Seiko Prospex Speedtimer is a seriously seventies throwback and we’re here for it

For its latest watches, Seiko has rummaged through the archives and created a beautiful pair of motorsport-inspired mechanical chronographs.

Called the Prospex Speedtimer 1973 Mechanical Chronograph, the new watch is available in two colourways. They celebrate the 55th anniversary of the company’s original Speedtimer and put a chronograph movement with three subdials on a timepiece that is wonderfully seventies by design, but with modern internals and a contemporary case diameter of 42mm.

Priced at £2,320 and available with either a blue or black dial, the watch is punctuated by a set of three silver subdials at the three, six and nine o’clock positions, along with a date window at half-past-four. The functions of the subdials include a 30-minute and a 12-hour timer, as well as a small seconds dial.

The dial also features a tachymeter wrapped around its circumference, which can be used with the stopwatch function to calculate the average speed of an object covering a known distance, such as a car lapping a race track or covering a quart-mile sprint.

The watch is driven by a Calibre 8R48 automatic mechanical movement with manual winding function. It has 34 jewels and a power reserve of 45 hours. Water resistance is 10 bar, which is the equivalent to 100 metres and means the watch is safe to take swimming and snorkeling. Other features include a dual-curved sapphire crystal on the front and a screw-down case back on the rear.

Seiko says how the new mechanical chronograph “takes direct inspiration from the Seiko archives of the popular 1970s motorsports influences chronograph releases.” The blue dial in particular draws inspiration from the ‘Seiko Sunrise’ watch from 1973, reference 6139, and is designed to “evoke the colours of a radiant morning sky.”

Available to pre-order now, the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer 1973 Mechanical Chronograph will be available in October, the company says.