Seiko Revives a Deep-Cut Dive Watch with an Astronomical Backstory

Seiko has never been one for resting on its laurels. The master Japanese watchmaker is ever progressing forward with innovative engineering and artistic design.

Sure, there is a distinctive design language that Seiko sticks to with recurring elements and clear throughlines over generations of particular collections, but wholesale reproductions are few and far between.

Seiko

That said, Seiko fans have been treated to a few notable revivals in recent years. Multiple versions of the 62MAS joined the SPB line, King Seiko was reborn with a direct copy of the original design and one of the brand’s first motorsports watches is back.

Another watch is emerging from the Seiko archive, and just like the predecessors listed above, it is a deep cut with intriguing significance in the brand’s long and storied history.

Seiko

The SRPL91K and SRPL93K are modeled after the ref. 6119-8460 from the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was one of the first models in the now iconic Seiko 5 Sports line, which was introduced in 1968.

More significantly, the watch gained notoriety on the wrist of Gene Krantz, NASA’s second chief flight director, who served during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. Legend has it that Krantz wore the 6119-8460 during the infamous Apollo 13 mission.

Houston, we have a watch

A handful of watches are linked to NASA’s early years, including the Seiko “Pogue,” named after the astronaut who wore a Speedtimer in orbit, making it the first automatic chronograph in space in 1973.

Seiko

But the “Krantz,” as far as I know, is the only one that never left Earth’s atmosphere. Watches benefit from a history with NASA because it demonstrates their ability to handle the rigors of space travel, or rather, getting there and back.

Seiko’s early 5 Sports diver can boast a different kind of reliability, because keeping a constant and reliable track of time while managing a space mission is critical.

Seiko

NASA surely had clocks all over the mission control center, but the one Kratz chose to wear on his wrist says a lot about that brand. The original 5 Sports diver was powered by a Seiko caliber 6119 automatic movement.

That timekeeping reliability has been passed down to Seiko’s do-it-all workhorse caliber 4R36 automatic movement, which powers most of the modern 5 Sports collection.

Taking it back to the beginning

Like the SRPL05 releases in 2024, the new SRPL91K and SRPL93K are modeled after references from the first generation of Seiko 5 Sports, released at the end of the 1960s.

Seiko

In the beginning, the 5 Sports collection was designed to be general-purpose sports utility watches that could handle diving, mountaineering, motorsports and any other adventurous activity.

More importantly, they were also meant to be comfortable and stylish for daily use.

The dials borrowed heavily from Seiko’s dive watches from the early 1960s, like the 62MAS. They functioned as affordable alternatives that didn’t offer professional-grade water resistance, but could handle swimming.

Seiko

Functionally, the new SRPL references perform similarly to the modern 5 Sports dive watches. It has 100m water resistance, a domed sapphire crystal, a rotating dive bezel and lume on the hands and applied indices.

Notably, the elliptical case serves as a crown guard in the same way as the legendary Seiko “Turtle” dive watch.

This new addition to the ever-expanding 5 Sports collection offers all the same performance that we’ve come to know and love in a refreshing vintage package with an interesting back story.

Availability and pricing

The Seiko 5 Sports SRPL91K and SRPL93K will be available in late July or early August for $695.

Both watches are limited to 9,999 units, which won’t make them hard to land, but is worth noting.

Seiko

Seiko 5 Sports SRPL91K

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Seiko caliber 4R36 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $695 at Seiko

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