Seiko pays tribute to Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary Japanese animation director, cartoonist and producer. And at the same time it pays homage to Italy, with two new watches dedicated to the feature film 'Porco Rosso', made by 'Studio Ghibli' in 1992. Porco Rosso is the red-painted Savoia S.21 monoplane in which Marco Pagot, an ace of the Royal Air Force, flies. During a fight in the First World War, he miraculously survived an accident that disfigured his face, giving him the appearance of a pig's snout. Pagot then roams the skies over the Adriatic, earning a living from the bounties placed on air pirates.
The two timepieces capture the passion for mechanical engineering and technology on which the film is based and explore the relationship between function and design that director Hayao Miyazaki describes through the affectionate way he depicts Pagot's plane, the Red Pig. The white dial watch is equipped with the innovative Seiko Spring Drive movement, while the black dial version pays tribute to Seiko's contribution to the history of traditional watchmaking with an automatic chronograph. In addition, the model with the Spring Drive movement displays the 'R' emblem found on the tail of the Savoia S-21 at six o'clock. The same symbol is also present in the automatic chronograph, positioned at three o'clock, with the same colours as the aircraft's tail: those of the Italian flag. The three-hand model (Ref. SNR047J1) has a 40 mm steel case and a power reserve display on the dial at 8 o'clock, while the chronograph (Ref. SRQ033J1) has a 42 mm steel case. The two dials, one white and the other black, are crafted in enamel by master craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa and his team to create the warm beauty that echoes the feel and texture of the materials used in 1920s aircraft. The two new Presage "Porco Rosso" watches will be available from this summer in limited editions of 500 for the Spring Drive version and 600 for the automatic chronograph. Suggested retail prices in Italy: €5,800 (SNR047J1, three hands); €4,100 (SRQ033J1, chronograph).
