Anicorn’s PlayStation 30th Anniversary Watch Proves Gaming Collabs Don’t Have to Be Lazy

NEWS – Most licensed gaming watches land somewhere between forgettable and embarrassing. Slap a logo on a generic quartz movement, call it limited edition, charge twice what it’s worth. Anicorn and Sony clearly had a different conversation. Their PlayStation 30th Anniversary watch, limited to 300 numbered pieces at $780, drops December 19 with a Miyota automatic movement, a custom rotor visible through an exhibition caseback, and enough design restraint to make the whole thing feel like an actual timepiece rather than overpriced merchandise. The faceted case pulls directly from the 1994 console’s industrial language, and the attention to detail here suggests someone in the room genuinely cared about the original hardware.

Price: $780
Edition: 300 pieces worldwide
Launch Date: December 19, 2025
Where to buy: Anicorn Watches

What separates this from the usual anniversary cash-grab is how seriously they treated the source material. The △○×□ symbols sit at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock as three-dimensional applied elements rather than flat screen prints, catching light differently depending on the angle. The hands borrow their shape from the original controller’s Start and Select buttons, which is the kind of nerdy callback that rewards close inspection. Even the strap commits to the theme with an all-over micro-print of controller symbols running its entire length, turning the rubber band into a texture reference rather than an afterthought.

The Movement Question

Miyota movements catch occasional dismissal from the Swiss-or-nothing crowd, but that criticism misses the point here. These calibers run reliably for years, any competent watchmaker can service them, and the real differentiator lives in how Anicorn dressed the automatic rotor. Visible through the exhibition caseback, the rotor features custom perforation work that echoes optical disc drive aesthetics from the PS1 era. That detail could have been skipped entirely in favor of a stamped logo, but it wasn’t.

The choice signals something about how this collaboration approached the project. Rather than chasing prestige through movement origin, they invested in decorative work that reinforces the theme without sacrificing practical reliability. You get a watch you can actually wear without worrying about specialist service requirements. The automatic winding means no battery swaps, and the exhibition window gives you something genuinely interesting to look at when you flip it over.

That caseback also carries the individual edition number for each of the 300 pieces, engraved around the perimeter. Small touch, but it matters.

Console Geometry on Your Wrist

The case design commits fully to PlayStation’s original industrial vocabulary. Those faceted, near-octagonal edges reference the hard angles that defined consumer electronics in 1994, back when consoles still tried to look like they belonged in a proper A/V rack rather than hiding behind the television. The matte grey finish matches the original hardware almost exactly, creating an immediate visual connection for anyone who spent hours with the original hardware.

Proportions stay wearable despite the angular case shape.

The dial keeps things surprisingly restrained given how easily this could have become a chaotic mess of branding and color. A soft grey base provides the backdrop, with selective color pops appearing only on those applied △○×□ indices. The central medallion holds a raised PlayStation logo that acts as the main brand anchor without overwhelming the overall composition. Legibility takes a backseat to theme, sure, but you buy a watch shaped like a PS1 console because you want the vibe, not because you need to check train schedules at a glance.

The integrated rubber strap design reinforces the device aesthetic rather than trying to split the difference between gadget and jewelry. You wear this and people either get the reference immediately or assume you’re wearing some kind of fitness tracker. No middle ground exists, which feels exactly right.

Deep Cuts for the Faithful

Those Start and Select button hands deserve another mention because they represent the collaboration’s clearest signal about its intended audience. This is not a watch for casual PlayStation users who bought a PS5 during the pandemic. This targets people who remember the weight of a PS1 memory card, who can identify the exact grey of the original console without a reference image, who understand why the disc drive perforation detail on the rotor matters.

The packaging extends the nostalgia hit beyond the watch itself. Anicorn included memory card-shaped authenticity cards, committing fully to the era-specific references rather than defaulting to generic luxury presentation. Every element reinforces the same message: this was made by people who actually care about the source material. You open the box and the whole experience feels coherent, like someone designed the unboxing to trigger the same satisfaction as sliding a memory card into its slot.

The raised PlayStation logo on the dial catches light in a way that feels deliberate rather than decorative. It sits slightly proud of the surface, creating a subtle shadow that shifts as your wrist moves throughout the day.

The Numbers Game

Three hundred pieces worldwide means this will sell out within minutes of release, probably to a mix of serious PlayStation collectors who maintain mint PS1 game cases and watch enthusiasts who appreciate limited mechanical releases with actual design thought behind them. The Venn diagram overlap might be smaller than either group alone, but it’s exactly where this product lives.

At $780, you’re paying for scarcity, official Sony licensing, and that Miyota movement wrapped in genuinely thoughtful design execution. The price positions this above impulse territory but below serious collector watch pricing, which feels deliberate.

Worth the Wait

December 19 arrives in days, and the 300-piece run guarantees this becomes unobtainable almost immediately after launch. If you’ve been waiting for a gaming collaboration that doesn’t embarrass itself, that treats its source material with actual respect, that gives you a mechanical watch worth wearing beyond the novelty, Anicorn delivered. The boot-up sound is basically playing in your head right now, and that reaction alone tells you whether this watch belongs on your wrist.

Price: $780
Edition: 300 pieces worldwide
Launch Date: December 19, 2025
Where to buy: Anicorn Watches

Set your alarms. This one won’t last.