Seiko on Screen: the cult watches that marked cinema history

Beyond their reputation as rugged precision instruments, Seiko watches hold a place of their own in the history of popular culture. From the humid paddy fields of Vietnam to the depths of science-fiction space, several of the Japanese brand’s calibres have made it onto the screen and become icons of cinema. Here is a look back at those legendary timepieces.

The Seiko 6105 “Willard”: the bombproof watch of Apocalypse Now

This is probably the most famous dive watch in cinema. In Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece Apocalypse Now (1979), Captain Benjamin Willard — played by Martin Sheen — wears a Seiko 6105-8110.

With its asymmetrical 44 mm cushion case and its crown set at 4 o’clock to avoid digging into the wrist, the 6105 was built to take the worst punishment. This was no artificial product placement: during the Vietnam War, many American GIs bought them at military base exchanges (PX) to replace their unreliable issued watches. The “Willard” therefore stands for both the harshness of the war and the spirit of adventure.

The Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000 “Ripley”: futuristic asymmetry in Aliens

In 1986 James Cameron directed Aliens. To equip Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the production wanted a watch with a resolutely futuristic, industrial look. The choice fell on the Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000.

Designed by the celebrated Italian car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro — the man behind the legendary DeLorean DMC-12 — this watch has a unique asymmetrical case with a side panel housing two vertical pushers to control the chronograph. It carries the first analogue quartz chronograph movement in history (calibre 7A28). A perfect choice for a science-fiction heroine.

Setting the record straight: contrary to a belief sometimes repeated online, the Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000 does not appear in Back to the Future. In that trilogy, Doc Emmett Brown wears a Seiko A826 Training Timer — a digital model with a remote finger trigger on a cable — while Marty McFly sports a Casio CA-53W calculator watch.

The Seiko M516-4009: the recording watch of the Ghostbusters

In the original Ghostbusters (1984), Dr Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) and his team wear a particularly unusual watch: the Seiko M516-4009 Voice Note.

Released in 1983, this digital watch in steel and carbon fibre could record either one eight-second message or two four-second messages through a built-in microphone. In the film it lets the ghost hunters record electronic voice phenomena (EVP) and gauge the level of paranormal activity. An absolute rarity today, and highly prized by collectors.

From the steaming jungle to the far reaches of space, Seiko has managed to place its models on screen not as mere accessories, but as characters in their own right — symbols of toughness and technical innovation.