SEIKO Square Gold Textured Dial Quartz 1987

A slim square dress watch from Seiko, made in May 1987. The gold dial has a fine woven texture, like linen, so it scatters light instead of mirroring it, and the black hour and minute hands stand out clearly against it. Inside is the quartz Cal.5P31, a thin three-hand movement, so there is nothing to wind. It comes on a vintage expanding metal bracelet that slips over the hand without a clasp, which makes it an easy watch to wear every day, at the office or at dinner.

The case is gold plated base metal with a stainless steel back. It shows light marks from use but no major damage. It measures 25mm across (excluding crown) and 34.5mm lug to lug, with an 18mm lug width. The top and bottom of the case end in stepped, grooved bars that carry the lines of the bracelet straight into the case, so watch and bracelet read as one piece. The case is thin and short, so it sits flat on the wrist and slips under a shirt cuff.

The dial is original, and its printed code (5P31-5250) is the one Seiko listed for this case. Applied gold batons mark the hours, doubled at 12, with a slim gold seconds hand and a small SEIKO signature. In bright light the texture turns pale gold and in shade it settles to a soft khaki, while the black hands keep the time easy to read in any light.

- wrist size in our picture is 17cm circumference -