I got a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming BAIT x Astro Boy x Seiko 5 Sports Limited Edition and did a short intro over on Highsnobiety:

“BAIT has teamed up with Japanese stalwart Seiko to deliver a limited collection of watches. The first is a badass blacked-out dive watch inspired by the cartoon character Astro Boy. Alongside the Astro Boy Seiko 5 Sports, Seiko also announced a second, vintage-inspired effort with subtle cues (a creamy off-white dial, a domed crystal, and a throwback text on the dial) that give a wink to old-school Seiko collectors.”

The Astro Boy Seiko 5 Sports is limited to just 2,000 pieces and priced at $460, so it’ll go quick. The release uses the Seiko 5 Sports form you know and love, but with a black hard-coating and a totally different dial that makes it unlike any other Seiko 5 around. Something that’s street, but still true to Seiko too.

Of course, you know Seiko, but if you’re reading this you might not know BAIT. It’s a streetwear brand founded a decade ago with stores across the West Coast (I hear they’re coming to the Midwest soon, so fingers crossed for Chicago). Shoes, clothes, collectibles, and collabs — everything BAIT touches turns into something fun and unique.

I love what Seiko is doing with the Seiko 5 Sports, using it as a platform for collabs and bringing new people into watches. We saw the Seiko x Rowing Blazers Limited Collection earlier this year, and it feels like this two-watch collection from BAIT and Seiko will be just as successful in showing BAIT’s core customers why they need a watch or three.

Wait, two-watch collection, you said? Yep.

On announcing the Astro Boy Seiko 5 Sports LE, BAIT and Seiko also teased a vintage-inspired release coming in November, and that one I really love.

Specs:

• 42.5mm x 13.4mm

• Automatic Seiko 4R36 caliber

• Stainless steel case and bracelet with black hard-coating

• Water resistance: 10 bars / 100m

Check out the full intro and specs over on Highsnobiety. Or enter the raffle for your chance at a BAIT x Astro Boy x Seiko 5 Sports Limited Edition.