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Seiko Presage Classic Series x Tradman’s Bonsai Limited Edition 38mm Mens Watch in Matsuba-iro green
Ref. HCC009J1
Sits in Seiko’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Seiko watches we list, which start at £110.
Price range £110 to £3,550 across 181 Seiko watches in stock.The collaboration with Tradman's Bonsai, a Tokyo collective devoted to bringing traditional Japanese bonsai culture to a wider audience, gives this watch a more specific point of departure than most Presage releases. The Matsuba-iro dial — the colour of pine needles — carries an embossed S-curve pattern modelled on aged black pine bark, and the decision to run the 6R51 rather than its date-bearing sibling means nothing interrupts it. One of 2,000 pieces worldwide, its individual number is engraved on the exhibition caseback. At 38mm with a 43.8mm lug-to-lug span, it sits closer to a dress watch than most of its contemporaries manage, and the coin-edge bezel and oversized recessed crown reinforce that mid-century character. The seven-row gold PVD bracelet drapes rather than sits, and Seiko includes a brown calfskin strap whose underside is embossed with a sanko-matsu pine needle motif — a detail you find only once the watch is off your wrist. The 6R51's 72-hour reserve means it survives a full weekend unworn and returns to exactly where it left off.
- Reference
- HCC009J1
- Brand
- Seiko
- Collection
- Presage
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 12.9mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Gold PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Green
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 6R51
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Gold
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 43.8mm
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Origin
- Made in Japan
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.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in Automatic Watches (1,400), Gold Watches (585), Green Dial Watches (367) and Limited Edition Watches (164).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 38mm suits most wrists
- 43.8mm lug-to-lug keeps the 38mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | HCC009J1 | 69011A77 | B80-MOD-BLK-AQU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,250 | £1,230 | £1,250 |
| Case size | 38mm | 38mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Fabric strap |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 38 hours | 56 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
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 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
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 43.8mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 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 38mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £1,250. 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.
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