As someone whose family has owned Seikos dating back to the late fifties, I have a special place in my heart for the brand, who’s combination of simplistic, elegant Japanese aesthetics and quietly brilliant commitment to innovation have kept me coming back year after year. That said, I’ve satisfied the buyers’ itch by relying on hand-me-downs; and while that’s kept me content for years, Seiko’s latest drop has finally made me resolve to put down the money and grab a brand-new daily driver. 

The 2024 Prospex

Since launching Japan’s first diving watch back in the mid-sixties, Seiko’s Prospex range has been a staple ‘first divers watch’ recommendation — and for good reason. Seiko isn’t shy when it comes to offering ridiculous numbers of variants through the decades, each retaining a combination of daily wearability, timeless (if derivative) design, exceptional visibility and phenomenal reliability and value-for-money. 

In the modern era, Seiko’s last big splash with the Prospex took place in 2020, with the release of the SPB143. This watch, which featured 200m WR, a 70-hour power reserve and plenty of callbacks to the vintage 62MAS, was extremely well-received by reviewers and fans alike — echoing the success of limited-edition vintage reissues such as the SLA017 from Baselworld 2017.

This year, Seiko seeks to further expand on this trend of revisiting their roots with the new Prospex collection. Each watch comes powered by one of Seiko’s latest Caliber 6R55 movements — revealed just earlier this week and boasting a full 3-day power reserve. The water resistance has been bumped up to a mighty 300m — allowing for professional diving utility — all while slightly increasing compactness and wearability.

Using a combination of clever optical placement and trimmed-down dimensions, the new Prospex takes wearability very seriously. The diameter is now 40mm, the lug-to-lug- length is now 46.6mm, the thickness just 13mm; all stunning accomplishments given that comparable watches — even the legendary Omega Seamaster 300 — need to retain larger sizes to survive extreme depths.

Seiko accomplished this by executing clever bevelling work on the inner elements of the case, which increase its overall tensile strength. Legibility has also been upgraded, with the date window moving down beween 4 and 5 o’clock, enhancing symmetry and allowing for more Lumibrite coating on required markers. Even the bezel — fashioned from stainless steel with an aluminium insert, comes laser-etched to prevent wear-and-tear.

Available in blue and black dial base versions, Seiko also decided to commemorate a landmark event in 1924 for a special 100th anniversary Prospex. Celebrating the first time the brand put its name on a dial, Seiko has released a charcoal-grey variant with gold accents. Of particular note is the additional recycled plastic strap that comes with this variant. Crafted using a traditional Japanese braiding technique called Seichu, the strap is roughly four times stronger than Seiko’s usual fabric straps, while offering a unique texture reminiscent of traditional obijime cords, usually worn alongside kimono sashes.

The 2024 Presage

As far as I’m concerned, the Presage is simply one of the most beautiful and practical ways you can enter the mechanical watch game. With dozens of incredible variations, each usually touching upon themes of Japanese culture, art, and natural motifs, Seiko has added five more variants to this year’s lineup, each themed on the textures of Japanese silk. The new series features three hand-with-date models offering a straightforward baton index layout set to the background of textured, woven silk. The two open-heart watches offer a slightly different texture flanking its recessed subdial and movement window; a radial, soft pattern themed on raw silk yarn.

Like its rather graceful themes, the Presage continues its legacy of soft, contoured case surfaces, paired with a dual-curved sapphire crystal. Powering each new watch is one of two recently introduced Seiko 6R movements that run for 72 hours, ensuring that a watch removed Friday evening will be ready to wear on Monday morning without having to be reset. The three-hand watches with date use Caliber 6R55, while Caliber 6R5J powers the open-heart watches. Each movement’s gold-colored oscillating weight is visible through an exhibition case back.

All eight watches will be available at Seiko Boutiques and select retail stores worldwide, as well as on the online store www.seikowatches.co.in, starting from June 2024.