Seiko Land-Dweller Mod Ice Blue

Ice blue is the tone that gets noticed on a steel watch without shouting. The honeycomb relief keeps it calm — light blue in the shade, almost silver in direct light. The pattern is made of elongated hexagons that cover the light blue dial like a relief. Up top, at 12, points a triangle; the 6 and the 9 are written as Arabic numerals, and baton indices mark the rest of the circle, all steel-tone with a dark outline; over the honeycombs travel steel-tone stick hands with a thin seconds hand, and a small window at 3 o'clock holds the date.

The LAND MOD differs clearly from the two other light blue models in the shop: there, Roman numerals or Arabic script lie on a sunray finish, while here the dial wears honeycombs and the bracelet flows into the case with no step in between. A pale shirt and a linen jacket suit it well, as do wrists looking for a flat steel watch with a cool accent of colour.

Specifications

• Case of the Ice Blue: 39 mm across and 11.5 mm high, in 316L stainless steel; it slips under a cuff and still shows on the wrist
• Beneath the honeycombs the Seiko NH35 automatic stores 41 hours of power reserve; hacking seconds and hand-winding come with it
• Up front, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal guards the relief; flip the Ice Blue and an exhibition case back reveals the movement
• Crown and water resistance: screw-down crown, 5 ATM
• Fluted, steel-tone bezel as a frame around the ice blue; three o'clock is where the honeycomb field makes room for the date
• Integrated bracelet in 316L stainless steel with flat links and narrow, polished centre links; its length changes link by link

Every LAND MOD is hand-assembled at MedoMods, regulated on a timegrapher and tested before it ships. Every watch has a 2-year warranty.

Ice-blue honeycomb and a seamless bracelet

The dial of this watch is a light ice blue with a honeycomb pattern of elongated hexagons; a triangle marks 12, Arabic numerals stand at 6 and 9, baton indices fill the other hours, and a window at 3 o'clock shows the date. The angular case flows without a step into the integrated link bracelet. The two other Land models share exactly this construction and change only the dial colour: the Land Mod - White sets the honeycomb on a white ground and is the brightest of the three, while the Land Mod - Green puts it in a dark green with light-filled indices. If you like the blue but prefer a round case, take a look at the Date Mod Classic Mod - Blue Arabic: it has a sky-blue sunburst dial instead of the honeycomb, Eastern Arabic numerals, a date under a magnifier and a five-row bracelet.

All four have a fluted bezel, sapphire crystal and the NH35 automatic movement in common. The Land models come in 39 mm, the Date Mod model also in 36 and 41 mm.

Pale blue honeycombs, beside neighbours with a sunburst finish or a black ground

A relief of elongated hexagons covers the pale blue dial of the Land Mod Ice Blue and looks like a shallow embossing, taking a bluish cast where it is shaded and turning almost silver under strong light. The indices, numerals at six and nine and bars elsewhere, and the triangle at twelve are steel-coloured with a dark outline, so they lift gently from the dial; where the hands pass over them they carry the same steel tone. A thin seconds hand follows the pattern, and at right a small window waits with the date. The angular case passes into an integrated bracelet of flat links; the bezel is fluted, the size is 39 mm, and the outer rim carries a fine minute ring.

Classic Mod Olive has a smooth, dark olive green with a sunburst finish, silver bars filled with light material and a magnifier over the date, in a round case with a five-row bracelet. Classic Mod Champagne is a warm greige with the same build, plus a paired bar at the top. Date Mod Rosegold Black stands out most: a smooth black dial, rose-gold-coloured characters in Arabic script, a ring of minute numbers at the edge, a rose gold tone on case, bezel and bracelet, the latter with only three rows of half-round links. The honeycomb pattern is missing on these three, and all three come in 36 mm, 39 mm and 41 mm. Anyone who wants texture on the dial and a cool colour finds both here alone; warmth comes from the greige and the rose gold of the last two, each in its own way.

Also worth a look: Seikomod Ice Blue Roman and Oyst Mod - Ocean Blue.

More watches in this style: Blue Dial Seiko Mods – Navy to Sunburst Royal Blue.

More on the donor watch: Seiko 5 Mod: choose a donor for diver, field and dress styles.