This automatic movement offers not only an impressive 72-hour power reserve, but also one of the SPB38X's core features (All photos: Seiko)
Continuous improvements over the decades in safety and legibility have made the Seiko Prospex a reliable dive watch. For a change of pace, the brand recently pushed the envelope by updating the timepiece released in 1965 with a new GMT function and a power reserve extended to a full 72 hours. The Calibre 6R54 movement, part of the long-trusted 6R family, is presented in three modern iterations of the Seiko classic, a firm favourite among sea enthusiasts and adventure seekers.
Without interrupting the time-of-day hands, the GMT indicator can be set independently in one-hour increments. Water-resistant to 200m, the three models have LumiBrite — an improved fluorescent paint that absorbs a greater amount of energy to glow brighter — on the hands and all 12 markers.
Each watch features a scratch-resistant unidirectional ceramic bezel with a luminous pip and is presented on a new three-link stainless steel bracelet with a slim profile that rests ergonomically on the wrist. The case, with shorter lugs now, measures 42mm in diameter and 12.9mm in height.
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Sporting a yellow GMT hand, the classically styled green and black dials with ceramic bezel make up the permanent collection. The last of the trio is a new Save the Ocean limited edition with an ice-blue dial inspired by the polar glaciers that shape the landscape and seascape of the Arctic and Antarctic. These were the exact locations where Seiko forged its reputation for durable watches in the 1960s and 70s, when adventurers and researchers wore them on expeditions to the North and South Poles.
Although this blue beauty shares the same case and bracelet as its stablemates, it comes with an additional strap made entirely of recycled plastic bottles via a traditional Japanese braiding technique called seichu. This tribute-to-nature piece, with a dial that combines a delicate striated texture, honours the 110th anniversary of the brand and Japan’s first wristwatch. Seiko’s triumvirate of horology gems will be available worldwide from June.
This article first appeared on Mar 20, 2023 in The Edge Malaysia.
