Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Crushed Ice Whisky Mist 38.5mm Mens Watch

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Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Crushed Ice Whisky Mist 38.5mm Mens Watch

Name: Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Crushed Ice Whisky Mist 38.5mm Mens Watch
Brand: Seiko
SKU: HCB003J1
Price: 420 GBP
Availability: InStock

Ref. HCB003J1

Among our 178 Seiko watchesThis watch£420

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Stepping up in Seiko's range

The Cocktail Time line has run a thread from Tokyo's Ginza district through every model in it: each dial is drawn from a specific drink served at Star Bar, where Hisashi Kishi — World Cocktail Champion and a Japanese Government-recognised master craftsman — tends bar. This one is the Whisky Mist, and the brown dial does exactly what the name promises. An eccentric gradient pulls the texture and depth toward the upper half, so the surface reads like crushed ice catching a spotlight rather than a flat printed colour. The second hand is shaped as a cocktail stirrer, which is a small thing and the right one. The earlier Cocktail Time cases ran to 40.5mm; pulling the diameter back to 38.5mm with a 45.4mm lug span changes how the watch sits entirely. On an average wrist it lies flat and balanced in the way the larger version rarely did, and a 20mm lug width means the strap selection is straightforward. The 4R35 inside is Seiko's workhorse automatic — it hacks, it hand-winds, and it has a long enough service history that its durability is simply not in question. The LWG-certified strap releases without tools, which matters more than it sounds once you own the watch.

Reference: HCB003J1
Brand: Seiko
Collection: Presage
Case size: 38.5mm
Case thickness: 11.8mm
Lug width: 20mm
Case material: Stainless steel
Case shape: Round
Dial: Brown
Crystal: Hardlex
Movement: Automatic
Calibre: 4R35
Functions: Date
Water resistance: 50m
Bracelet / strap: Leather strap
Strap colour: Brown
Clasp: Three-fold clasp
Lume: Luminous
Retailer: Goldsmiths

Additional specifications

Lug-to-lug: 45.4mm
Power reserve: 41 hours

Learn more about Seiko

Kintaro Hattori opened a watch and clock shop in Tokyo in 1881, aged twenty-one, and began manufacturing under the name Seikosha — roughly, house of exquisite workmanship — in 1892. The Seiko name appeared on watches from 1924.

The company's significance is that it broke the Swiss monopoly twice. First on precision: Seiko was appointed official timekeeper of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and built the quartz chronometers and printing timers to do it, and in the 1960s its movements placed highly at the Neuchâtel and Geneva observatory trials against the best Swiss houses.

Then on technology. On Christmas Day 1969 Seiko released the Astron, the world's first quartz wristwatch, accurate to five seconds a month where mechanical watches managed that per day. The consequences for Switzerland were catastrophic — employment in the Swiss industry fell by roughly two-thirds over the following decade. Seiko deliberately did not enforce its quartz patents, allowing the technology to spread.

The same year it produced the 6139, among the first automatic chronographs, and it has since introduced Kinetic, Spring Drive — a hybrid regulating a mechanical mainspring electronically, giving a perfectly gliding seconds hand — and its own dive and field lines.

Seiko remains fully vertically integrated, making its own hairsprings, quartz crystals, and even the Zaratsu-polished cases, at price points from under a hundred pounds upward.

1881: Kintaro Hattori opens his Tokyo shop.
1924: The first watches carry the Seiko name.
1964: Official timekeeper of the Tokyo Olympics.
1969: The Astron becomes the first quartz wristwatch.
1999: Spring Drive enters production.

All Seiko watches

Manufacturer’s guarantee

What the specifications mean

A mechanical watch for everyday wear.

Strengths

38.5mm suits most wrists
45.4mm lug-to-lug keeps the 38.5mm case wearable
Luminous hands and markers for low light

Worth knowing

50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming

Best forEveryday wearFormal wear

Less suited toSwimming

Compare alternatives

Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.

Presage Cocktail Time Crushed Ice Whisky Mist 38.5mm Mens Watch compared with 2 alternatives from other brands
Specification	This watchPresage Cocktail Time Crushed Ice Whisky Mist 38.5mm Mens WatchHCB003J1	CitizenTsuyosa 60 Automatic 40mm Mens Watch BlackNK0020-55E	TissotClassic Dream 40mm Silver & Rose Gold Mens WatchT1584072203101
Price	£420	£429	£450
Case size	38.5mm	40mm	40mm
Water resistance	50m	50m	50m
Movement	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Strap	Leather strap	Stainless steel bracelet	Stainless steel bracelet
Power reserve	41 hours	60 hours	—
	This watch	Wears larger	Wears larger

Your new watch

Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch

Can I swim with it?

Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.

Will the glass scratch?

It resists most everyday knocks. Hardlex is a hardened mineral glass — tougher than standard mineral, softer than sapphire.

Does it need a battery?

No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.

How long does it run for when it's not worn?

About 41 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.

What size strap does it take?

20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.

Will it fit my wrist?

Lug-to-lug is 45.4mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.

Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.

Is it a men's or women's watch?

Listed as men's, though at 38.5mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.

Cheapest place to buy

Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.

Who are Goldsmiths?

Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.