Seiko needs little to no introduction when it comes to their diver’s watches. Within their Prospex collection – which stands for Professional Specifications – there are tens of hundreds of capable, robust timepieces worthy of underwater exploration. The design that started it all off however, was the 62MAS, also known as the 1965 Seiko Diver reference 6217.
Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-Day - Credit Seiko
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The 62MAS marked both Seiko’s and Japan’s first ever dive watch and for its time, it impressed with an automatic winding movement, a 150 metre water resistant rating and durable barrel-shaped 38mm stainless steel case. Over the last few years, Seiko has used the 62MAS as inspiration to create many modern interpretations, each a little different to the next with varying dial and case configurations.
For Seiko’s latest release, the Japanese watchmaker continues build on their 60-year long diving heritage and reinvents the 62MAS once again as three Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m watches. However, this time, durability and practicality is made better than ever with an increased water resistance, upgraded power reserve and a thinner case size than any previous iteration.
The Case
Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-Day - Credit Seiko
At first glance, the new Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m watches don’t look all that different to some of their predecessors. They still maintain the same 40mm wide barrel-shaped case with angled lugs and a lug-to-lug width of 47.6mm. The stainless steel also still boasts a combination of brushed and polished finishing and there’s curved sapphire crystal glass on top and a coin-edged unidirectional rotating bezel for measuring elapsed dive time.
According to Seiko, the main difference to the Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m watch’s exterior is the height. The case is thinner than ever before, sitting at just 13mm tall. Although its only 0.2mm different between other Prospex “SPB” models, it’ll like make a surprising amount of difference to people with smaller wrists. It’ll certainly help the watch become more wearable, and when secured by the three-row link stainless steel bracelet, it becomes just as suited to a crisp white shirt as it does scuba diving gear.
The case also arrives with an improved water resistance of 300 metres, compared to the 200 metre rating of previous editions. The water resistance is assisted by a screw down crown and screwed case back and has been certified by professional ISO diving specifications.
The Dial
Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-Day - Credit Seiko
- Regular price
- £68.00
- Regular price
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- Sale price
- £68.00
- Unit price
- per
- Regular price
- £68.00
- Regular price
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- £68.00
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- £68.00
- Regular price
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- Sale price
- £68.00
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The Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m watch comes in three configurations. The first is reference SPB451J1 nicknamed “Scuba Blue” for its deep navy blue dial and matching bezel insert. The second is reference SPB453J1 and is named “Cove Black” for its classic black dial and bezel. Both these editions showcase classic silvered hardware for the hands and markers and a white engraved 60 minute scale on the bezel.
Finally, the third model is possibly the longest named Seiko watch to ever grace out wrists: the Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m 100th Anniversary Tide Grey Special Edition. This model is found under reference SPB455J1 and has a slightly more vintage design compared to the others. It arrives with an off-grey sunray brushed display with golden hardware and a matching grey bezel with a gold-coloured 60 minute scale.
All three maintain the usual layout of the Prospex 1965 model including straight edged hands for the hours and minutes, a square-tipped seconds hand and applied indexes, all generously adorned in glow in the dark Lumibrite. Eagled eyed Seiko fans may have noticed the few subtle differences to the date and 6 o’clock wording; the date is more subtle, located in a round aperture between the 4 and 5 o’clock markers rather than at 3 o’clock and printing reading “3 days” and “DIVER’S 300m” is noted at the bottom to mark the new and improved power reserve and water resistance.
The Movement
Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-Day - Credit Seiko
Powering the new Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m watches is the Calibre 6R55, the very same to power the 39mm King Seiko watches. It’s an automatic winding movement with a 3 day, or 72 hour power reserve, a total of 24 jewels and a frequency of 21,600vph. We’re also told it promises an accuracy of -15 to +35 seconds a day.
The Strap
The three Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m watches arrive on a classic three-row link stainless steel bracelet with a three-fold clasp with secure lock, push button release and a diver’s extender. The 100th Anniversary Tide Grey Special Edition also comes with a second dark grey strap made from an eco-friendly 100% recycled textile material.
Price & Availability
The complete collection of Seiko Prospex 1965 Revival Diver’s 3-day 300m watches will be arriving at authorised Seiko retailers from 7th May 2024 and will retail from £1,200.
Technical Specifications:
- The worst characteristics of the watch: I’d love to see Seiko have a little more fun with dial colours within their Prospex line and this collection would have been a great excuse to do just that.
