Open Your Heart For The Seiko Presage Cocktail Time In Blue And Green
Miles Davis’s 1959 album “Kind of Blue” is considered by many critics one of the best and most influential jazz LP’s and his masterpiece. On the album, trumpeter Davis plays together with legendary tenor saxophonist John Coltrane in a sextet with four other jazz greats to create a magical moment in music history. The album opens with the catchy and grooving “So What” and the third track on the album is the ballad “Blue in Green”. And it’s this tune that creates the perfect atmosphere to open your heart for the Seiko Presage Cocktail Time in blue and green.
Listening to jazz arguably is nicer with a cocktail on the side. What about a drink at Star Bar Tokyo’s Ginza area? Hisashi Kishi, winner of the International Bar Association World Championships, will fix the drinks and with “Blue in Green” playing in the background we can have a talk. Talk about what? Well, watches, of course. The new Presage Cocktail Time “Blue Acapulco” (SSA439J1) and “Grasshopper”(SSA441J1) for instance. Do these two radiant, dressed to the nines creations on their shiny steel bracelets strike a chord with you?
A look at the rhythm section
If you read my piece on the Presage Style60’s open-heart models, you know my two cents about open dials. But in the context of jazz, the open dials of the Cocktail Time “Blue Acapulco” and “Grasshopper” give you a good view of the rhythm section in action. It’s the automatic caliber 4R38 you see beating at nine o’clock.
Seiko specifies this 3Hz movement’s accuracy to -35/+45 seconds per day and a 41-hours power reserve. The caliber 4R38 is a 24 jewel, no date, open heart movement. A member of the vast 4R movement family. The movement also features the possibility of hand-winding and hacking central seconds. This movement doesn’t have Seiko’s proprietary Spron 510 mainspring, but a traditional one.
Savor the flavor
Both three-handers come in a 40.5 × 11.84mm steel case with a length of 47.5mm. The 135g watches have a screwed, open case back and box-shaped Hardlex glass over the dial. Lots of polished surfaces on the case and the dial, but also quite a few brushed ones to keep these “cocktails” from being overly intoxicating.
These €480 Presage Cocktails are not like a shot of cheap tequila you drink for immediate effect. Instead, you want to enjoy them at a slower pace. Savor the flavor, enjoy the nuances, you get the gist.
Open your heart for the Seiko Presage Cocktail Time in blue and green
If you’re looking for something dressy but not too traditional, something chic with a splash of color and a technical twist, the new Presage Cocktail Time “Blue Acapulco” or “Grasshopper” might be the just right mix. The dials are not straight up blue or green, but show a subtle pattern that add depth to the “recipe”. And they sure are dazzling enough to jazz up a night on the town. Painting the town red with either one of these Presage models on the wrist will set you back at least €480.
For more information, please visit Seiko’s dedicated Presage website. And if you want to know more about the life and work of Miles Davis, I recommend the documentary “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool”. You can watch this insightful documentary on Netflix, and it features music greats such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Carlos Santana, and Marcus Miller. Mix yourself a cocktail, sit back and enjoy.
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