From 1987 arcades to modern esports, the Capcom video game Street Fighter and its cast of characters are iconic to multiple generations. Now, they're coming to your wrist as funky new limited editions from Seiko. While there have been over 70 characters across the franchise's various iterations, six of the Street Fighter V fighters each informed a new model in the Seiko 5 Sports line — and they're downright wild.
Specifically, the characters Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Zangief and Blanka are the inspiration for individual watches with cues taken from the likes of their costumes, stories and special moves. The designs are aesthetically unrestrained, as you might expect from video game-inspired watches, but you've got to give Seiko credit for going the extra distance with the details — different models include elements that would require special production from applied indices in unique shapes to specially designed dials, bezels and more.
Perhaps the wackiest side of Seiko, the Street Fighter watches exist among other examples of pop culture collabs from the relatively restrained Grand Seiko Godzilla to the brand's crazy Monster Hunter watches for the Japanese market. The new Street Fighter watches share the Seiko 5 Sports collection's common specifications with a 42.5mm width, 100m of water resistance and the brand's 4R36 automatic movement visible through a display caseback.
The new Seiko 5 Sports are nominally "limited" to "only" 9,999 examples of each variation with the same price of $440. They'll be available from Seiko USA or can be ordered now from the WindUp Watch Shop with delivery in September 2020.
