Nailing A Nollie Backside 270 Nose Slide With The Seiko 5 Sports Yuto Horigome Limited Edition SSK027
Yuto Horigome didn’t just win a Tokyo Olympic gold medal riding his skateboard. He also won the Men’s Skateboard Street Best Trick at the X Games in California in July 2023. The Japanese athlete nailed a nollie backside 270 nose slide — that’s a rotating jump onto an obstacle before sliding along it on the nose of the board — and that made him win the event. It’s another success that helps this Seiko 5 Sports Yuto Horigome Limited Edition shine.
Do you want to know more about Yuto Horigome or learn about the new Seiko limited edition first? Okay, watches before tricks; I hear you. The Seiko 5 Sports Yuto Horigome Limited Edition SSK027 costs €570, and 2,700 pieces will be available. What you get is a 42.5 × 13.6mm steel case and a Jubilee-style bracelet, just like with any other Seiko 5 SKX Sports Style GMT. However, for the very first time, the “5KX” GMT has received a black coating.
Seiko 5 Sports Yuto Horigome Limited Edition SSK027
Before we get to the navy and purple colorway with a striking touch of red, let’s look at what remains unchanged from the regular Seiko 5 SKX Sports Style GMT. So, the limited edition is also water resistant to 100 meters and has Hardlex crystals on the front and back. Inside the SSK027 also beats Seiko’s 4R34 automatic movement. This caliber runs a 21,600vph frequency, has a 41-hour power reserve, and is accurate between +45/-35 seconds per day. It’s also a caller GMT, which allows you to set the 24-hour hand independently rather than the 12-hour hand as you would with a flyer GMT. Mind you, that’s an observation, not a gripe because this is a €570 watch, not a €5,700 one.
The Hardlex bezel insert is done in navy and purple and evokes the sunset in downtown Tokyo. Why Tokyo? Not because of the gold medal Yuto Horigome won there but rather because it’s where he spent his early days practicing skateboarding.
Like father, like son
Yuto Horigome is the son of Ryota Horigome, a Tokyo taxi driver who was an avid skateboarder when he was young. When Ryota got married, he promised his wife he would stop skateboarding because the sport was seen as a hobby for bums and rebels without a cause. Well, you can take away a skateboarder’s board, but you can’t kill the skateboarding spirit inside. And that’s why Ryota put young Yuto on a skateboard before he could walk.
Yuto’s story tells of a move to the US after graduating from high school and developing his skills there. Unfortunately, there’s no story that tells about his father’s love for mechanical watches or how he would time practice sessions with one so they wouldn’t be home late for dinner — a wife who forbids you to ride your board is not one to mess with. I guess Seiko decided to leave any deep meaning up to the imagination. What we do see, however, is that Yuto must have a thing for mostly black watches. This is the second Seiko 5 limited edition to bear his name that features a black case and dial (see the first one here).
Red rebel with a cause
This limited edition is more lively than the first, though, thanks to its use of vivid accent colors. You don’t need to be a fan of Yuto Horigome or even a skateboarder to enjoy the black SSK027 with its blue and purple bezel. If the chosen hues resonate with you, go for it. I especially like the popping red GMT hand. It doesn’t match the colors of the bezel that well, but that’s its strength. It’s a rebel with a cause — hey, its job is to show the second time zone. FYI, the Seiko 5 Sports Yuto Horigome Limited Edition shows the skateboarder’s signature on the exhibition case back alongside the words “Limited Edition” and the serial number. The special box bears Horigome’s signature as well and has “Yuto Horigome Limited Edition” printed on it.
For more information, visit the official Seiko website, and let us know your thoughts on this release in the comments.
