The King of Fighters celebrates 30th anniversary with two limited-edition watches
A pair of limited-edition chronograph watches has been announced to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the popular fighting game series, The King of Fighters.
The new watches are themed around the franchise’s two most iconic rival characters, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami.
The King of Fighters is a long-running series from the developer SNK that first debuted in arcades in 1994, and is known for its signature 3-on-3 team battle system.
Each of the two new watches is limited to a worldwide production run of 2,000 pieces.
The Kyo Kusanagi model features a metal emblem of the sun crest from the back of his jacket on the center of its dial, which has a relief pattern designed to look like molten lava.
Its chapter ring is modeled after the collar of his “gakuran” school uniform and is inscribed with the logos of the various KOF games.
The Iori Yagami model features the crescent moon crest of the Yagami clan on its dial, which is adorned with a delicate guilloché engraving that evokes his signature purple flames.
Its chapter ring is designed to look like the belt on his collar and also features the historical KOF logos.
Both watches are made from stainless steel and come with an interchangeable genuine leather strap.
The back of each watch is engraved with the KOF 30th-anniversary logo and a unique serial number.
A major feature of the release is the special packaging.
Each watch is housed in a collector’s box designed to be a detailed replica of the classic “MVS (Multi Video System)” arcade cabinet, a symbol of SNK’s 1990s arcade presence.
The package also includes several exclusive bonus items featuring new, original artwork from Tomohiro Nakata, the lead illustrator for The King of Fighters XV.
A guarantee card, designed to look like the iconic tournament invitation from the games, features a new illustration of the respective character wearing the watch.
A matching acrylic watch stand, corresponding to the character selected, with the same new artwork, is also included.
The watches are priced at 29,700 yen (approx. $201 USD/£150 GBP) each, and pre-orders are set to open on the 5th of August via the official sales website.
High-end watches are an unusual piece of merchandise for a video game, but are increasingly being created for popular series such as Yakuza/Like a Dragon, which saw the release of a Goro Majima themed watch earlier this year.
Source: Official Website
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