Seiko has launched a new collection of Prospex divers inspired by the dangerous world of underwater cave diving. The special edition series of watches are all exclusive to the American market, and feature brightly colored and textured dials, not unlike other recent releases from the storied Japanese brand. Seiko has really been leaning into dynamic dial designs as of late, offering plenty of options for collectors who might be getting a bit bored by the basic blacks, grays, and blues.
All three of the new “Cave Divers” come in a familiar 43.5mm footprint, a case shape that has its roots in the earliest days of Seiko dive watch design, but has been updated to contemporary proportions for a more modern feel. Often referred to as the “Shogun” case in the Seiko collector community, this case is highly angular and somewhat barrel shaped, and at nearly 44mm in diameter it’s sure to have plenty of wrist presence. Seiko has used titanium for this series, a call back to Seiko’s first dive watch made specifically for saturation diving. The cases (and bracelets) have had Seiko’s “super-hard” coating applied, making them virtually scratch proof.
The real stars of the show here are the dials. The three variants include the SPB349 in mossy green, the SPB351 in light blue, and the SPB353 in turquoise. All three feature a light texture inspired by the underwater environment cave divers find themselves in, with triangular markers and a handset that would appear to be borrowed from Seiko’s Monster divers. Each watch also features a two-tone dive bezel sporting two shades of gray. This is a somewhat unorthodox approach for Seiko, but the contrast of the gray bezel really works quite well with these somewhat tropical colors.
On the technical side, these watches all use the Caliber 6R35 movement, which has approximately 70 hours of power reserve. Perhaps somewhat controversially, you’ll find a date with a cyclops at the 3:00 position. Less controversial (hopefully) is the water resistance rating, which comes in at a healthy 200 meters. This is also an ISO certified dive watch, so it should more than match up to any recreational diving or water based activities you might have planned, whether caves are involved or not.
All three references carry a list price of $1,500, and should be available this month through Seiko retailers. Seiko
Latest Review
