Seiko/Sega 'Mega' Spring Drive
This project came about as I stumbled on an image for a collaboration between Seiko and Sega. The former came out with a couple of watch designs with the latter as inspiration for them. My main problem upon seeing them is that the designs felt very unexciting to me, they seemed more like pre-existing watch designs with the Sega logo tacked on. Not that the design in and of itself was bad (though not to my taste) but the Sega part of it seemed more like an afterthought.
As someone who enjoys products from both brands, having a particular fondness for Sega consoles of the 1990s and Seiko's watch designs and technology, I thought it would be interesting to see how to merge the two into something that people interested in both companies like myself would be actually interested in purchasing.
Sega's most iconic console to this day being the Mega Drive (aka Genesis in North America) it seemed like the perfect choice to turn into a watch design. On top of that, the console already features a circular design in its original incarnation, which I thought would provide a good basis for the watch design. As I was putting the finishing touches on the render I discovered someone already put out a Mega Drive watch a couple years ago, but it had no influence on the design itself.
I tried as much as possible to integrate a lot of elements of the design of the original Mega Drive into the design of the watch. The most obvious is the raised platform at 6 o'clock with the iconic 16-bit marking. I added the Sega logo under it which is not here on the console itself but it would make sense for it to be on the watch.
There are other details from the original design that are highlighted below. From left to right you can see :
• The three-dimensional 12 o'clock index, fashioned after the power switch of the console, with a bright red center line and sloped black glossy sides. You can also see the Spring Drive logo, fashioned after the original Mega Drive font. This was one of the most time-consuming details to create, particularly making new letters that would look like they were designed the same way as the original font of the logo.
• The power reserve that mixes elements from multiple places: the "Phones Vol." slider for the white markers (also the inspiration for the minute track) ; the blue "Reset" button turned into the power reserve indicator, including the small recessed pips ; and the "Power" marking with the same font and kerning as on the console.
• Finally, the aforementioned raised platform which, as it does on the console, terminates in a claret red section on the sloped glossy outer ring of the dial. I thought this would be a good place for the date window — this is originally the spot for the power LED indicator that lights up green when the console is turned on. The date wheel could have applied green lumibright on its background so it can mimic this design element. Additionally, the movement/case design information placement mimics that of the "Power — On" text on the original version of the Mega Drive.
Now, a few more details for watch nerds: I based this design mostly on the case and dial proportions of the classic Grand Seiko Snowflake SBGA211. As soon as I thought of the Mega Drive logo being turned into a Spring Drive logo, I thought it would be logical to include the watch in that line and what Spring Drive watch is more iconic than the Snowflake? However the thing is that the power reserve indicator on the perennial 9R65 movement is between 7 and 8 o'clock, which would have interfered with the raised platform at 6.
Seeing this I decided to put the power reserve indicator between 8 and 9 instead, basing its placement on the one present in certain models with the 9R66 caliber. As such this is neither a 9R65 or a 9R66 (not to mention that the date window is usually present at either 3 or 4 o'clock on all models with those calibers), but a nonexistent 9R64.
Other than that it also mixes in features of classic Grand Seiko design elements, with a sharp-edged case (if it existed for real I think PVD-coated stainless steel would be the best option here, to reproduce the unpolished black plastic look of the Mega Drive) and bracelet, and the chunky sword hands we're all used to.
Couple more details, the power reserve indicator is sunk underneath the main dial because I thought it would look cool. In addition, the minute track is printed on the glossy outer ring of the dial, but the hour markers are actually cut into that outer ring, to provide a little bit of extra depth to the dial itself. They could also be lumed for extra legibility in the dark (although if that was to happen the hands would have to be lumed as well which is not traditionally the case with Grand Seiko designs).
Anyways, I'm not a watch designer but this was a pretty nice little challenge. I hope you'll dig it as much as I had fun making it!
(Edit: it seems that Behance is applying some weird dithering on the images that results in grainy gradients, I'll look into it to see how to mitigate that, apologies for that)
