Seiko Singapore hails the historic march of Prospex watches from the past to the present and into the future
Seiko’s rich legacy in the exploration of the harshest environments of the world reflects in the adventurous spirit captured in the Prospex range of watches. It has created a long-running series of watches endeared by the adventuristic watch lovers. Seiko Prospex watch collection is popularly known as Diver's watches. Dive watches have come and gone throughout history with Omega and Rolex being the most notable brands that have presented the venerable models like Seamasters and Submariners that graced the wrist of many. Some even go to the extent of declaring it the perfect watch to wear. But Seiko Singapore Prospex watches have compelled people to think otherwise and accept the new reality about the complete dominance of the Japanese watchmaker in creating rock-solid sports watches that are simply unrivaled as demonstrated by the Prospex range.
The professional world takes a lot of interest in Prospex, which, when expanded, would mean professional specifications, because it is the epitome of professionalism that assures nothing less than the best. For the avid Seiko fan, the Prospex lineup is the quintessential high-end Seiko watch that is worth much more than the price tag.
The Prospex watches are in a different league that assures the perfect bang for the buck. Watch aficionados crave to have a piece of the timekeeper regardless of the price. In this article, we will try to find the reasons that make Prospex uber attractive to watch lovers across the world. But before that, let us look at the beginning of the Prospex journey that started way back in 1965.
Diver’s watch – A jewel in the crown for Seiko Singapore
There is a fascinating history about the development of the Diver's watch during the 1960s when SCUBA diving started gaining popularity. SCUBA divers, as we all know, must have the ability to time the dive right, which is critical for surviving underwater. It means that the watch is one of the most important tools that divers depend upon, and this led to the game-changing invention of the Diver's watch that has now become the most popular timepiece in the town. In 1965 Seiko took a dive into the world of Diver's watches, and the Seiko 62MAS, the icon of modern Diver's watch, was born, which became a major milestone in the history of Dive watches. After that, it was just a matter of time before it became an iconic watchthat became the benchmark of the industry.
A leader in innovation
Seiko has been a leader in innovations that resulted in dive watch advancement and has several firsts to its name. The Prospex is the first among Diver’s watches to substitute the standard stainless-steel case with a titanium case. It was for the first time that a quartz movement was used in a Diver's watch instead of a mechanical movement. Prospex was the first watch to use ceramic shroud for deep-sea diving, and it was the first time that an analog-digital watch with alarm became a reality. Most importantly, all the pieces are powered by Seiko's proprietary in-house movements, which remain the best in the industry.
Although Prospex began as Diver's watches, with time, the lineup diversified into watches for air and land too. And today, you will find a variety of watches dedicated to various professions. The Prospex watches come with analog or digital displays along with automatic quartz movements, and it is not awatch for everyone as it is not easy to get around with it. But Prospex is unique and in a class of its own that has no compare even within the Seiko range of watches.
Seiko Divers – Milestones
The first Diver’s watch from Seiko the 62MAS had a bidirectional rotating bezel, an easy to grip crown and band, distinctive luminous hands.The watch was worn by the team of explorers who were part of the 8th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition.
The watch that could go up to a depth of 150 meters left the divers asking for more as they needed a watch that could go down underwater up to 300 meters and more. This spurred the Seiko development that under the leadership of the legendary Ikuo Tokunaga set out to create the first diver’s watch that was much more than water and shock resistant – it was helium-resistant too. Soon following more research and development culminated in the release of Seiko 600M 6159-7010 (YAQ028) Professional Diver’s watch in 1975.
The watch, better known as the saturation diver’s watch, had a protective titanium outer case that gives the watch appear like a 'tuna can.' Among other notable achievements of Seiko's dive watches were the ceramic coated titanium case and the L-shaped single-crystal gasket thatrendered the helium release valve redundant.
The wave of development continued, and 1978 was a watershed year when the Seiko Professional Diver’s 600M 7549-7009 (PYF018) was launched. The fans lost no time to give it the nickname 'Golden Tuna' as it appeared from the gold-toned visual touches. This was the first saturation watch that had a quartz movement.
