Seiko puts the Pandagraph into production
The panda-shaped concept watch that drew the most attention at Seiko's 2024 design exhibition is a concept no longer. On 5 and 6 October 2026, the watch press reported that Seiko is bringing the design — nicknamed the Pandagraph — into production as two limited editions, with sales beginning in November 2026.
What has been announced
Seiko is producing the watch in two versions. The HHK001 keeps the white-and-black dial of the original concept, while the HHK002 adds a pink-and-black variant that the brand says was inspired by the soft pink skin tone of a newborn panda. Both are limited editions.
- HHK001, white and black — limited to 3,000 pieces worldwide.
- HHK002, pink and black — limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide.
- Price: £510 in the UK (€590 / US$540); on sale from November 2026 through Seiko boutiques and selected retailers.
The watch began life in 2024 as 'A Watch Exclusively for Panda Lovers', one of seven concepts presented at Seiko's Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition — part of the Power Design Project, an internal initiative that invites the company's designers to work beyond the constraints of commercial product development. The designer was Kiyotaka Sakai, a member of Seiko's design team who has also contributed to the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 collection. The production watches appear under the banner 'Power Design Project Collection 2': the Pandagraph name has not carried over to the dial — Seiko could not use the original name for legal and trademark reasons — though the nickname has stuck in coverage of the launch.
The watch itself
Seiko has kept the production watch close to the concept. The case is brushed and polished stainless steel — 43 mm across, 14.6 mm thick and 44.1 mm from lug to lug, which should wear more compactly than the diameter alone suggests — and it keeps the 'bullhead' arrangement in which the crown and chronograph pushers sit on top of the watch, with the pushers shaped like a pair of panda ears. The dial carries a stamped texture intended to recall fur, two panda-eye sub-dials and hands shaped like bamboo leaves, all ringed by a two-layer scale that Seiko calls the Sasameter: a play on sasa, the Japanese word for bamboo grass, and in the concept's telling a way to judge a panda's running speed. The case back completes the picture with the rear view of a panda, tail included, alongside the watch's limited-edition number.
The movement is Seiko's calibre 8T61, a mecha-quartz chronograph that the brand rates to about ±15 seconds a month, with a battery life of roughly three years. The crystal is Hardlex, water resistance is 30 metres, and each watch comes on a leather strap in the colour of its dial, with suede-like details at the tip and the keeper. Little changed on the way from exhibition piece to production model: a conventional pin buckle replaces the paw-shaped buckle of the concept, and the strap's fur effects have been toned down.
What it means if you are buying or selling
For buyers, the practical questions are availability and expectations. Runs of 3,000 and 2,000 are not large by Seiko's standards, and limited editions at this scale usually sell through at retail, with examples tending to reach the second-hand market soon afterwards. The concept version was among the most-discussed watches of its exhibition year, so demand for the production models is unlikely to be quiet — and at £510, the barrier to entry is low. A design-led piece of this kind is bought for the way it looks rather than for its investment case, and what it is worth on the secondary market will still turn on its reference, condition and completeness.
For sellers, the release is a reminder that Seiko's design experiments have a way of finding an audience; the brand's own back catalogue covers much of the panda-chronograph territory, the 6138 family of the 1970s among it. If you own a Seiko — vintage or a recent limited edition — this is a reasonable moment to find out what it is worth. Valuations are free, take minutes, and are set against current market conditions rather than a launch headline.
Sources
- Time+Tide Watches — Panda dial? Seiko's new Pandagraph HHK001 and HHK002 take that very literally (6 October 2026) — timeandtidewatches.com/panda-power-design-project-pandagraph-hhk001-and-hhk002-introducing/
- Fratello Watches — Power To The Pandagraph: Seiko Brings The 2024 Hit Concept Watch Into Production (6 October 2026) — www.fratellowatches.com/seiko-pandagraph-hhk001-hhk002/
- Hodinkee — Introducing: The Seiko Panda Watch That Stole The Show In 2024 Is Finally Here (5 October 2026) — www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-seiko-panda-watch-that-stole-the-show-in-2024-is-finally-here
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