Here’s your chance to own a piece of history. Or at least, a really good imitation of it. Thanks to a new partnership between Japanese watch maker Seiko and Tokyo-based retailer Nano Universe, you’ll be able to get your hands on a limited edition of Chariot series watches. Why should you care? Well, if you’re an Apple enthusiast or, perhaps more specifically, a Steve Jobs fan, you’ll recognize the watch as the same timepiece the entrepreneur wore in a 1984 Norman Seeff portrait that became the cover of Time Magazine following Jobs’ death. The striking photo shows Jobs sitting cross-legged in his Woodside, California house, holding a Macintosh computer, and sporting that now famous watch.
While these limited edition pieces won’t be the original (that one sold for more than $42,000 last February), Seiko is paying homage to Jobs by bringing back his favorite watch. The accessory is being released in both its initial 33mm size and a slightly bigger 37.5mm version as well. In total, there will be just under 2,300 units available — 1,982 units with a white face, and 300 in black. And surprisingly, they won’t be all that expensive, either. At 20,000 Japanese Yen, that’s just a bit less than $180. But before you get too excited, here’s the bad news. The Seiko watches will be exclusive to the Japanese market.
So what’s a watch and/or Steve Jobs lover to do? Of course, you can always go to Tokyo yourself to get yourself one of these timepieces, or dig up that old phonebook and see which of your contacts still lives overseas. Either way, however, you’ll need to act fast. The Seiko Chariot will first become available on March 10, and while you can probably expect a few units to appear on eBay shortly thereafter, a true fan will want an original … of this recreation.
