2010 sees three new Seiko Ananta watch models. The fanciest and most exclusive of which is this great looking limited edition Spring Dive model in titanium. Functionally, it has the same Seiko in-house made Spring Drive 5R86 movement as last years Ananta Spring Drive Chrono GMT model – but this new version is in a 46mm wide titanium case with gold toned hour markers and hands. It is limited to just 150 pieces world wide.

Titanium offers a new look and feel for Ananta. The weight of the watch is very light. Amazingly so actually. While the steel Ananta watches aren’t exactly heavy given their size, the titanium case and bracelet feel like the steel model would if it was on the moon. Of course the color is a bit different and so is the finish on the case. Steel Seiko Ananta watches have Seiko’s beloved “blade polishing.” This high-grade polish doesn’t exactly work the same on titanium, but at the same time, Seiko polished titanium very well. I recall when titanium was first used on watches how terrible the finish was. How far we have come with the metal. If you aren’t holding the watch and feeling how light it is, you can tell the watch is titanium by its slightly grayer color as compared to steel.

Seiko makes the bezel and middle section of the case black colored, as well as the crown and chronograph pushers. For more information on the movement and operation of this watch, please refer to my article on Seiko Ananta Spring Drive watches here. Functionality for this watch (to repeat) includes the time, 12 hour chronograph, date, and GMT hand. All works quite nicely, as the movement and Spring Drive technology aren’t really possible to beat. When Seiko wants to be the best, they are. When I first saw the watch, I wasn’t sure how well the gold toned hands on black, went with the titanium case and bracelet. While the color and material combinations aren’t common, it works in a unique sort of way. The watch is cool, and reminds me a bit of some older Toyota cars that switched out the steel colored Toyota logo for a gold colored one when the trim level was a bit higher. Just a neat little reminder that says this is a special version of the Ananta collection – always nice to see Seiko be creative with their limited edition pieces. Price for the Seiko Ananta Spring Drive Titanium Chronograph GMT Limited Edition watch (ref. SPS011) is about $7,400. Yes, it is pricey. But you really can’t buy this technology anywhere else, for any price. It is about $1000 more than the steel, non-limited version. Look out for a few of these to reach the US soon.