Seiko Made Some Big Improvements to Its Popular Vintage-Style Diver

But one change is guaranteed to be divisive.

a silver and black seiko watch on a gray background

Published March 7, 2024

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

In 1965, Seiko released its first-ever dive watch, the 62MAS. Not only did that watch kick off an astounding legacy for one of the greatest dive watch brands in the world — without it, we would have no SKX, no Turtle, no Willard, no Tuna, no Samurai, no Sumo, etc. — but it’s also become a collector favorite and a standalone icon. Back in 2020, Seiko rolled out a series of divers under its Prospex line in the style of the 62MAS, to great effect. Those watches, particularly the gray-dialed SPB143, have become fan-favorites for the brand and rank as some of the best divers available for under $2,000.

Now, four years later, Seiko is updating its 62MAS-inspired Prospex divers with three new references boasting a range of refinements. The new watches, launching in June, are the blue SPB451, the black SPB453 and the charcoal and gold-tone SPB455, which is a 100th-anniversary limited edition. Here’s everything you need to know about the new divers.

Seiko’s new divers are smaller and thinner

Look, any time a brand wants to make a watch smaller, I’m all for it. The new trio of 1965-inspired dive watches come in with 40mm cases, a lug-to-lug measurement of 46.4mm and a thickness of 13mm on the dot. Those are all smaller than their 2020 predecessors, which came in at 40.5mm across, 47.6mm long and 13.2mm thick. The new dimensions, particularly the 1mm shorter lug-to-lug, should help the new divers wear better than before.

The new line of divers is 0.2mm thinner than the previous generation, despite having an additional 100m of water resistance.

Seiko

There’s a brand-new movement

The SPB143 and its brethren are powered by the Seiko Caliber 6R35 automatic movement, which beats at 21,600 vph and has a power reserve of 70 hours. The new divers, by contrast, receive the upgraded Calibre 6R55, which previously had been seen in some King Seiko models. While similar in structure, the power reserve is greater, clocking in at a full three days (72 hours) and it’s a more refined, better-finished movement (though you’ll likely never see it).

You can dive deeper than ever

The previous-gen 62MAS-inspired divers had a depth rating of 200m, which truth be told, is more than enough for most people. But Seiko decided to flex its muscles and increase that by 50 percent for this new generation. The SPB451, the SPB453 and SPB455 now rank as Seiko’s first-ever non-saturation divers to boast 300m of water resistance, and they accomplished the feat while coming in thinner than their predecessors, thanks to a completely reengineered and redesigned caseback.

About that date window

The final big change over the previous generation is the location of the date window. On the SPB143, there was a white date window at 3 o’clock, which largely replaced the index. On the new version, the date is displayed with white text on a black disc and has been moved to a discreet, round window at 4:30.

The Seiko special edition SPB455 — The special edition SPB455 includes an additional strap made from recycled plastic.

Naturally, this is already proving to be divisive. The previous generation’s dial arguably looked more symmetrical, with the white date window visually standing in for a full index, and it was also accurate to the original design of the 1965 diver. Seiko says it made the change to allow for more LumiBrite on the new version, which it does, but the fact remains that many watch enthusiasts hate 4:30 date windows and dislike the new placement. I personally don’t hate it, as I think it’s pretty subtle, but I probably would prefer if the date had been left off the dial entirely.

The old generation will continue to be available

Seiko SPB143 dive watch on a black background — If the SPB143 is still on your wishlist, have no fear.

While it seemed initially like these new divers would be replacing the SPB143, SPB145, etc. in Seiko’s Prospex catalog, that isn’t the case. I confirmed with the brand that the older generation will continue to be available, so it looks as if both lineups will live beside each other — at least for a while.

The new generation will go on sale in June, with the black and blue versions priced at $1,300 and the anniversary special edition going for $1,400.

silver and black Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Divers Watch

Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch SPB453

A 2024 update to Seiko’s popular 2020 line of 1965-inspired dive watches, the SPB453 and its stablemates the SPB451 and SPB455 have smaller, thinner cases, higher water resistance and an increased power reserve over their predecessors.