by Seiko watch design

JPEN
Dedicated hide-and-seek watch

Designed by

Masanori Kawamura

Masanori Kawamura

Kawamura joined Seiko in 2013 and has been a part of the design team for Seiko brand watches destined for the European and American markets. Since 2018, he has mainly designed products for the Japanese market. From 2020 onward, he has been involved in designing Astron and is currently working on Prospex.

The origins of the idea

If ogres became heroes.

Hide and seek—is a game with a sense of adventure. Each player must exercise their creativity to stay hidden. As the “ogre” (the one who is “it”) prowls around, you must remain completely silent, stifling the urge to cry out even when your friends fall victim to the ogre. The moment you succeed in outwitting the ogre, you experience an unparalleled thrill.
On the other hand, if you are hunted by an ogre with keen intuition, they will find you in no time. And yet, no one willingly takes on the role of the ogre. Consequently, most players won't hesitate to employ any means to quickly relinquish the role of the ogre—counting at their own pace or skipping part of the count before the players have time to hide, or peeking through their fingers as the players scatter. This is truly the behavior of an ogre. This led me to ponder, "how could someone become a righteous ogre?” The answer I arrived at was the "hero item.” With this item, the ogre instantly becomes the star of the show, exhibiting rule-abiding behavior worthy of a hero recognized by all.

Dedicated hide-and-seek watchDedicated hide-and-seek watch
Who would you rather play in a game of hide-and-seek—an ogre (seeker) or a hider? Here are the survey results.
But with this new watch, the ratio could change drastically. Survey by Seiko Watch Corporation

Expert’s Comments

Mr. Sho TakayamaPresident, Japan Hide-and-Seek Association

Mr. Sho Takayama President,Japan Hide-and-Seek Association

I've always wished for a watch like this! Believe it or not, there are official international rules for hide-and-seek, and a single game is limited to 10 minutes. The ogre begins searching 60 seconds after the starting signal, and in official games, those times are carefully measured by the referee. With this watch, you’ll have no trouble keeping track during your daily practice, and the ogre's presence will be unmistakable during play. The melody during the count is also nice. The real highlight, though, is the inclusion of the sound element “Mou-iikai? Ma-da-da-yo!" (“Are you ready? Not yet!”). It adds an extra layer of excitement unique to hide-and-seek, making the game even more enjoyable.
Is it possible to include a function to measure the 10-minute game time limit?

Dedicated hide-and-seek watchDedicated hide-and-seek watch
According to the association, the number of people who play hide-and-seek is about 7.8 billion, most of the world's population.
That's how familiar hide-and-seek is worldwide!

The realization of the idea

The item transforms the player.

Historically, ogres have frequently been seen as villains and disliked by many boys and girls as an undesirable role. However, with the introduction of this item, that perception is bound to shift.

The dial as seen when the hunt for the hidden players begins. The design displays the 10-minute time limit on an analog display, making it easy to grasp the sense of time and very easy to read.
The hide-and-seek watch in its open state. While checking the count with the left eye, the right eye is covered by a blinder, and the player focuses on the waiting time while listening to an enjoyable tune.
In the closed state, you can keep count of the players you find by turning the dial.
The watch is available in two colors. We hope you will thoroughly enjoy the experience of playing the ogre with the watch of your choice.

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