Seiko × Kojima Ludens: I would rather have the watch without the giant mascot

I would rather have this watch without the giant Ludens mascot covering the dial. I like Seiko, and I can appreciate a collaboration when the branding suits the watch, but this is much closer to the character-watch treatment that usually loses me. Knowing who the mascot belongs to doesn't change what I want to see when I look down at my wrist.

These are Kojima Productions tenth-anniversary watches in black and white executions. The names can be misleading if you haven't seen the photographs: the black version still has a light-colored dial, with dark artwork and a black strap. The white execution carries the illustration into a much paler overall package. I want the pictures to show that clearly rather than letting a color label invent a different watch.

The illustration takes over

Ludens occupies a substantial part of the right side of the face, with the studio's slogan also present. I find myself looking at the merchandise connection before I look at the time. The Seiko Mazda collaboration worked better for me because its branding felt much more restrained and connected to an instrument-like design. This doesn't get the same pass just because Seiko is involved.

The black version's licensed HMV&BOOKS listing identifies a 6N01 battery-quartz movement, steel case, Hardlex crystal and a 19 mm strap width. Specialist reporting attributes the same basic hardware to both watches and gives accuracy of plus or minus 15 seconds a month. Exact case diameter and thickness weren't established in the reviewed material, so I can't make a confident argument about how either one would wear.

Likewise, the water resistance is described only in everyday-use terms in the retained sources. I don't have a verified numerical rating. None of that means the watch is secretly bad mechanically; it means I should keep the missing facts separate from my very definite dislike of the dial treatment. I haven't tested or handled either execution.

A long wait and two different purchase routes

The black version is listed at ¥55,000 including tax. HMV dates ordering from October 30 in Japan, equivalent to October 29 in Detroit, and delivery from September 30, 2027. Its current January order-deadline text conflicts with the December deadline in reporting, so I would verify the retailer's actual terms before relying on either date.

The white watch comes with an exhibition admission ticket at ¥57,600. The official collaboration exhibition confirms 300 packages and specifies an admission window beginning November 4. Those ticket dates don't establish the watch's original announcement day. Reporting says 300 watches per execution; manufacturer references and a US sales route remain unverified. All prices and terms here were checked November 4, 2026, and no foreign price has been converted into US retail.

I give this family 24 out of 120 bezel clicks. The large mascot is the deciding issue for me. I'd want Seiko's timekeeping and a dial I actually enjoy looking at, and this collaboration would have me wishing the artwork were on something else.