Hisashi Eguchi, the creator of the cult hit "Stop!! Hibari-kun!", has been a driving force in Japanese pop culture for nearly 50 years, and now his passion has been extended to the world of watches. His obsession is unparalleled. His latest treasure, posted on Instagram, is a Seiko Navigator Timer, which was born 57 years ago. We will introduce the charm of mechanical watches that are loved by people of all generations.
Text by Yukaco Numamoto
Edited by Takashi Tsuchida
Edited by Takashi Tsuchida
[Article published on January 13, 2025]
As he approaches his 50th anniversary as an artist, he remains an icon of Japanese pop culture.
An exhibition of original drawings by Eguchi Hisashi is currently being held at the Yokote Masuda Manga Museum in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture. Although the museum is not easily accessible from major metropolitan areas, the number of attendees at the autograph session on the first day of the exhibition, March 22, 2025, was lower than initially expected, and Eguchi Hisashi himself was heard to cry out in despair, "No one is coming at all!" and "Everyone please come!"
"About 25 years ago, when I held a signing event in Oita, absolutely no one showed up, and there was a dog waiting at the front that ended up tripping over, but I guess this is the worst turnout since then!?" he said, as you'd expect from a first-class comedy manga artist. The image instantly comes to mind, and perhaps the screaming was a typical promotional move by Eguchi Hisashi. In the end, it seems that 180 fans packed the event over the two days.
By the way, Eguchi Hisashi's representative works are comedy manga such as "Stop!! Hibari-kun!" and "Go!! Pirates." Therefore, when he made his debut, he apparently had no interest in the art itself. However, in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (published by Shueisha), where "Stop!! Hibari-kun!" was serialized, survey ratings increased when a girl appeared. Thus, Eguchi Hisashi focused on upgrading the female characters.
From "Astro Boy" to Wolf: Hisashi Eguchi, the origins of manga, his shocking debut, and now
Eguchi Hisashi first learned about manga through "Astro Boy" and became obsessed with it. He later became a big fan of Chiba Tetsuya, and after graduating from high school, he enrolled in a design college. He apparently attended a meigaza theater under the pretext of studying to draw manga.
His debut came after he was inspired by the film Dog Day Afternoon. He then created Terrible Children, a story about children robbing a bank. This work was selected for the Young Jump Award (Monthly Newcomer Award) and was published in the May 23, 1977 issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. His signature work, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1981, but he ran out of ideas and the series was discontinued before it was completed. However, he has a story of tenacity that led him to complete the series after 27 years.
Until now, Eguchi's manga has focused on the story, but recently his pop-style character illustrations have been gaining attention as "art." His works mainly feature young, cute girls blending into the cityscape. An exhibition titled "Kanojo" (Girlfriend) was once held, featuring only girls drawn by Eguchi Hisashi. While he is sometimes featured these days as a bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), he is primarily a manga artist, and believes that as a manga artist, he is able to portray the emotions of the characters in his current illustrations.
His current favorite is the Seiko Navigator Timer.
On March 23, 2025, he posted on his Instagram, "This has been my companion since last year's Hakata Exhibition," depicting a 1968 Seiko Navigator Timer. Automatic movement (Cal. 6117A). 17 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve: approximately 47 hours. Stainless steel case (38mm diameter). Water resistant to 3 bar.
Hisashi Eguchi loves vintage watches and has collected many of them, sharing their appeal through social media. He recently showed off his latest favorite watch: the Seiko Navigator Timer. It features a silver rotating bezel and a red GMT hand.
The movement used is the automatic Cal. 6117A. A reproduction of this model is also available, but the owner had been searching for the original for a long time, and finally found it on an auction site.
Looking at the comments section, it seems that he really likes it, with one comment saying, "These days, automatic watches stop if you take them off for a day, but this one keeps working fine even if you don't wear it for a day. It's amazing, considering it's a 57-year-old watch." The fact that he describes it as adorable, even though it loses a minute or two of time a day, shows that he truly enjoys vintage watches.
It would certainly be interesting to look at the mechanical watches that survived the adverse effects of the Quartz Crisis. Many of the sporty models, which required robustness in particular, are still perfectly usable as practical items today. What's more, they have a different feel from modern watches.
And it's worth noting that domestic models can still be purchased at a realistic price.
