People’s tastes vary greatly and you may find it illogical when a thing you love just isn’t somebody’s cup of tea. This Seiko Giugiaro Ripley SCED035 however makes you understand the other side. It’s good-looking, it’s interesting, it’s fugly and immature all at once. No matter what somebody thinks about it, they are right. So what made it popular? Why do people want to buy it and why is the market value 6+ times its MSRP?

The main reason is its casting in James Cameron’s 1986 Aliens, as Ellen Ripley’s (portrayed by Sigourney Weaver) wrist companion. The second reason is that this is in fact a limited-edition reissue, with only 3000 produced. Mine is no. 1958. So what’s the appeal?

That bit of futuro-industrial look typical of the 80s. It fits right into Aliens, with its unusual vertical chronograph pushers, housed in an asymmetrical rectangular box with tank-tread bracelet links. It’s like a DeLorean on your wrist. In fact, guess what – it was designed by the same guy who designed the DeLorean (and many, many other cool cars, cameras, furniture and a type of pasta) – Giorgetto Giugiaro. The watch bears his name proudly on the caseback.

Quick rundown of the specs: Width – 42 mm; Diameter of the circular bit – 40mm; Lug to lug – 42 mm; Lug width – 18 mm; Case thickness – 11.1 mm. Quartz 7T12 movement – smooth chrono second sweep; Hardlex crystal; Running seconds, minute counter, chrono seconds, 24hr indicator, date; Matte stainless steel with a dull shade resembling titanium.

The Seiko Giugiaro Ripley SCED035 may seem large judging by the specs. However, it wears MUCH smaller than expected. Due to the short lug-to-lug distance and rather thick bezel, it wears like a 39 in my opinion. I have to be honest – I don’t WEAR this watch. It’s more like a toy, a collectible. I did have it on at the premiere of Prometheus though, and the Seiko Ripley was the highlight of that movie.