Technically, the PlayStation was launched 31 years, 1 month, and 5 days ago in Japan. But as far as the rest of the world was concerned, it did not exist until September 09, 1995, which makes it 30 years, 3 months, and 30 days old—well within the acceptable excuse to buy yet another piece of anniversary merchandise, like the PlayStation x Anicorn — The First PlayStation Limited Edition Mechanical Watch.
The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Watch rides on the recent trend of not slapping a logo onto a generic watch, making it feel more like a thoughtful anniversary gift than a celebratory cash grab. And then calling it a day. Then again, this is Anicorn. It is probably doing more than most, like maybe having countless Zoom sessions to nail down exactly what PlayStation wants in a commemorative timepiece. To be fair, that part is speculative on my end, but the finished product kind of shows.
For starters, this is a brand-new silhouette, and it features details that immediately remind you of the OG console that brought us countless hours of joy. There is the familiar PlayStation gray finish and the iconic PlayStation symbols prominently on the dial face. Mind you, these icons are not merely flat prints. Each one sits on its own button, complete with that subtle, familiar convex shape, and positioned exactly as they were on the controller. Now that’s attention to detail.
And the presence of those icons does not end there. They appear again on the second hand, lined up neatly with, yes, the triangle acting as the pointer, finished in light gray. The symbols also form a repeating pattern, rendered in a darker shade of gray, across the PlayStation-gray FKM strap. Their final appearance shows up as a vertical set of icons, also in gray, on the back of the watch band.
Back on the watch face, the hands are decorated with the Start and Select icons from the controller, while a colorful PlayStation logo and the word “PlayStation” sit on a circular element that interrupts the center of the sapphire crystal. The final PlayStation flourish comes in the form of the word “POWER,” printed in turquoise on the crown, as a nod to the original console’s power button.
The PlayStation x Anicorn — The First PlayStation Limited Edition Mechanical Watch does not come alone. It arrives with the kind of extras that true devotees will appreciate. The watch is housed in a screwed-down metal box, and inside you will find the timepiece itself, a PlayStation logo patch, a replica NFC-enabled PlayStation Memory Card, and an instruction card explaining how to use it. The Memory Card is printed with “PlayStation 30th Anniversary” along with the edition number.
This Memory Card is not just a collectible either. Tap the Memory Card, and it brings you to a personal digital Memory Board where, instead of saved game data, you store your own memories.
As for the watch itself, Sony and Anicorn have chosen the Miyota 9039 mechanical movement, offering a power reserve of around 42 hours. The case is crafted from 316L stainless steel and features an exhibition caseback. It measures 42.8 mm × 48 mm × 11.8 mm and offers water resistance up to 50 meters (5 ATM).
The PlayStation x Anicorn — The First PlayStation Limited Edition Mechanical Watch is limited to just 600 pieces, each priced at US$780. Unfortunately, we did not realize it was already sold out until I was done writing this article.
Well, it’s still nice to know it exists, right, right?
Images: Anicorn Watches.
Story via the gadgeteer.
