JDM Seiko X Arknights Open Heart Repair

A friend of mine went a little to hard on the arcade machine and 'broke' one of his Seiko JDM open heart watches. I was more than willing to help him out repairing such a unique piece.

Character watches have always been around. You have your usual classics like Popeye, Genta's Mickey Mouse or the Snoopy Speedmaster, but I've seen a rise in both anime and video game themed collaborations that even Swiss brands have started to follow through using Eastern IPs.

Dragon Ball Swatch collection

TAG Heuer Mario Kart Chronograph Tourbillon

Seiko has been the king at dropping the most obscure and interesting JDM collections that are mostly foreign to the average watch collector. I've always been a fan of good watch designs that also stealthily carries itself as a character watch for very specific audiences.

This collaboration is from a game called Arknights. It's Seiko's 2nd line of watches promoting the game's popular characters.

I had to seek guidance from a specialist that religiously plays the game and understand its core fanbase, and they swiftly came back to me at 2am... intricately identifying the design elements of the watch.

This friend professionally works in games and the animation industry, and has handled large IPs from Disney, Warner Bros, Netflix, Epic Games, etc. If you've ever watched a Marvel or DC cartoon, or played Fortnite, you've likely seen their work.

I'm still in awe how fast they delivered the reference sheet.

The caliber of this watch is a 24-jewel 4R38A movement. It's a true open-heart model with a very satisfying no-ghost-date function.

I did a quick visual inspection and found a jammed hairspring, with misaligned shock springs on both sides of the watch. The hairspring caught itself on the regulator stud, and I had to find a way to safely untangle it.

I usually use the blower to check if the hairspring can untangle itself, but that didn't work. I opted not to manually move the balance wheel on this one since I risk damaging the hairspring. Gave a slight nudge on the stuck coil, and it sprung back to its normal shape.

Re-aligning the shock springs was an easier job. One benefit I realized working on an open heart watch is that you can easily access dial-side shock springs and balance jewels. No dial or hand removal needed!

I really like the dial details of this watch. Seiko designers went so far that the straight-line guilloche pattern is a subtle nod to the character's arm scar. They really didn't have to go this hard, but I absolutely appreciate it.

The watch was running a bit slow, so I regulated it as close to zero seconds a day with no beat error. There's still some deviation during my tests at -10/+5 seconds, but that's more than enough for a Seiko workhorse movement.

Working on this watch was a fun experience. I've never seen such a quirky, 'dress/tactical' blend of aesthetics that's also been thoughtfully crafted to NOT be an obvious character watch. The client had this on a double-pass NATO strap and that red trim really completes the look.

After this repair job, I highly advise to remove your mechanical watch if you decide to play arcade games with very intense hand motions (specifically Street Fighter 😂)

EDIT: Instagram video of the open heart in motion

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3EBYeIxBcl/