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Dual-time zone function and 3-day power reserve: Meet the new diver’s watches built for jet-setters
Not only can the Seiko Prospex models keep running for 72 hours, they are also the first in the family with a GMT feature
Seiko Prospex’s 1968 Diver’s Modern Re-interpretation GMT (shown here is the SPB381) is the first Prospex model that has been equipped with a dual-time zone function. PHOTO: SEIKO
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Reliable sports watches have long been a speciality of Japanese watchmaker Seiko. Its Prospex diver’s models come to mind as they meld together functionality, performance and style.
Favoured by those who demand high performance out of their watches, the Prospex pieces are equally adept at withstanding extreme conditions in water or telling time when worn as an everyday watch.
This year, Seiko unveils a new addition to its 6R movement family, many of which power creations within the Prospex line.
The mechanical calibre 6R54 boasts a GMT function, which is the first time Seiko has incorporated the dual time zone indicator in a Prospex diver’s watch. With its power reserve extended to a full 72 hours, the watch can now keep on running up to three days without being worn.
The new calibre will power three new Prospex models that are inspired by a classic Seiko archival design from 1968. They are the two Seiko Prospex 1968 Diver’s Modern Re-interpretation GMT (SPB381 and SPB383) as well as the Seiko Watchmaking 110th Anniversary Seiko Prospex Save the Ocean Limited Edition (SPB385).
A history of innovation
Seiko’s expertise in diver’s watches began in 1965 with the creation of the 150m Diver’s model, which is also known to be Japan’s first diver’s watch.
Exceptional in its time, the timepiece was worn by the participants of the 8th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in 1966. It was a journey that put it under the test of extreme environmental conditions and showed how dependable and sturdy it was.
As Seiko grew and extended the Prospex line of diver’s watches over the subsequent decades, more technical and horological innovations were introduced to produce models that operated at a high level of performance.
These notable creations include the Professional Diver’s 600M (circa 1978) – the world’s first saturation diving watch with a quartz movement – and the Diver’s 1000M, which had a titanium case with a waterproof one-piece structure that allowed it to withstand depths of up to 1,000m. The latter was produced in 1986, a time when few watches could match its impressive level of water resistance.
Interestingly, Seiko’s mastery of electronic watchmaking then contributed to the creation of the world’s first computerised dive watch in 1990. Named the Scuba Master, it was equipped with a water sensor and depth sensor that displayed vital information for divers.
Function and style
With the new calibre 6R54, the three new Seiko Prospex watches feature a GMT hand that can be set independently in one-hour increments, without interrupting the time-of-day hands, and allowing one to see the time in a second time zone clearly at a glance.
Style-wise, all three models, which are water-resistant to 200m, have the classic and sporty appeal one would expect of dive watches, taking design cues from a historical diver’s watch the brand produced in 1968.
Among the features that contribute to this is a unidirectional ceramic bezel and a three-link stainless steel bracelet with a slim profile.
These timepieces are differentiated by their unique colourways. The Seiko Prospex 1968 Diver’s Modern Re-interpretation GMT comes in two versions: A green dial with a green bezel (SPB381) and a black face with a black bezel (SPB383).
The Seiko Watchmaking 110th Anniversary Seiko Prospex Save the Ocean Limited Edition (SPB385), on the other hand, features a black bezel and an ice-blue dial enhanced with etchings, giving it a striated texture.
Limited to 4,000 pieces worldwide, this variant is created to mark the 110th anniversary of the very first wristwatch in Japan, which was made by Seiko.
The ice-blue dial colour was chosen to symbolise the polar glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic, where Seiko’s reputation for reliable watches was forged in the 60s and 70s, as explorers strapped the marque’s tickers on for expeditions to the North and South Poles.
This watch model also comes with an additional strap made entirely of recycled plastic bottles, produced using a traditional Japanese braiding technique called Seichu, as a nod to the brand’s origins.
As its name suggests, it is part of the Save the Ocean series, a special line made in support of the Seiko Prospex mission to contribute to a greater understanding of the world’s oceans and their preservation.
All three watches will be available at Seiko Boutiques and selected authorised retail stores worldwide from June 2023. They can also be found on the official Seiko online store.
Seiko’s role in saving the oceans
The Japanese watchmaker actively contributes to projects that help protect the world’s oceans now – here’s what it has done thus far:
- Partnering PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), Seiko donates a portion of the proceeds from sales of its Prospex Save the Ocean watch collection to support Dive Against Debris – the association’s ocean clean-up initiative.
- The watchmaker also supports the work of the NIPR (National Institute of Polar Research of Japan), which studies environmental change in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, so as to understand the impact of global warming on the environment.
- In the 1960s, the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, in which NIPR plays a role, chose to use Seiko’s diver’s watches and timing equipment. Seiko renewed this tradition in 2021 by donating Prospex diver’s watches to be worn by the 63rd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition members as they researched environmental change in Antarctica.
