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Founded in 1881, Seiko is Japan’s leading watch company and one of the world’s largest in-house watch manufactures. In addition to Seiko branded watches, they also produce high-end timepieces under the Grand Seiko and Credor labels.

15.05.2019
Andrew McUtchen

Is this the best blacked-out Seiko dive watch of recent times for under a grand?

Editor’s note: The competition is mounting and mounting fast, but when the SRPC49K – or ‘Darth Turtle’, as it was coined by followers in a Time+Tide poll – was first released it was at the front of what would prove to be a vanguard of dark Seiko divers at still reasonable price points. The advent of the Seiko Prospex LX SNR029J at Baselworld 2019 has introduced even more contenders, but again at a much higher price. Which leaves this model as perhaps the ultimate blacked-out Seiko diver prospect for the money. Fair warning that the model is long sold out, but still can be found without too much digging.  Seiko dive watches are a perennial favourite. They’re tough-as, look the business, and have a history as long and proud as any. Whether it’s the coveted SLA017, or the classic Turtle, they’ve got a strong rep, and cult following. The Seiko faithful are going to be very happy with this latest limited edition – the SRPC49K, which we’ve taken the liberty of nicknaming ‘the night diver’ (I’m really hoping this catches on). We’re going to let these stunning pictures do most of the talking, but here are the details we have so far: The SRPC49K is a blacked-out variant of the… Read More

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09.05.2019
Felix Scholz

HANDS-ON: The Golden Turtle – Seiko’s Prospex SRPC44

Seiko’s core Prospex diver, known as the ‘Turtle’, is a rock-solid watch that’s a well-deserved fan favourite. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a compelling mix of classic, conservative dive watch style and idiosyncratic design that’s downright charming.  It’s also quite a versatile platform, as numerous colour combinations, and dials demonstrate. If the blacked-out Ninja Turtle and blue-textured dials of the Save the Ocean editions weren’t enough to convince you, I present the Seiko Prospex SRPC44, colloquially known as the Golden Turtle.  Before we get to what it’s like to wear this (very) gold watch on the wrist, let’s cover off a few of the core specifications of the Turtle. It clocks in at a very solid 45mm across (according to Seiko’s website), and 13.4mm tall. The crystal is Hardlex, Seiko’s proprietary tough mineral crystal. The band is an accordion-style diver in silicon, with gold-tone buckle and a metal keeper. The movement is the 4R36, which has hacking, hand-winding a date and a day. All good stuff. The case is rated to 200 metres and the relevant sections of the dial and hands are coated with enough Lumibrite to keep you up at night.  So that’s the nuts and… Read More

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07.04.2019
Felix Scholz

LIST: 3 things you need to know about the Seiko Prospex LX collection, according to the man who designed them

Seiko’s Baselworld press conference is one of my few must-not-miss appointments, if only for a much-needed dose of humour. But for me, the real star of this year’s affair was Ken Okuyama. Mr Okuyama is an industrial designer with an eponymous studio, who made his name in the world of prestige cars, with a folio including such epic vehicles as the original Honda NSX, the Enzo Ferrari and the Ferrari California. And while much of his career has been spent with some of the great European marques, he’s recently turned his eyes homeward, working on raising the profile and prestige of Japanese and Asian brands. Which is why he’s the creative mind behind the brand new Prospex LX collection. Here are three things that stood out to me about how Mr Okuyama intends to make these watches stand out. “When left alone, heritage becomes antique” Evolution is required to make a modern value for a brand’s heritage. Mr Okuyama reiterated that for luxury brands, design continuity is critical. For all that a Porsche 911 from the ’60s looks the same as one from 2019, they’re completely different objects. The same is true for Seiko’s professional series watches. “Simple, robust and… Read More

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15.05.2019
Andrew McUtchen

Is this the best blacked-out Seiko dive watch of recent times for under a grand?

