Now, what makes this watch special and new is the dial treatment and the case back. The former is a rich burgundy red color, with a sunray finish that makes it really glow in the light. The idea here was to pay tribute to the heat ray that Godzilla shoots out of his mouth, but to do it in a way that can be appreciated on its own merits too. It can look extremely dark from certain angles, but when those rays catch the light it brightens up quickly and looks to have a ton of depth. The red counterweight on the seconds hand, the white-on-black date disc, and the dark red sharkskin strap complement the dial and case perfectly and make the whole package feel cohesive.

Up front, the watch is pretty subtle, but it's when you turn the watch over that you get the full Godzilla treatment: the underside of the sapphire caseback has a black metalized illustration of Godzilla stomping on the Wako building (a Seiko landmark) in central Tokyo – an event which is a centerpiece of the original 1954 Godzilla film. The illustration was done by artist Shinji Higuchi, who was the co-director and director of special effects for the 2016 movie Shin Godzilla. His intent with this illustration was to create an interpretation of Godzilla that pays homage to Grand Seiko's famous lion motif. The result is unlike anything I've seen on a watch back before and it's certainly fun. The watch is limited to just 650 numbered pieces and it will be available from November 2019.