Seiko Prospex 1968 Diver’s Re-creation SLA025

CASE : stainless steel, transparent domed sapphire crystal, solid caseback, water-resistant to 300m, screw-lock crown offset at 4 o’clock, unidirectional rotating crown, magnetic resistance of 4,800 A/m

SIZE : 44.8 x 15.7mm

MOVEMENT : mechanical self-winding, high-frequency (5Hz) Caliber 8L55, 55-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS : hours, minutes, seconds, date

DIAL : black with 4N gilded luminescent hands and hour-markers, applied date aperture

STRAP : silicon with stainless steel pin buckle

1,500-PIECE LIMITED SERIES

At the last Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, Seiko once again won a prize, and an important one at that. The Prospex 1968 Diver’s Re-creation was honored as the best Sports Watch of 2018. Four years ago, the Japanese brand had won its first prize in the annual awards, and the movement beating inside the winning watch already belonged to the Hi-Beat family. These self-winding calibers entirely produced by Seiko operate at the rare frequency of 5Hz, corresponding to 36,000 vibrations per hour. So yes indeed, Seiko did choose to fit a high-frequency movement inside an authentic dive watch that is water-resistant to 300 meters and equipped with a unidirectional rotating bezel – in short, the essentials required for serious immersion. But it was not so much this caliber that was saluted, as a longstanding tradition of efficient dive watches with a distinctive design that are greatly appreciated by both professionals and amateurs, whether experienced or novices, across the entire price range. The prize also rewards a deliberately retro style that is very much in style for dive watches, and also very effective. The case is barrel-shaped with generously beveled flanks, and the dial is highly legible thanks to its gilded accents. What’s more, the Prospex 1968 Diver’s Re-creation offers the appreciable added benefit of a very reasonable price tag.