Worn & Wound
Creativity Takes Center Stage with the Seiko Power Design Project
From creating the world’s first automatic chronograph to creating the first quartz watch, Seiko is known for its cutting edge and revolutionary timepieces. In 2001, Seiko decided to have some fun and further encourage a culture of experimentation by starting the Seiko Power Design Project, an annual opportunity for Seiko designers to, as Seiko puts it, “deeply explore the essence of watches in a style different from their regular work and to generate innovative outputs.” Each year, designers are given a different theme, with past years tackling things like the neighborhoods or districts of Tokyo or more abstract concepts, such as “rebirth” and “fascination.” After its discontinuation in 2009, Seiko relaunched the project in 2023. This year’s Power Design Project has delivered another crop of unique watches under the theme of “incredibly specialized watches.” The standout of the collection is the Ambidextrous, a watch that can be worn on the left hand or the right-with it appearing a different color depending on which way it’s facing. Designer Kento Ito accomplished the optical illusion with a steel case painted black on one half and a dial painted with black and white stripes that trick your eye into thinking the dial is white or black depending on the viewing perspective. Hour, minute, and second hands extend past the center of the dial, with one half black and the other white to complete the illusion. It’s the sort of fun trick that would have y...
