An old rivalry

It would be the understatement of the century to say that the Swiss and Japanese watch industry have had a bit of a bitter rivalry with each other for decades. For those who find this information as news, here’s the crux of it. Back in 1927, American inventor Warren Marrison discovered that if you run an electrical current through a quartz crystal, the piezoelectrical properties of the crystal would cause it to beat at a highly precise frequency, allowing it to regulate an electronic oscillator that can in turn, regulate time. And even more accurately so than mechanical watches. It was this piece of technology that allowed Seiko to beat the Swiss during the Swiss accuracy trials in 1969 and ultimately leading to the downfall of traditional mechanical watchmaking in the 1970s with quartz being the future.

It’s safe to say that the quartz crisis triggered by Seiko’s Astron in 1969 nearly wiped-out mechanical watches along with many Swiss watch brands that we know and love today as well as many others who were unfortunately relegated into the annals of history, never to be seen or heard from again. The reason why former Swiss giants like Omega, Zenith and Blancpain, now trail behind the young upstart Rolex. Why a once great movement manufacturer like Minerva, has now become a mere shadow of its former self, making movements for Montblanc watches. Is because of the quartz crisis triggered by Seiko.

The Saving Grace of Mechanical Watchmaking

Fortunately, the art and practice of traditional mechanical watchmaking survived this massacre, thanks largely to the birth of the iconic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak designed by one Gerald Genta, it was an angular industrially designed stainless-steel sports watch that at the time (and even now) costs more than a solid gold watch. What Genta did with the Royal Oak was cement the position of a mechanical wristwatch as a luxury; A status symbol. And that, along with a few other bold releases sharing similar design styles such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the Vacheron Constantin 222 (Now known as the Overseas) were the saving grace of traditional mechanical watchmaking.

More Than Just a Pulse

Now, with the arrival of young powerhouses like Hublot, Parmigiani Fleurier and Richard Mille, to funky, technically stunning and left field horological marvels like MB&F, DeBethune and Urwerk. Are proof that the art of traditional mechanical watchmaking and haute horology is still going strong.

Needless to say, the Swiss watch industry still has a bit of a chip on its shoulder from this near-death-experience triggered by the Japanese, and the rivalry between these two horological giants still rage on till this day. Right off the bat, we’re not here to say who is superior to the other, both of them are equally respectable and coveted in their respective field of watchmaking, but they both have their own idiosyncratic way of getting things done. With watches like the Credor Eichi II, a time only quartz three hander (granted one that was created and developed by a micro artistry studio established by Philippe Dufour himself and powered by a revolutionary Springdrive caliber) knocking on the door of $100,000; that’s dangerously close to Patek Philippe Annual Calendar money now. Being sold out everywhere; you’ll be lucky to even see one in your local A.D.

There is certainly still a demand for high-end Japanese timepieces, even in the presence of the more mainstream Swiss and even German powerhouses like Vacheron and A Lange & Söhne. Though watches like these are reserved for those who can afford to play the game, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a slice of this beautiful heritage without having to sell your children.

Affordable Gateways

Enter brands like Seiko, and Tissot, these manufacturers offer you a piece of that colourful history for a fraction of the price of the aforementioned Credor. And while similarly priced they are, similar they are not, with one being Swiss and another being Japanese. Choosing the right watch for you might no longer just be a question of which one is better than the other, rather which one of these (and by that, I mean in the way that they are built, the values and the focuses of each of them as well) relates more to you, your preference and values. To help make that decision less headache inducing, we’ve laid out 2 modern dive watches; the Seiko Prospex Diver’s SPB239J1 62MAS Reissue, and the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 T1204071704100. You may be wondering; Why dive watches? Well, it’s simple: We’ll be looking at dress watches in an upcoming article, and because the dive watch design has already become a staple of watch design. Seriously, ask anyone what they think a watch should look like and I’m willing to bet my own watch that they have a Rolex Submariner, or a dive watch in mind.

SEIKO PROSPEX DIVER'S SPB239J1 62MAS REISSUE

Considering the history that Seiko has had with the Swiss watch industry; what with bringing about the equivalent of an extinction level event to traditional mechanical watches, it’s safe to say that there’s still a bit of bad blood between the two of them. But, we ought to put old grudges aside otherwise, we’d be too busy crying over spilt milk to have the time to properly appreciate watches like this.

