It seems like another collaboration between two of the earth's most loved innovators was inevitable. Seiko and Brian May, the lead guitarist of the prolific and legendary band Queen, return with their second Seiko 5 Sports Brian May Limited Edition timepiece.
This partnership isn't completely out of the blue: Brian May has never shied away from his love of the top-class Japanese brand. You’d often spot May wearing a Seiko 7548-7010 dive watch onstage during the band’s prime, and it was on Queen’s 70s tour in Japan where he first became infatuated with the brand — or so the story goes.
With such a strong connection between Seiko watches and his own music, it’s no surprise May came to model his signature timepiece after Red Special; a guitar with a mythical status to match even Hendrix’s stratocaster, or Page’s Dragon Telecaster. One key difference, May and his father handcrafted the entire Red Special guitar by hand.
Overview
Story and Inspiration
Brian May and his father, an electrical engineer, built the Red Special guitar in their own home with recycled materials around the house. Old wood from the fireplace, parts of an old table, mum’s knitting needle for the tremolo bar — a truly one a kind creation. Designed exactly for the guitar tone you hear on every Queen album and at every live show, it was a sincere labour of love.
May would travel the world with Red Special, right next to his trusty Seiko prospex diver watch. A near-perfect replica of his guitar was even used in Freddie Mercury's biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. But did Seiko do the Red Special justice? You bet they did.
Dial & Bezel
This timepiece is simply gorgeous and there’s plenty to unpack, so we’ll start with this incredible dial and bezel.
The red mahogany wood stain is almost identical to the Red Special guitar with its colour and texture. May’s black pickguard makes an appearance too, adding thick contrast and balance opposite the watch’s date window.
“Red Special” is written in beautiful golden cursive, pairing with numerous other gold features including its hands and time markers. You’ll also enjoy a highly practical rotating bezel with plenty of its own embellishment and charm.
Case & Back
The key difference between Seiko and Brian May’s first limited edition Seiko 5 Sports is the case. Where the original had a polished steel look, this second edition model has gone for gold. The impressive gold-toned case adds a very strong dress look to this sporty timepiece.
The golden colour was requested by May, to go with his 'Gold Series', a new collection of his remastered and reissued solo works. Clearly, Brian knows his stuff because in our opinion, this golden case looks even better than the original 'Red Special' Seiko watch.
As for the back, we get a good look at the watch's automatic movement underneath a transparent red panel with May's signature. We also get a better look at the lush gold case, and the smoothness of Seiko's design work. Very nice.
If you're eagle-eyed, you might notice the 00001/12500 serial number at the bottom of the case back. This means that there are just over twelve thousand of these special watches being released world-wide. If you want one, you'll have to be quick.
Strap
This watch strap is made from soft and comfortable nylon, which also has some nice durability. You might notice the six golden strips along the strap, which were included by Seiko to represent Brian May's guitar strings. This is a really nice detail that really completes the Red Special homage. When launching his new signature watch, Brian May called this detail "a stroke of genius."
Symbolism aside, this strap looks great and feels great, too. The black colour adds a lot of contrast which really accentuates the glow of the gold case.
Collector's Box
If you are a watch collector, you'll love this customised box that comes with the 'Red Special II' timepiece. Bearing a strong resemblance to a hard guitar case, this box has a seriously impressive look:
The box also comes with a small sixpence coin with a Brian May side-profile — you get a great look at his rockstar hairdo here. This coin is significant to May and his career, as he's always opted for his lucky sixpence over the standard guitar pick when playing. This is a really neat touch and makes this even more of a collector's item.
Specifications
- 4R36 caliber automatic movement
- 41 hour duration
- Stainless steel case with hardlex glass
- LumiBrite on hands and indexes
- Nylon strap
- 100 metres of water resistance
- Thickness: 13.4 mm
- Diameter: 42.5 mm
- Length: 46 mm
- 24 jewels
- Day/Date display
- Stop second-hand function
Other notable specifications include:
- LIMITED EDITION on the case back
- Screw case back
- See-through case back
- Serial number engraved on the case back
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
Our Verdict
This is exactly what you want from a limited edition collaboration like this. Seiko has done an amazing job with the small details, from the guitar string watch strap to Brian May's sixpence coin. Unfortunately, this piece is sold out but keep your eyes peeled for more exciting Seiko launches!
The Seiko watch corporation has also committed to donating a portion of the sales and proceeds from the timepiece to The Mercury Phoenix Trust. This HIV/AIDS charity is very close to the heart of Brian May, who is a founder alongside other Queen members.
