SEIKO Dolce "Ivory Dial" Quartz 1995

A slim dress watch from Seiko's Dolce line, the dress watch range Seiko launched in the 1980s, made in 1995. The dial is two-tone: an ivory centre disc sits inside a whiter outer ring, so the middle reads warm and the gold markers stand out against the cooler edge. Inside is the Cal.8J41, a high-accuracy quartz movement Seiko rated to around ±10 seconds a year, so the time needs setting about once a year rather than once a month. It comes on Seiko's original steel bracelet with a SEIKO-signed clasp, and it works as well with a suit as with a knit at the weekend.

The case and bracelet are stainless steel. Seiko's original protective sticker is still on the caseback, and the watch shows only light marks from use, with no major damage. It measures 33mm across (excluding the crown), 38.5mm lug to lug, with a 10mm lug width. The case is thin and slides under a shirt cuff without catching, and the bracelet fits wrists up to 19.5cm.

The dial is original. Applied gold baton markers, doubled at 12, and a track of small dots run around the edge, with only SEIKO above the centre and DOLCE below. In bright light the outer ring turns almost white while the centre keeps its ivory tone, which gives a plain dial a soft sense of depth.

- wrist size in our picture is 17cm circumference -