Editor’s Note: Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) and Baselworld 2020 are canceled but that hasn’t stopped watch brands large and small from debuting their new wares. To stay on top of this year’s best new watch releases, visit our tag page.
In honor of 55 years since the debut of the brand’s first dive watch, Seiko has released a trio of new divers within the Prospex line that commemorate the 1965 62MAS 150m, the 1968 Hi-beat Diver’s 300m and the 1975 Professional Diver’s 600m. Limited runs of 1,100 pieces each, each features handsome vintage looks, serious specs, and upgraded materials, including a special formulation of stainless steel.
Aesthetically similar to the original editions but featuring thoroughly modern technology, the new 1965 and 1968 watches utilize Seiko’s “Ever-Brilliant Steel,” a special metal more corrosion-resistant than the average steel used in most modern watches, according to the brand. (Seiko notes that “This stainless steel has a Pitting Resistance Equivalent Number value 1.7 times higher than that of the grade of steel used in most high-end watches. PREN is a widely accepted standard used to measure corrosion resistance.”) The recreation of the Professional Diver’s 600M from 1975 uses a titanium case with an anti-magnetic resistance of 40,000 a/m, and a bezel machined from Ever-Brilliant Steel.
While the 1965 and 1968 watches utilize the high-beat 8L55 movement, the 1975 recreation features the Caliber 8L35 — both movements were developed exclusively for diver’s watches. Each of the three watches features a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a blue-grey dial and straps that reflect the originals’ — a rubber version with a fabric-like texture on the 62MAS (the 1965 recreation) is produced now in silicone, while the strap on the 1968 re-edition is also produced in silicone and features a pyramid-like pattern. The 1975 re-edition ships on a modern recreation of the original’s accordion-like strap.
