Seiko is bringing back one of its most iconic digital watches — the Rotocall — 44 years after the original debuted in 1982. The watch earned a legendary status not just for its design, but because it was worn by NASA astronauts, including Sally Ride, up until 2002.
The standout feature of the Rotocall is its distinctive octagonal rotating bezel, which lets you switch between eight different modes — time, time set, timer, counter, stopwatch, dual time, daily alarm, and single alarm — simply by rotating the corresponding side to the top position. It's an elegantly tactile solution that no touchscreen has ever truly replicated.
The new Rotocall launches in April 2026 at $550 — a notable jump from the original's $125 price tag, though not unreasonable given today's market. Three colorways are available: the SMGG21 in blue/silver, the SMGG19 in red/black, and the SMGG17 in black/yellow. Seiko is not limiting availability, so there's no need to race against scalpers.
Under the hood, the watch runs Seiko's A824 Quartz movement with a precision of ±20 seconds per month and around three years of battery life. The stainless steel case measures 37mm in diameter and 10.6mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 43.5mm. It's also water-resistant to 10 bar (about 330 feet), so it can handle far more than a trip to low Earth orbit.