And this is it, the new Seiko Prospex diver SPB239J1 vintage reissue. The watch is inspired by Seiko’s recent ‘re-interpretation’ of the classic 62-MAS, their original dive watch that made its debut in 1965. Right off the bat, the most stand-out and eye-catching feature of this watch is unquestionably, the dial. Tropical coloured and finished in a subtle sunburst degrade style, with applied markers filled with faux-patinated lume. The dial of the SPB239J1 is as correctly vintage as a reissue should be. Matching the vintage style dial is a simple black bezel filled with faux patinated markers too, which I must say really gives a lot more to look at on this already very handsome watch. Powering the SPB239J1 is Seiko’s proprietary in-house 6R35 automatic caliber. It operates at 3Hz (21,600 VPH), offers a hefty 70 hours of power-reserve and can be hand-wound with hacking seconds as well. The watch comes at a very comfortable 40.5mm in diameter which should fit nicely on most wrists, with a water resistance of 200m and protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal as well for added sweetness.

Of course, no Seiko diver is complete without a generous application of lume and despite the faux-patina, the lume is still as bright and blue as ever. This obviously results in an incredibly legible and visually enjoyable time-telling experience when the lights go out. The SPB239 J1 exemplifies everything there is to love about Japanese watchmaking, which is often stereotyped as a very spartan and utilitarian no thrills and frills affair. With a beautifully coloured dial, with faux-patinated hands and markers. Paired with the proper performance you’d expect from a diver that is built and finished with uncompromising quality and control. The SPB239J1 might just be the diver that’ll make you fall in love with Japanese watchmaking. 

TISSOT SEASTAR 1000 POWERMATIC 80 T1204071704100

Moving away from Japan, to the quiet town of Le Locle, home of an industry giant; Tissot. Tissot as a brand needs no introduction, founded in 1853; Just 5 years after Omega and over 50 years before Rolex. The brand has been producing reliable high-quality mechanical timepieces for over a century and a half. The brand is now known more for being a creator of affordable and reliable Swiss-made luxury timepieces, and for good reason. With the brand being acquired by the Swatch group in 1983, which was at the time, the largest watch manufacturer and distributor in the world. This meant that Tissot had all the budgets and resources that it needs to create and develop properly good timepieces. Which is exactly what the brand has done over the years, and that brings us to this; the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 T1204071704100, a proper example of a fine affordable Swiss made diver.

While the Tissot Seastar 1000 is marketed as an elegant watch for water sports lovers. That term might sound like a bit of an oxymoron considering the large bezel, relatively large case size at 42mm, and coming equipped with a rubber strap or a stainless-steel bracelet too. It certainly isn’t a brash watch nor is it exactly reserved either. It’s just a well-balanced sporting timepiece from one of the best, affordable Swiss luxury names in the market. With a uni-directional rotating bezel, simple and legible dial and a water resistance of 300m the Seastar 1000 is a proper no-nonsense diver that would fit right in beneath the waves or under the cuff of a suit. Powered by Tissot’s Powermatic 80 automatic movement which, as the name suggests, offers 80 hours of power reserve no less, the Seastar 1000 is certainly a strong contender carrying the values and traditions of proper Swiss watchmaking in this modern era.

Same, same but different

You may have noticed, that both of these watches, although rather similar on paper: Divers, automatics with about 3 days of power reserve and with only the time and date. Are in fact, vastly different. The Seiko may be the more casually designed of the pair (ironically) thanks to its tropical coloured dial, patinated hands, and markers, as well as the fabric Nato strap too. It is still a proper modern tool watch that you can reliably count on. The Tissot is capable of the performance that the Seiko offers (more in fact with an added 100m of water resistance) and yet they both offer something a bit more than just being simple tool watches. What they offer is an almost artistic and intriguing insight into what traditional mechanical Swiss watchmaking was and is today. These watches can trade blows all day long, the Seiko being the only one powered by an actual in-house made caliber, but with 10 hours less power reserve compared to the Tissot. While the Tissot, has a modern and contemporary aesthetic, the Seiko, in my eye at least looks all the better with its sharp case and vintage charm. So, what does this mean then? Do we simply go for the Seiko because its in-house movement and unique vintage aesthetic puts it at an inherent advantage over the Tissot? No, it’s much more than that. And to be able to have these watches and have a dilemma like this is truly a moment to savour after all, if we all bought watches with our heads, we wouldn’t even have mechanical watches at all in this day and age, and who would want to live in a world like that?