Seiko Adds a Pair of New References to their Popular Black Series

There is a particular appeal to a stealthed-out tool watch. Maybe it’s the idea that the original design has been placed on the backburner for a more urgent, clandestine, reason. Or the ironic low-key aesthetic that often makes even more of a visual impact. We’ve seen various brands take the “blackout” approach, from Omega to Tudor, and the results are typically pretty intriguing. Seiko currently has a trio of black and orange watches under the Prospex collection that it calls “The Black Series”, but today it infuses the lineup with two new references that take things a step further by eliminating any colored accents and going for an (almost) all-out black look. These are the new 2024 Black Series SRPK43 and SSC923.

The first of the new references, the SRPK43 is a familiar form but with a new face. It is 45mm wide but with a stout 47.4mm lug to lug measurement. Thickness is 13.2mm. The turtle-style stainless steel case and accompanying bracelet are, naturally, all black, as is the unidirectional ceramic bezel. In a nice touch, the day and date wheels have matching black backgrounds. 

The only use of color is in the lume, which Seiko calls “Green Lumibrite Pro”. In the light, it is a pale green; at night it shines a more vivid green. The intended effect is to give the impression of peering through night vision goggles, and we’ll have to see the watches in person to assess how well Seiko has hit their mark. The SRPK43 is powered by the automatically-winding 4R36 movement (41 hours of power reserve). It is water resistant to 200 meters.

The second of the new watches, the SSC923, is a chronograph referred to elsewhere in the catalog as the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer. It’s a popular modern watch based on the Seiko Speedtimer watches from the 1960s and 1970s. The modern Speedtimers, including this one, utilize Seiko’s solar caliber V192, which has a 60-minute chronograph, 24-hour sub-dial, and a power reserve indicator that can be activated via pusher. 

The Black Series Speedtimer, like its dive watch brother, is all black save for its lume plots. The effect here is arguably even more dramatic here than with the SRPK because stealthed-out chronographs are less common than dive watches, which are often already mostly black anyway. Here the green Lumibrite Pro is generously applied to the rectangular hour markers and the hands. A discreet date window is tucked near 4 o’clock. Unlike the SRPK, the SSC923 comes on a matching nylon strap.

Both the SRPK43 ($725) and SSC923 ($700) will be available beginning in February 2024. Learn more at Seikowatches.com.