Seiko Presage SRPF41J1 - Watch Review

The Seiko Presage SRPF41J1 Matcha is one of the most beautiful releases in Seiko’s distinct and timeless revamped Presage Cocktail Time line, and also one of the more underrated ones obscured by the slew of limited editions that were released under the series as well.

With icons like the Irish Coffee, Fuyugeshiki, Starlight and even Sakura Hubuki taking center stage, the Mockingbird seem to have taken a back seat, and that’s a shame, because it is no less beautiful or desirable (in our opinion) than any of those timepieces.

With green watches being the trend in recent years, it’s a surprise that the Matcha hasn’t been garnering as much attention and love as we think it should have since its release. Though it does have a loyal cult following and does find a place in most fans’ hearts, it seems to have been left in the dark following releases of other more popular limited editions that we mentioned earlier. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at this beautiful timepiece, and tell you why we think it deserves a place in your collection.

Before we delve into that, though, we should give a quick recap about our opinion on dress watches like this one. Simply, we think that the dress watch should be a staple of every man’s wardrobe, and if you don’t have one yet, or are looking to get one, then you should pay attention to what we have to say about this one.

No man’s wardrobe is complete without a simple, traditional 3-handed dress watch. Of course, simple and understated watches often come with a twist, and with the Seiko Presage Cocktail Time SRPF41J1 Matcha, that is certainly the case.

On paper, everything seems in order; a simple 3 hander with nothing but the date window at 3 o’clock invading the otherwise symmetrical dial. The dial, of course is where our twist comes into play. The more observant of you might have noticed the Matcha moniker on the watch’s name and can already see where this is going.

Together with the other beautiful pieces in Seiko’s cocktail time collection, the Matcha/Raku as the actual drink it’s named after is called, is a carefully crafted drink made by award-winning bartender Hisashi Kishi, with whom Seiko has collaborated to create their cocktail timepieces.

The Matcha’s dial comes in a unique textured green mimicking the chalky aesthetics of a glass of green tea. With polished applied indexes and numerals along the periphery, polished dauphine hands and a nicely polished date window frame for a subtle touch of detailing on this otherwise beautifully executed dial.

The beautiful green dial is undeniably, the star of the show, with its easily recognizable and well-defined textured gradient effect playing differently under different lightings and angles, all of which can be enjoyed under a vintage style box shaped crystal. Powering the watch is Seiko’s proprietary caliber 4R35B movement, with brushed and bevelled edges here and there and a decorated golden rotor weight to add a touch of flair to the otherwise spartan looking movement. Power reserve is a respectable 41 hours and frequency is at a reasonable 21,600VPH (3Hz). The last thing I’d like to add about this timepiece is in its size, coming in at a svelte 38mm in diameter, its certainly small by today’s standards. But the size is what really makes this timepiece and its aesthetics work out so well. There have been many vintage styled releases the past few years and most of them nails everything perfectly except the size. But with this 38mm Matcha, I think it’s one of the few perfect vintage style dress watches you can get these days.

If you’re looking for a simple, traditional dress watch but want something with a touch of subtle flamboyance and old-school charm, then the Presage Cocktail time Matcha should certainly be worthy of your consideration. Being a limited-edition release that most people have forgotten about (which may not necessarily even be a bad thing), this means that you’re getting a beautiful and timeless watch that could very well be very desirable in the future, with no trouble whatsoever.