Seiko’s Prospex diver series is the definitive dive watch. Designed in the late 1960s, these watches have surveilled the bottom of the ocean and hit weird dark caves. Now Seiko has released a new, special edition version of these divers that feature designs and colors inspired by the sea.
From the release:
By the late ’60s, when Seiko diver’s watches were already setting new standards for high-intensity timekeeping, a letter from a professional diver posed a new challenge – there was no watch available, however advanced, that could withstand the rigors of true saturation diving. Seiko immediately formed a research team to address this vital need, working for seven years to produce a watch that completely redefined underwater timekeeping. Among the many innovations of this landmark watch was the first use of titanium in a diver’s watch – offering an unprecedented degree of lightness, durability and corrosion resistance. Fittingly, the new Prospex U.S. Special Editions are crafted of titanium as well, with the addition of a super-hard coating making them perfect for extreme underwater environments.
With distinctive patterning to suggest the natural formations and mineral deposits of undersea cave walls, the dials, available in light-green, blue-gray or blue-green, evoke the changing tones viewed by divers as their safety lights illuminate these deep-water caverns. Each dial is framed by a uni-directional rotating bezel to track elapsed time, with a subtle two-tone finish to express the duality of light and dark within these mysterious undersea worlds. And, to provide the utmost in visibility, the distinctively formed hands feature LumiBrite coating, while the durable sapphire crystals include anti-reflective coating on the inner surface.
The watch runs Seiko’s Caliber 6R35 with a power reserve of 70 hours, and both manual and automatic winding capabilities. It has a 43.5mm case made of Titanium with a super-hard coating.
Sold under the Seiko Luxe site, the watches cost $1,500 – not a great price for a three-handed diver but acceptable given the level of work that goes into these. The watches are available this month.
