Seiko has turned one of Honda’s strangest ideas into a watch. The new Seiko 5 Sports Honda Motocompo Limited Edition HDB010 takes the colours and small details of the folding 1980s scooter then places them inside a compact automatic field watch.

This is more than a yellow dial with two famous logos. The crown copies a label from the scooter’s fuel control, the strap borrows its loading instructions and the box looks like the carton used to ship the Motocompo. Even the caseback has been turned into a bright red display for the 4R36 movement.

A 45-year-old scooter becomes a watch

Honda introduced the Motocompo in 1981 alongside the first Honda City. It was a 49cc two-stroke motorcycle created to fit inside the City’s luggage area. The handlebars and footrests folded into its rectangular body, while special systems helped prevent fuel, oil or battery fluid from leaking inside the car. Honda described the idea as a new six-wheel lifestyle, combining a small car with a motorcycle that could be carried in its trunk.

The scooter weighed 42kg dry, produced 2.5 horsepower and measured only 1.185 metres long. Its small wheels and box-like panels made it instantly recognisable. Production lasted from 1981 until 1983, yet the Motocompo continued to gain fans long after it disappeared from showrooms. The HDB010 arrives for its 45th anniversary and uses the yellow version of the scooter as its main source of inspiration.

A compact Field Series case in Motocompo colours

The HDB010 belongs to the Seiko 5 Sports Field Series. Its stainless steel case has a black hard coating and measures 36.4mm across, 12.5mm thick and 44.4mm from lug to lug. Those proportions are smaller than many modern Seiko 5 models and suit the compact subject of the collaboration. An 18mm strap also keeps the design narrow and balanced.

A curved Hardlex crystal protects the dial. Hardlex is Seiko’s hardened mineral glass, so it offers better impact resistance than common mineral glass but it is not as resistant to scratches as sapphire. Water resistance is 10 bar, equal to 100 metres, while magnetic resistance is rated at 4,800 A/m. LumiBrite appears on the hands and hour markers.

The dial is where the Motocompo connection becomes impossible to miss. Bright yellow fills most of the surface, with a dark grey bar running through the centre and the Honda name printed across it. Large black Arabic numerals keep the field-watch layout easy to read. A black day and date display sits at three o’clock, while the grey hour and minute hands contain broad areas of lume.

The word “Automatic” above six o’clock uses a block-style design based on the Motocompo logo. Small coloured squares inside the lettering add blue, yellow and red details. A red arrow-shaped tip on the seconds hand provides another small flash of colour without making the dial harder to read.

The best references are found in the small details

Seiko did not stop at the dial. The black crown carries the word “TURN,” copied from the scooter’s fuel control. The grey nylon strap has black hardware marked “CARRYING POINT,” a reference to the places used to secure the folded motorcycle inside the car. “INSERTION POINT” appears at the tip of the strap. These words could look random without the history, but they make sense once the Motocompo’s original purpose is understood.

The back is even more dramatic. A red-tinted window shows the movement below a silver Motocompo silhouette and a large Honda logo. The outer ring states that this is a limited edition and carries the individual serial number. It also confirms the 10-bar water-resistance rating. The result is busy, but a quiet caseback would not have matched the rest of this watch.

A familiar Seiko 4R36 automatic movement

Inside is Seiko’s 4R36, a practical automatic movement used across many Seiko 5 watches. It can also be wound by hand and the seconds hand stops when the crown is pulled out, helping the owner set the time more accurately. The movement has 24 jewels, runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers approximately 41 hours of power reserve.

Its day and date functions are visible through the black display at three o’clock. Seiko’s official accuracy range for the 4R36 is +45 to -35 seconds per day when worn under the stated temperature conditions. That range is much wider than a chronometer specification, but the 4R36 is well known for its simple construction, useful features and wide service support. It is a suitable choice for a Seiko 5 that is meant to be worn regularly.

The shipping box becomes part of the package

The special presentation deserves attention because it completes the idea. The outer brown box is printed to resemble the corrugated carton once used to ship the Honda Motocompo. A large black drawing of the scooter covers the front and the original Japanese Motocompo name appears near the bottom. Inside is a bright yellow watch box with a black insert.

Many collaboration watches arrive in oversized packaging that has little connection to the product. This one uses the box to explain part of the story. It looks like something from a Honda parts department in 1981, which is exactly the right approach for such an unusual subject.

Price, release date and production

Seiko will release the HDB010 in September 2026. Production is limited to 8,000 watches worldwide and each example receives its own number on the caseback. The official price is £340 in the United Kingdom and €390 in Germany. Seiko’s United States page does not list a price at the time of writing. The British price converts to approximately $450, which is a useful guide rather than a confirmed US retail price.

The main international reference is HDB010, while the complete product code shown on Seiko’s image files and some regional listings is HDB010K1. Buyers searching for the watch may see either version. Availability may also differ by country because the September release is being handled through regional Seiko sites and retailers.

Conclusion

The HDB010 works because the Motocompo details have a purpose. The yellow dial gives it immediate energy, but the crown text, strap markings, red caseback and shipping-carton box make the collaboration more than a colour change. The 36.4mm case is also a welcome choice for anyone who finds many modern automatic watches too large.

I would recommend it to Seiko collectors, Honda fans and anyone who wants a small automatic watch that does not look serious. A run of 8,000 pieces is not extremely limited, yet the design is unusual enough to stand apart from a standard Seiko 5. At about $450, €390 or £340, the buyer is paying extra for the Honda connection and special packaging. In this case, there are enough carefully chosen details to justify that difference for the right person.