Seiko Sports 5 Super Cub Limited Edition: A Colourful Tribute to a Two-Wheeled Icon

Tyler Frederick

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Honda is a brand I’ve been obsessed with since I was a kid, and as I’ve gotten older, that love has never extinguished. My first love was when I was around 7; my best friend’s dad drove a bright red ’98 Honda Civic EX hatchback, and I remember being obsessed with that car. That love would then stem into the S2000 and then the NSX, branching into my love of F1 due to McLaren and their use of Honda during their dominance from 1988 to 1992. However, I never really got into their motorcycle lineage until much later, and little did I know, Honda produced one of the best-selling motorcycles in history, the Super Cub, leading to this fantastic collaboration with the watchmaking juggernaut, Seiko.

Seiko Sports 5 Honda Super Cub — ^{Seiko Sports 5 Super Cub @horologyobsessed}

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Key Features of the Seiko Sports 5 x Honda Super Cub Limited Edition:

Blast from the past

The first Super Cub was released in August of 1958 via the Honda C100 Super Cub and would quickly boom due to its affordability, reliability, and ease of use. Fast forward to present times, the Super Cub has become Honda’s best-selling vehicle and the highest-selling motorcycle of all time: over 100 million units since 1958. However, Honda ceased production of the Super Cub in May of this year; the end of an icon. It’s very fitting that Seiko produced a beautiful Limited Edition for the Super Cub in a case shape from another iconic Japanese design, the SKX, which was also shockingly discontinued.

A true Seiko Sports 5

As you can see, it’s the standard SRPD case design: 42.5mm case diameter, lug-to-lug of 46mm, and a case thickness of 13.4mm. These specs have remained the same since 2018 in terms of dimensions, and the internals are unchanged, featuring the 4R36 movement. On the wrist it feels great, slightly cumbersome as I’ve grown more liking towards watches of 40mm or smaller, but it still feels great nonetheless; your typical reliable diver/SKX-styled Seiko. I wanted to get the specs and feel out of the way first so we can focus on the “wow” factor, which is the dial in all its Tasmanian Metallic Green and White glory.

You’re wearing a motorcycle

I’ve explained in the past that I like really weird and, some would even say, “ugly” designs, but I love watches that take a concept and turn it up to 11—a great example being the Seiko x Street Fighter collab from a couple of years ago. Seiko took the front end of the Super Cub and transformed it into a dial, which is one of the coolest concepts I’ve ever seen. The design is playful, colourful, and while it is slightly busy, it works so well. The Tasmanian Metallic Green holds its ground in the centre of the dial, and if you look towards 12 o’clock, you’ll see the headlight, with 11 and 1 representing the right and left turn signals; you’re literally wearing a motorcycle. The design is well executed and is the right amount of fun without being too over the top; a personal favourite of mine from Seiko for sure.

Specs

Case	316L Stainless Steel 42.5mm Diameter 46mm Lug-to-Lug 13.4mm Thick 20mm Lug Width 100m Water Resistance
Dial & Crystal	Mineral Glass Tasmanian Green Metallic Dial Applied Markers Sword and Arrow Handset Lumi Brite
Movement	Seiko 4R36 Automatic/Self-Winding 24 Jewels 21 600 vph 41-Hour Power Reserve
Strap	Nylon NATO

Seiko Sports 5 Super Cub

Quibbles

As much as I love this watch, there’s a couple of things: the first being the nylon strap. It’s a great and cool addition to the watch, but I’m not a big fan of a NATO in the first place, and Seiko has done custom NATOs for other releases too. Again, I understand why, it’s a great inclusion and I know many love a good NATO, but I would have loved to see a rubber or even a bracelet for this one. Secondly, is the continued use of mineral glass. I would LOVE if Seiko jumped on the sapphire crystal train, but it is what it is. Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve been spoiled by the 40mm or less case size, so the 42.5mm felt a bit large, especially with the added height from
the NATO.

Final Thoughts

I’ve had a lot of fun checking out the Seiko 5 Sports Super Cub Limited Edition. It’s quirky, different, colourful, motorsport-themed, everything I love in one package, but it’s also a niche product that will only speak to a certain demographic. It’s a standard SRPD with a colourful twist that made me smile each time I looked at my wrist, and if you’re a massive Honda or motorcycle fan, I would suggest checking this out.

Thanks again to our friends at Gem Bijou for letting me check this out, and feel free to visit their website for more information on this watch.

About the author

Born into a family obsessed with motorsport, Tyler Frederick became enamoured with speed and beautiful cars at a young age. His love of Formula 1–and all things mechanical–eventually lead him to horology. You can follow him on Instagram.

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