Japanese watch maker Seiko is teaming up with Tokyo-based retailer Nano Universe to sell a limited run of Chariot series watches. What makes the Chariot so special? Well, it was the minimalist watch design Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sported in a 1984 Norman Seeff portrait that later made the cover of Time Magazine. The photo, featuring Jobs sitting lotus-style in his barebones Woodside, California house with a Macintosh on his lap, has become one of the most iconic shots of Jobs during one of Apple’s most critical periods.
The original watch owned by Jobs’ estate sold for $ 42,500 back in February 2016. Now, Seiko is re-releasing it in its original 33mm size and and a slightly larger 37.5mm version. The company is selling 1,982 units with a white face, and another 300 in black. The cost, at ¥20,000, comes in a little less than $ 180. But the catch — because of course there is a catch here — is that these watches will be exclusive to to the Japanese market.
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Photo by Norman Seeff / Time Magazine
So if you’re a watch enthusiast and technophile who wants a piece of recreated Apple history for their wrist, you’ll need to tap a friend in Tokyo, or someone who’s visitings soon. The Seiko Chariot will go on sale starting March 10th, and perhaps a few will show up on Ebay thereafter. We can only hope.
