Seiko’s first diving watch plunges headfirst into its 60th year
1965 marks the beginning of Seiko’s diving watches history, with the release of their first diver’s watch. For 6 decades, the Japanese company has been pushing back the boundaries of performance to follow professional divers standards. Their successive innovations helped improving their watches’ security, liability and legibility. This year, for the 60th anniversary of the collection, Seiko released 3 new Prospex models. For this occasion, Frank Sans C’s crew didn’t hesitate to roll up their sleeves and engage in proper testing. Marseilles, here they come!
Prospex Marinemaster Professional: no bellyflop on sight
As the centrepiece of this trilogy, the new Marinemaster is powered by the mechanical Caliber 8L45, the pinnacle of Seiko’s know-how. This movement incorporates Spron, an exclusive alloy developed to resist shocks, corrosion and wear, even under the most extreme conditions.
With its thinner and longer mainspring, it offers a power reserve of 72 hours and provides a +10/-5 seconds per day accuracy, thus making it one of the most precise mechanical movements currently sold by the company. The model’s design revisits the aesthetic codes of the 1968 diving watch while introducing 1975 technical innovations. The textured dial, whose pattern evokes oceanic depths – called shinkai – underwent a unique molding process: the indices are directly integrated to the dial’s base, providing optimal shock-resistance.
A thick layer of lustrous transparent lacquer adds a dramatic depth to the piece. Besides, the one-piece titanium case ensures the watch to be water-resistant up to 600 meters, making it the perfect accessory for saturation diving sessions. It is also equipped with an L-shaped gasket that prevents any helium infiltration – a technical feat that spares the addition of a helium release valve. The stainless-steel bezel was treated with a DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating that enhances its scratch-resistance.
Limited edition of 600 copies – €4,900
Supporting JAMSTEC’s Arctic Research
By supporting the research team of JAMSTEC (the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology), Seiko Prospex actively contributes to ocean conservation projects. This watch is planned to join JAMSTEC’s Arctic Research programme in 2025.
Seiko and JAMSTEC share a remarkable history of innovation and resilience. In 1983, two professional diving watches water-resistant to 600 meters were successfully tested on the Shinkai 2000 research submersible operated by JAMSTEC. In 2014, it was the turn of two saturation diver’s watches water-resistant to 1,000 meters to be mounted on the Kaiko 7000 II, demonstrating exceptional performances by functioning perfectly at depths exceeding 3,000 meters – thus surpassing their guaranteed specifications.
Two new Prospex models that celebrate their aquatic heritage
To expand this anniversary collection, Seiko presents two other new Prospex models, with a signature dial pattern that evokes waves – symbolising Prospex watches’ renowned reliability. This motif is also engraved on the case back of the Prospex diving watches. The silver edition is a tribute to the 1965 watch while the deep blue tint of the other edition is a nod to the 1968 model.
The original 1965 diving watch.
Connoisseurs know it as the 62MAS – the 1965 diving watch was equipped with a self-winding mechanical movement and was water-resistant up to 150 meters. Designed to guarantee optimal reliability and legibility under the most extreme conditions, its sturdiness was amply demonstrated during the 1960s, when it was used in Antarctica, thus paving the way for the development of future emblematic models.
The two editions are powered by 6R calibres renowned for their reliability. On the one hand, the silver edition embarks a 6R55 calibre, while the blue one encapsulates a 6R54 GMT calibre, whose GMT hand can be set independently to display a second time zone.
Besides, those two movements offer a power reserve of 72 hours and are water-resistant up to 300 meters – thus 100 more meters than the previous generations. The hands and the indices are coated in luminescent Lumibrite, alongside with a glowing marker on the unidirectional rotating bezel.
The original 1968 diving watch.
The release of the 1968 diving watch represented a revolution for professional divers: equipped with a high frequency self-winding movement nested in a one-piece stainless-steel case, it was water-resistant up to 300 meters. With its distinctive outline – a rotating bezel and a screwed-in crown located at 4 o’clock – it established new standards in terms of divers’ watchmaking innovation.
The easy-to-adjust clasp is a great example of Seiko’s ergonomics standards. Thanks to a lateral push-button mechanism, it allows a 15mm adjustment range extended or shortened in 2.5mm increments without needing any tool. This ensures a comfortable fit, even under deep-diving conditions.
With these 3 anniversary watches, Seiko pays a tribute to their divers’ watches heritage, while proving their ability to innovate.
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