Watches In The Wild The Road Through America, Episode 4: The West Coast Collectors

I've loved Seikos for as long as I've loved watches. And I'd read about these Thai-only limited editions on watch forums. But this was my first time seeing them. And the shopkeeper was gone, so I couldn't ask him about them. I had to do my own research.</p>","dropcap":false},"type":"Block::BodyCopy"},{"data":{"size":"small","images":["6a86c02e-141b-46d5-96ed-ad2fd5128fb7"]},"type":"Block::InlineImageContainer"},{"data":{"copy":"<p>What followed was a decade-long quest to understand this highly particular watch market. Sure, other countries have their own limited-edition Seikos (here in the US we have the Prospex SLA053 and SLA059), but they're few and far between. Thailand was doing LE drops years before it became trendy. And to a Western audience, many of these pieces remain obscure.</p>","dropcap":false},"type":"Block::BodyCopy"},{"data":{"size":"small","images":["7d0f277f-bd7d-453a-a24a-2611e1b365d9","14917eb7-e9cc-4ef1-a474-f276a0c06213"],"enforce_aspect_ratio":false},"type":"Block::TwoUpImageContainer"},{"data":{"copy":"<p>For instance, last year Seiko created a <a href=https://www.hodinkee.com/"https://engineer.kmitl.ac.th/post/12926/" target=\"_blank\">1,000-piece limited edition</a> called the \"Seiko Prospex Monster KMITL Go Beyond the Limit.\" The watch was created to raise funds for King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, the institution backing the building of the King Mongkut's Chaokhun Thahan Hospital, the first medical research innovation hospital in Thailand. You're not going to find a Seiko-sponsored <a href=https://www.hodinkee.com/"https://watchessiam.com/2019/12/14/seiko-show-your-style-fashion-show-2019-new-seiko-5-sports//" target=\"_blank\">fashion show</a> anywhere else, nor a <a href=https://www.hodinkee.com/"https://www.instagram.com/p/CS6yyU3sOJI//" target=\"_blank\">limited edition watch</a> that focuses on a specific festival like <i>Phi Ta Khon</i>, where locals invoke the help and protection of Phra Upakut, the spirit of the river. This stuff only happens in Thailand. So we thought it was the perfect launching pad for this new series.</p>","dropcap":false},"type":"Block::BodyCopy"},{"data":{"size":"large","images":["f132cd6e-dd66-47ef-93bc-7743ea24a7c2"]},"type":"Block::InlineImageContainer"},{"data":{"copy":"<p>In the coming months, I'll visit plenty of other special places with their own timekeeping  and collecting cultures. I hope you'll join me on the journey. Because as far as I'm concerned, watches aren't meant to be imprisoned under glass. They're meant to be enjoyed in the real world – and worn in the wild.</p>","dropcap":false},"type":"Block::BodyCopy"},{"data":{"copy":"<p><i>I want to thank </i><a href=https://www.hodinkee.com/"https://www.instagram.com/ukrit.v/?hl=en\%22 target=\"_blank\"><i>Ukrit Vanagosoom</i></a><i>, </i><a href=https://www.hodinkee.com/"https://www.instagram.com/which_watch_next/?hl=en\%22 target=\"_blank\"><i>David Jumpa</i></a><i>, and Katie McDermott for producing and filming on the ground in Thailand. Back home in the US </i><a href=https://www.hodinkee.com/"https://www.instagram.com/davy.wav/?hl=en\%22 target=\"_blank\"><i>David Aujero</i></a><i> and Joe Wyatt made the whole thing come to life through excellent video editing. The series couldn't have happened without the folks I spoke with; in this episode it's </i><a href=https://www.hodinkee.com/"https://www.instagram.com/bedroom30/?hl=en\%22 target=\"_blank\"><i>Akirakorn I-kitisiri </i></a><i>and Hiroyuki Akashi.</i></p>","dropcap":false},"type":"Block::BodyCopy"}],"migrated_content":true,"meta_title":"Thailand Is The Best Place In The World To Collect Seiko","meta_description":"This stuff only happens in Thailand. So we thought it was the perfect launching pad for this new series.","meta_social_media_headline":"","meta_social_media_description":"","meta_social_media_image":"","artist_name":null,"artist_type":"","internal_notes":"","hero_image":{"id":"f11546f8-a6d4-44dc-bc43-2d77cce7134e","container_id":10570,"container_type":"Article","url":"https://hodinkee-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/images/a7b40a3d-c592-4c95-9370-3d5b13955abc/WITW_Hero_2880.jpg","width":2880,"height":1620,"format":"jpg","render_args":null,"caption":null,"alt_text":"","created_at":"2022-03-10T07:59:09.761-05:00","updated_at":"2022-03-10T18:04:51.707-05:00","sort_order":0,"product_ids":null,"imgix_url":"https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/a7b40a3d-c592-4c95-9370-3d5b13955abc/WITW_Hero_2880.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0"},"column":{"id":238,"slug":"watches_in_the_wild","name":"Watches In The Wild","description":"Editor Cole Pennington travels the world, exploring the many expressions of watch enthusiasm and culture in far-flung places like Thailand and Mexico, and even uncovers the lesser-known stories behind watches right at home in the USA. Watches in the Wild uses watches as a starting point for a truly wild adventure.","sort_order":null,"created_at":"2022-02-22T12:36:05.753-05:00","updated_at":"2022-05-04T15:00:34.518-04:00","status":"hidden"},"share_url":"https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/watches-in-the-wild-thailand-episode-1","full_title":"Watches In The Wild: Thailand, Episode 1: The Best Place In The World To Collect Seiko","tags":[]}],"currentArticleId":12106}">