Ultraman Broadway Collection 96/97

Yesterday, I asked myself the question about whether I was really collecting anime/manga watches or not. Today's watch probably goes some way to showing that I probably really have a sub-collection of Japanese character watches instead!

This watch is the 4th watch I've blogged which features Ultraman. Ultraman first appeared on TV in 1966 and was one of the transforming super heros in a style which lead to shows such as the Power Rangers. The series was set in the 1990s where monsters and aliens are threatening civilization. To counter these threats, the SSSP (Science Special Search Party) was formed, but when times get desperate, one of their members uses a Beta Capsule to turn into the super powered giant from space - Ultraman. The series characters were designed by Eiji Tsuburaya from Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd (who this watch's copyright is registered to). Eiji Tsuburaya also was the designer behind the original Godzilla, and the Ultraman series used the same actor as played Godzilla to pilot the main monster (kaiju) suits in the series.

The watch seems to be from 1996 or 1997 as it states on the back Broadway Collection 96/97, and this matches the date of several of my other Ultraman watches.

The watch has a round metal case with raised pictures of Ultraman's head and shooting stars, and the writing Ultraman Series. In the centre of the face is a round window through which you can see a rotating Ultraman head which is the seconds marker. To view the time, there is a latch on the right side of the watch which opens the lid and reveals the remaining two hands and the watch face. The face is silver and has an engraved Ultraman head at the 12 o'clock position, with shooting stars at 3, 6, and 9. The strap is black plastic and has the Ultraman name printed on it, and the loop for the loose end is metal with the shooting star logo.