega logo appears in its trademark blue. I appreciate how the black reference evokes the Genesis console, which represents the peak of Sega’s popularity, but I think the blue panda is far more attractive.

Clock that hedgehog

The most impactful detail making this fun collaboration watch so affordable is the quartz movement, but it is an interesting, deep-cut engine that Seiko doesn’t pull out too often.

Sega

The 39mm case houses a Seiko Caliber 7T92 quartz chronograph movement. It has a central chronograph seconds hand, a totalizer at 6:00 with a big hand tracking elapsed minutes and a small hand tracking elapsed hours, and a totalizer at 12:00 measuring 1/20th of a second.

The chronograph operates with a standard start/stop pusher at 2:00 and a reset pusher at 4:00. Finally, there is a date window at 4:30 and a small seconds display at 9:00.

While the Caliber 7T92 packs an impressive stopwatch for its price — replacement movements sell for $75 — it has no jewels and uses some plastic parts, so it isn’t the most durable quartz movement.

Availability and price

As far as video game mashup watches go, Seiko and Sega knocked it out of the park with this one. For Gen X and Elder Millennial watch fans like me, who grew up playing Sega games and consoles, this is a good-looking watch packed with a heady dose of nostalgia.

The Seiko x Sega 75th Anniversary Model is available exclusively through Sega’s online store for 71,500 Yen, which currently converts to about $470. It is a made-to-order release, and shipments won’t be sent out until October 2026.

Sega

Seiko x Sega 65th Anniversary Model

Specs

Case Size	39mm
Movement	Seiko Caliber 7T92 quartz
Water Resistance	100m

• $470 at Sega

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