Armored Trooper VOTOMS Celebrates Anime Return With New Scopedog-Inspired Watch
Image by Charlotte DavisArmored Trooper VOTOMS is celebrating its upcoming anime return with a new limited-edition mechanical watch inspired by the Scopedog, one of the franchise’s most iconic mecha.
The new “Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch Mechanical Watch” from Japanese premium merchandise brand PREMICO incorporates several design elements from the Scopedog into a stainless-steel timepiece, with production limited to just 2,000 individually numbered pieces.
Armored Trooper VOTOMS originally aired in 1983, introducing a gritty science-fiction setting where soldiers fought using mass-produced humanoid combat machines known as Armored Troopers, or ATs.
Created and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi, the original 52-episode anime became a major influence on the real-robot genre, with its emphasis on military conflict, mechanical realism, and the experiences of soldiers caught in a seemingly endless war.
The franchise is now returning with Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch, a completely new two-part theatrical project directed by Mamoru Oshii, best known for his work on Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor.
Produced by Sunrise and Production I.G as part of Sunrise’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the new films revisit the war-torn world of VOTOMS with updated mechanical designs and a story set during the final stages of the Hundred Years’ War.
The Scopedog is one of the franchise’s best-known machines, with its military-green armor and three circular camera lenses mounted on a rotating turret in its head.
PREMICO’s new watch draws directly from this design, using a moss-green dial with a brushed finish inspired by the Scopedog’s armor and a large circular arrangement based on its three-lens turret.
The red lens includes the emblem of the Gilgamesh military, while the hour markers at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions use lettering from the fictional Gilgamesh alphabet.
A light-blue second hand references the hair color of Ash, the Gilgamesh soldier known as the Gray Witch in the new film, adding another connection to the upcoming story.
The green crown on the side of the watch is also modeled after the Scopedog’s turret lenses, with an angular crown guard inspired by the machine’s armored body components.
One of the watch’s central features is its open-heart dial, with a small window positioned behind the turret-inspired design, allowing the internal mechanical movement to remain visible.
The transparent caseback provides another view of the moving mechanism, with each watch’s individual edition number engraved around its edge.
The watch uses a Japanese-made MIYOTA automatic movement that can also be wound manually, offering approximately 42 hours of operation when fully wound.
Its stainless-steel case measures approximately 38 × 44.8 × 11.8 mm, with a matching metal bracelet available in three wrist sizes and water resistance rated to 5 ATM.
Each timepiece arrives inside a special presentation box decorated with the Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch logo, with the Gilgamesh military emblem also printed inside the packaging.
PREMICO has previously explored similar mechanical designs through other anime collaborations, including a limited-edition Ghost in the Shell watch featuring exposed internal components inspired by the series’ cybernetic technology.
Orders for the new “Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch Mechanical Watch” opened in Japan on November 6, 2026, through PREMICO’s official online store, priced at ¥65,780 (approximately $416 / £310).
The 2,000 limited-edition watches are scheduled to begin shipping from mid-January 2027.
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