Editor’s note: The competition is mounting and mounting fast, but when the SRPC49K – or ‘Darth Turtle’, as it was coined by followers in a Time+Tide poll – was first released it was at the front of what would prove to be a vanguard of dark Seiko divers at still reasonable price points. The advent of the Seiko Prospex LX SNR029J at Baselworld 2019 has introduced even more contenders, but again at a much higher price. Which leaves this model as perhaps the ultimate blacked-out Seiko diver prospect for the money. Fair warning that the model is long sold out, but still can be found without too much digging.  Seiko dive watches are a perennial favourite. They’re tough-as, look the business, and have a history as long and proud as any. Whether it’s the coveted SLA017, or the classic Turtle, they’ve got a strong rep, and cult following. The Seiko faithful are going to be very happy with this latest limited edition – the SRPC49K, which we’ve taken the liberty of nicknaming ‘the night diver’ (I’m really hoping this catches on). We’re going to let these stunning pictures do most of the talking, but here are the details we have so far: The SRPC49K is a blacked-out variant of the… Read More

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04.04.2019
Felix Scholz

VIDEO: A closer look at the Seiko Prospex LX SNR029J

One of the bigger surprises of Basel was Seiko’s announcement of their high-end Prospex LX collection — big, chunky sports watches that feature a level of fit and finish we’ve seldom seen on a Seiko-labelled watch.  And while the initial collection was a drop of six models, the one that we were most interested in, and — I suspect — the most crowd-pleasing number is the SNR029J1, a straight-up-and-down diver — inspired, to no small degree, by the classic Marinemaster 300. If the look is a 2019 update on a tried-and-tested model, the same can be said for the build. It’s a big, sporty watch, with a peerlessly finished titanium case (that zaratsu!), ceramic bezel and the mighty Spring Drive inside.  With the high-end finishes and movement comes a higher price point. The Prospex LX family is designed to go toe-to-toe with the biggest Swiss brands’ mainstream sports offerings. Only time will tell if Seiko can succeed in their mission.  Seiko Prospex LX SNR029J Australian pricing Seiko Prospex LX SNR029J, $8500

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03.04.2019
Felix Scholz

VIDEO: This is what a heritage reissue should look like – the Seiko SLA033

Few things excite Seiko fans as much as a solid historical reissue (or re-creation in Seiko’s parlance), and this year’s limited edition, the SLA033, is about as exciting as they come.  First of all, it’s based on a diver. Indeed, for many of the Seiko cognoscenti, it’s based on the diver, the 6105, a watch that — thanks to its reliability and corresponding popularity with American servicemen involved in the Vietnam War — contributed to growing the popularity of the Japanese brand in America. But what really ensured this humble diver’s place in the history books was its (period-correct) placement on the wrist of Apocalypse Now’s protagonist Captain Willard, perfectly played by Martin Sheen.  And when Seiko say re-creation, they mean it. This watch is, aesthetically, virtually identical to the original, and technically much improved — watch tech has come a long way in nearly 50 years. As a result, the SLA033 offers the best of both worlds.  Seiko Diver’s Re-Creation Limited Edition SLA033 Australian pricing and availability Seiko SLA033, limited to 2500 pieces, $7000

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24.03.2019
Felix Scholz

LIST: 6 Seikos you need to know from Basel 2019 

You can get a pretty good sense of the overarching themes of Baselworld by listening to the chatter in the halls, press centre and even the sausage cart outside. And, along with smaller crowd sizes and uncertain futures, one of the main conversational themes was the size of brand collections. In press conferences, words like ‘focused’ and ‘consolidated’ abounded. In short, brands weren’t releasing many watches.  One exception was Seiko. The Japanese powerhouse has so many lines (though to be fair these are becoming increasingly codified and coherent) and plenty to choose from, so much so that I had a real struggle winnowing it down to just six watches — even given the fact that I excluded the fancy Prospex LX watches. There were some diver reissues with some Hollywood provenance, a beautiful new artisanal take on the Presage, as well as a great green Cocktail Time (Midori maybe?), and a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Astron.  Seiko  SNJ025P Seiko SLA033J Seiko  SRPD21K Seiko  SRPD37J Seiko SPB093 Seiko SSH021J

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