Seiko took another big leap in the Professional Diver’s watch series by introducing the 7C46-7008 (SBDS018) that could resist water upto a kilometer or 1000 meters. Yes, amazing but true.
In pursuit of developing better watches, Seiko has now presented some exclusive Professional Diver’s watches.
Seiko Prospex SLA033 Diver Limited Edition
In 2019 Seiko paid tribute to the history of Seiko Prospex by releasing the Prospex Diver’s Re-Creation SLA033 Limited Edition. The model reflects the best of the brand's present and future. Fitted with the 8L35 Caliber movement, the Zaratsu polishedbezel is typical of the hand polishing technique used in Seiko Grand watches and is water-resistant up to 200 meters.
The Prospex Diver's Re-Creation SLA033 Limited Edition as a 45 mm hard-coated stainless-steel casing is 13 mm thick and comes with a silicone strap. The movement operates at 28,800 vph with a power reserve of 50 hours.
Seiko Prospex SNJ 025
Seiko launched the first hybrid Diver’s watch H558, in 1982. It blended analog and digital technology to produce a chronograph with an alarm. The watch has an analog/ digital display that is water-resistant up to 150 meters and can withstand extreme and harsh environments between -40oC and +60oC. The watch has a digital light bilingual display, date, can track three time zones, and helps in communicating underwater by using electronic sounds. Explorers wore the watch during expeditions to the South and North pole as well as when scaling the peaks of Mount Everest. Like its famed predecessor 6105, the H558 became a favorite of the silver screen superstars of the 80s as it flashed on the wrist of Arnold Schwarzenegger in movies like Predator and Commando.
In 2019, Seiko introduced Prospex SNJ 025, which was a reincarnation of the H558 but carried the deft marks of the second decade of the new millennium. Despite remaining faithful to the H558, the SNJ 025 is a notch above its mentor as it is solar-powered. The watch is water-resistant up to 200 meters and has a unidirectional bezel, alarm, stopwatch, local time indicator, and power reserve display. When fully charged by solar power, the SNJ025 can last for a full 6 months courtesy the H851 movement.
Seiko Prospex SRPD25
https://www.h2hubwatches.com/products/seiko-prospex-srpd25k1-mens-watch
The Seiko SKX779 black dial introduced in 2000 soon acquired cult status as watch enthusiasts fondly named it the Monster. The watch has the standard features of a Diver’s watch like 200-meter water resistance, in-house automatic 7S26 movement, and an aggressive design sensibility that contributed to the huge fan following across the world. A variant of the model with an orange dial named SKX781 followed soon.
Continuous upgrading of the line culminated in the making of Seiko Prospex SRPD 25 in 2019. The watch has an aggressive design that is not only legible but eye-catching and consisting of bold rotating elapsed timing unidirectionalbezel in a 42.4 mm full stainless-steel case, sunray blue dial, and a strap. It is one of those Prospex watches that are easily accessible. The watch uses a 4R36 automatic movement, has a magnified day/date calendar, and a 41-hour power reserve.
Seiko Prospex SPB 105
The Seiko Prospex Diver’s watch SLA025 that had become the gold standard in Saturation Diver's watch in 1968, has been the inspiration behind the subsequent models of SPB077 and SPB 079 that are modern interpretations of the iconic watch. And now SPB 105 takes the Prospex diver's collection to a new level with its charming gold accents and a green colorway while retaining the Prospex spirit with large, legible illuminated hands, and an AR-coated sapphire crystal and the ever recognizable 4 o'clock crown. The mirror-like finishof the 44 mmm stainless-steel case free from distortion is typical of the Zaratsu polished Seiko watches. The SPB 105 derives power from the 6R15 movement with a 50-hour power reserve.
The Prospex moves to the future as Seiko brings the range of Seiko Prospex LX collection that continues to uphold the rich legacy of Diver’s watch.
