Seiko unveils a Space Invaders themed watch – but good luck getting one

While many of the best watches on the market are big names in their own right, every now and again we get a great collaboration. This happens in pretty much every segment of the market, from cheap and cheerful watches to luxury timepieces.

We've seen TAG Heuer and Porsche link up on limited edition watches. They even released a collaboration with the Super Mario franchise, too. And at the other end of the spectrum, we saw the G-Shock x Mario watch released late last year.

Now, Seiko is getting in on the action. It has opted to produce a limited edition timepiece celebrating 45 years of the iconic Space Invaders franchise. The watch is a chronograph, with subdials surrounded by 8-bit circles, inspired by the design of the game.

The characters from the game also subtly adorn the dial, while each subdial has a a character at the bottom. On the rear of the case, the 45th anniversary logo is engraved, too.

The watch itself uses a quartz movement, That's accurate to +/-15 seconds per month, for exceptional timekeeping. There's also a date window, which sits between the 4 and 5 o'clock indices. 

The subdial at 6 o'clock shows the running seconds, while the central seconds hand is utilised by the chronograph. The subdial at 9 o'clock runs the minutes, while a 24-hour indicator sits at 3 o'clock. It's also water resistant to 100 metres.

Currently, it only appears to be available in the Japanese market. It's priced at just shy of 55,000 yen, which translates to around £300, or $373. Good luck getting your hands on one, though.

See, this watch is limited to 1,978 units worldwide – a nod to the year the game was first unveiled. That's cool, but could make it tricky to get hold of – particularly for fans in Western markets.

If you can get hold of one though, it's definitely worthwhile. It's an unquestionably cool watch, and a neat collectors piece to boot. Whether you're a watch fan, or simply a lover of old school games, this is one to check out.