Seiko Prospex Automatic Diver's 1970 Save The Ocean watch white dial steel bracelet 42.7 mm

Seiko and diving

The Japanese Manufacture Seiko is known to watch lovers as one of the most reliable and legitimate brands in the world of diving watches. Since the launch of its first diver's watch in 1965, Seiko has been dedicated to exceeding divers' expectations with its innovative technology, creating timepieces that will help you cope with deep water obstacles in a wide variety of situations around the world. These timepieces have proven to be equal to the rigours of the environment and have received praise from professional divers.

A 1970 Diver's with polar roots

Seiko has had great success with the special edition "Save the Ocean" watches, which has been growing year on year since 2018, when Seiko partnered with Fabien Cousteau, grandson of legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. By combining the rugged styling of its most affordable dive watches with unique, textured dials, the Manufacture has managed to create one of the most popular sub-collections. Today, Seiko welcomes to its Prospex collection three modern reinterpretations of the legendary dive watches of this period, whose design is inspired by the glaciers that these pioneers traversed and that shape the land and seascapes of the Arctic and Antarctic. Each has a dial that evokes a different shade of glacial surface, from deep blue to white.

This Prospex watch, reference SPB301J1, is a modern reinterpretation of the Japanese diving watch of 1970. Easily recognisable thanks to its streamlined shape, it is one of the brand's most iconic watches! It is best known for having been worn by adventurer Naomi Uemura between 1974 and 1976, when he travelled 12,500 km solo on a dog sled from Greenland to Alaska, proving its reliability in extreme conditions.

But there are other reasons too. Indeed, this diver's watch from the 70s, the Seiko 6105, became famous thanks to the movie Apocalypse Now, in which it is worn by Captain Willard. This edition pays homage to its big sister with its vintage spirit and shapes that made its success, only two details have changed: the water-resistance has been increased from 150 to 200 meters and the glass material has been replaced by anti-reflective domed sapphire glass.

For this Save The Ocean edition, the new model is true to its design heritage, but updated to meet the standards of today's Prospex collection. It offers comfort and fit on the wrist by adopting a narrower case size of 42.7mm. It features a textured white dial depicting the Arctic seascape. The hour markers and hands are coated with Lumibrite to ensure optimal legibility in the darkest of conditions.

The watch is water resistant to 200 metres and comes on a steel bracelet with an extension and secure clasp. The case has an ultra-hard coating and the domed sapphire crystal has an anti-reflective coating on its inner surface to ensure great readability from all angles.

Technical side

This Prospex Diver's 200 is equipped with the Manufacture calibre 6R35 with automatic winding. This is one of the Japanese firm's essential movements which is notably used in most of the brand's watches. It beats at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers a comfortable 72-hour power reserve, allowing you to alternate with your other watches without having to systematically wind it. Designed to be reliable and robust, its construction is as simple as possible. On the complication level, the day and the date are displayed in an aperture at three o'clock, which is very practical in everyday life! Concerning the precision, the tolerance indicated by the firm is from -15 to +25 seconds per day.

In brief

• A modern reinterpretation of a legendary diving watch
  A special edition supporting the preservation and protection of the ocean
  A sublime textured dial with a deep and hypnotic colour