Twin Peaks Prop – Sam Colby’s Seiko Watch

There are a lot of watches and clocks seen throughout Twin Peaks: The Return, from Mr. C’s car to the American Girl. One of the first timepieces seen is from Part 1 and is worn by Sam Colby (Benjamin Rosenfield). He was hired to watch The Glass Box in New York City. Sam’s watch was manufactured by a Seiko and contains kinetic movement technology first introduced in 1996.

WHAT IS SEIKO?

Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko Group Corporation, commonly known as Seiko, is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. The company introduced the world’s first commercial quartz wristwatch in 1969.

The company was incorporated (K. Hattori & Co., Ltd.) in 1917 and renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. in 1983 and Seiko Corporation in 1990.  Eleven years later, it became a holding company. It was renamed Seiko Holdings Corporation on July 1, 2007 which was renamed Seiko Group Corporation as of October 1, 2022.

Seiko is a vertically integrated company meaning everything they make is done in-house. For example, Seiko’s mechanical watches have about 200 parts, which the company designs and manufactures all of the parts without assistance from outside companies.

In 1963, the company produced the Seiko 5, a sub brand that saw the creation of the Seiko Sportsmatic 5. It’s an early cousin of the watch Sam wears in the episode. The “5” refers to the five attributes of this model including automatic watch movement;  day and the date displayed on the dial; water resistance to a certain degree; recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position; and a durable case and bracelet.

Decades later, Seiko introduced “Seiko Kinetic” in 1996. A newspaper advertisement from London’s The Independent on January 1 that year touted the revolutionary new feature:

“The first and only quartz watch that generates its own energy from your every movement. The perpetual accuracy of quartz – naturally, without a battery. Its tiny powerhouse converts even your slightest movement into electrical impulses. Ecologically sound and ultimately reliable. Seiko Kinetic is so efficient that you only need to wear it for one day to ensure enough energy reserves to last at least a week. Wear it continually and it will never let you down. It’s built to last. Someday all watches will be made this way.”

I found this rather humorous advertisement from around the same time in The Daily Journal. It states that “even flipping [television] channels” will generate energy to keep the watch moving.

Since 1996, there have been many models released in the Seiko 5 line. Based on research, it appears Sam’s watch is the Seiko 5 Automatic Watch 7S26-02J0, which was most likely produced around 2011. I’ve seen the day and date background offered in either black or white. It seems Sam’s watch has the black background. You can still find this watch via online auction sites and other watch resellers. It seems to cost around $175-$250.

Let’s take a closer look at scenes with Sam’s watch throughout Twin Peaks Part 1.

SAM COLBY’S WATCH IN TWIN PEAKS PART 1

Sam is seen checking his watch as he replaces the SD card from one video camera aimed at the Glass Box. As he puts the card in a massive storage unit, we can see details of what he’s wearing.

Thanks to the Behind the Curtain footage from Part 1, we see an alternate angle of Sam’s watch. It’s easy to see the recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position from this angle.

It’s a noticeable difference from other timepieces that typically place the crown at the 3 o’clock position.

As Sam and Tracey Barberato share an intimate moment on the couch, we can see the strap details.

The watch has a black strap with silver buckle. I’ve also seen green and blue versions of this strap.

Another look at Sam’s watch as Tracey undresses in front of him.

This image of Sam and Tracey looking at the Monster in the Glass Box was used to identified the watch. Cropping the shot, I did a reverse image search of Sam’s wrist. Results were immediately returned with several similar watches currently for sale.

To confirm, I used a cropped shot from the scene when the Monster attacks the couple.

Looks like a match to me! It’s TIME to add this identified prop to the ever growing list of props and set decorating items.