One look at Seiko‘s early dive watches tells you they were intended to be tough tools, plain and simple. So it’s a little ironic that decades later they’ve become fetishized by collectors and rereleased as relatively high-end limited editions. Two new versions of Seiko’s classic divers from 1965 and 1970 once again offer these collector favorites with modern features, this time with blue dials and with some other notable touches.
The well-known Seiko “62MAS,” released in 1965, was Japan’s first dive watch. It’s been recreated several times in recent years, but in the form of the new SLA043J1 it’s got a more modern feel: Sporting a bright blue seconds hand and the brand’s high-end 8L35 automatic movement, its 39.9mm case uses Seiko’s corrosion-resistant “Ever-Brilliant Steel,” which has a particularly pale hue. Limited to 1,700 examples, the SLA043J1 will have a price of $4,500.
The model properly known just as “6105” (but popularly called the “Captain Willard” after Martin Sheen’s character in “Apocalypse Now,” who famously wore won) has been recreated first as a high-end model costing around $4k and later as a more affordable model. Limited to 5,500 examples, this SPB183J1 edition is more similar to the latter, featuring a more modern look with a blue dial, orange seconds hand, a diameter of 42.7mm, and a price of $1,400. Both new 55th anniversary limited watches will be available beginning in November.