Editor’s Note: Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) has moved online and Baselworld 2020 is canceled, but that hasn’t stopped watch brands large and small from debuting their new wares. Stay on top of this year’s best new watch releases here.
Seiko‘s first dive watch, known as the 62MAS, has long been an object of cultish fascination among vintage watch lovers. It made perfect sense for Seiko to bring it back, but its return has been a mixed bag: With a rather expensive, limited-edition recreation as well as modern reinterpretations that are, well, handsome enough, the brand has played around with the concept quite a bit. Now, however, they seem to have finally nailed it.
The new models feel much closer aesthetically to the original 62MAS, with a moderately sized 40.5mm case and accessible prices starting at $1,000. While the limited-edition with blue dial and black bezel known as the SPB149 has been obsessing some of us (me) since last month (there goes any pretense of journalistic objectivity), Seiko yesterday announced new variations, including non-limited models.
Now there are four models in total, with a range of variations and strap/bracelet options. The newly announced non-limited editions all seem to lean into a vintage vibe, with dial treatments that clearly reference the popularity of the “tropical dial.” Here, that means warm brown or a gray that looks like a faded black dial.
All in all, the vintage cues don’t give the impression of “trying too hard,” and the watches should still feel very much like solid, modern divers, with 200m of water resistance and sapphire crystal. They’re also thinner than previous models and powered by the brand’s 6R35 automatic movement, which features a 70-hour power reserve.
With prices beginning at $1,000 on a silicon strap, $1,200 on steel bracelets, and topping out at $1,350 for the 5,500-piece limited edition, they should sell like hotcakes when they’re available in July 2020.
