Seiko Teams With Honda For "SubCompact" 5 Sports MOTOCOMPO Limited Edition

Japan’s Seiko has teamed up with another world-famous Japanese brand, Honda Motor Co., to translate the design language of an ultra-compact motorcycle into a similarly ultra-compact wristwatch. The result of the collaboration, which hits retailers this coming September, is the Seiko 5 Sports MOTOCOMPO limited edition, which is distinguished by its bright yellow dial colorway and other aesthetic features that pay homage to Honda’s MOTOCOMPO “trunk bike,” a small, foldable motor-scooter released in 1981 that could be easily loaded into a car trunk and which spoke to trend-conscious young adults with its versatile design and bright color options.

The watch, which springs from Seiko’s robust and value-oriented 5 Sport Field series, has a “subcompact” 36.4mm case, in hard-coated stainless steel, measuring 12.5mm thick and 44.4mm lug to lug. The main dial is in a yellow tone that echoes the “Daisy Yellow” of the 1981 MOTOCOMPO scooter, with a Honda logo emblazoned in a black stripe that cuts across the dial’s center. Above the 6 o’clock numeral is the word “AUTOMATIC,” executed in a retro-futuristic font that recalls the original MOTOCOMPO logo. 

More design touches from the motorbike can be found on the crown, which features the word “TURN” from its inspiration’s fuel cock, and on the nylon strap, on which the phrases “CARRYING POINT” and “INSERTION POINT” are inscribed, calling out the design of the strap that secured the folded MOTOCOMPO bike to a car. The vintage motorscooter’s silhouette appears on the caseback, along with the watch’s “limited edition” status and its serial number.  Behind that caseback ticks Seiko’s self-winding Caliber 4R36, with a 41-hour power reserve, which drives the watch’s timekeeping and its day/date display at 3 o’clock, the latter a hallmark of the Seiko 5 Sport collection. 

The watch is water-resistant to 100 meters and has a curved crystal over the dial made from Seiko’s proprietary Hardlex mineral glass. Another proprietary material, the bright-glowing LumiBrite, coats the dial’s hands and indexes for nighttime visibility. The Seiko 5 Sports MOTOCOMPO Limited Edition (Ref. HDB010), which is delivered in a special box designed to replicate the corrugated carton in which Honda shipped its cult-classic scooter, is limited to 8,000 pieces and priced at $375.

For more information, visit the brand's website here.