Seiko Dolce | March 1988, fumé dial, anniversary watch

There's something sad about finding these anniversary watches - something that was gifted in a moment of recognition that now goes unrecognized.  This watch was given to a Panasonic employee to recognize 25 years of service back in 1988 (per the Japanese engraving on the caseback).  It looks like it's sat in a drawer since then.

The case of this watch is a nickel alloy, which is a very hard metal with a similar color to gold.  Because of its makeup, this watch shows zero case wear.  The case shape is hard to describe...it's rectangular but pinched at 3 and 9, and has these little steps that look almost art deco.  It's unique but not too weird, and hides another interesting feature of the watch - it's antimagnetic to 60 Gauss, which is the ISO standard for antimagnetic watches. Like...what?  On a Dolce? I guess it makes sense for someone who might have worked near heavy equipment. The original crown is in perfect condition, as is the sapphire crystal. 

The dial is the star of the show here.  Originally it was fantastic - this model has a kind of "sparkly grains of sand" thing going on - but this one has patina-ed into something more.  The edges of the dial have developed an almost perfect looking fumé pattern.  Fumé (in short) is when the dial is darker on the edges and lighter in the middle.  It's used by manufacturers like Moser to add depth to a dial. I have no idea how it happened here, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.  

Watch is running great on a new battery.  Includes its original strap and buckle - another indicator to me that this sat in a box for a long long time.

Running well on a new battery.

Width: 26mm

Lug to lug: 33mm

Thickness: 4.6mm