Official announcement date: October 6, 2026
Seiko has turned the familiar “panda dial” nickname into a literal design with two limited-edition quartz chronographs: the black-and-white HHK001 and the pink HHK002. Both join collection 2 of the Seiko power design project and are scheduled for release in November 2026.
From design experiment to production watch
The concept began in Seiko’s 2024 “Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition,” where seven in-house designers explored unusually focused watch ideas. Designer Kiyotaka Sakai’s creation for panda enthusiasts proved popular enough for Seiko to develop it as a commercial release.
The sub-dials are shaped to resemble a panda’s relaxed, drooping eyes, while the dial texture evokes its coat. The round chronograph pushers serve as the ears. Seiko also renamed the tachymeter-style scale the “SASAMETER,” referencing sasa, the Japanese word for bamboo, and calibrated it to measure speeds up to 30 km/h. A three-dimensional tail detail appears on the case back.
HHK001 and HHK002: official specifications
- References: HHK001 in black and white; HHK002 in pink
- Movement: Seiko Calibre 8T61 quartz
- Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month under the stated operating conditions
- Battery life: Approximately three years
- Chronograph: Up to 60 minutes in 1/5-second increments
- Case: Stainless steel, 43.0 mm diameter, 14.6 mm thick and 44.1 mm lug-to-lug
- Crystal: Hardlex
- Strap: Leather with suede-like textured sections
- Water resistance: 3 bar; the product pages describe the watches as splash resistant
- Limited production: 3,000 pieces for HHK001 and 2,000 pieces for HHK002
Each version is supplied in a special presentation box designed to match the character of the watch.
Price and Canadian availability
Seiko’s official U.S. pages list a recommended retail price of US$540 for each model. That is a U.S. price, not a Canadian MSRP. As of this publication, Leo Gallery has not found an official Canadian price or confirmed Canadian allocation from Seiko, so any converted price or availability claim would be speculative.
The announced release window is November 2026. Limited-edition quantities are global production figures; they do not show how many pieces, if any, will reach Canadian retailers.
Leo Gallery's Take
The appeal here is design rather than traditional luxury positioning. Seiko has taken a familiar collector term and built the entire watch around it, from the dial and pushers to the case-back detail and packaging. Canadian buyers interested in either reference should wait for an official Canadian listing or confirm pricing and warranty coverage with an authorized retailer instead of treating the U.S. price as a direct Canadian offer. The limited production is official, but its effect on future resale value is unknown.
