Seiko has announced a trio of new watches for its Prospex collection, and they have one of the most interesting dials we’ve ever seen.
Forming the new Great Blue collection, the three watches are called the Samurai Scuba, Turtle Scuba and Sumo Scuba. Each has its own case design and strap, but all three feature the same new dial, as well as a ceramic bezel and 20 bar (200 metres) of water resistance.
Graduated dials that shift from light blue to black are nothing new for dive watches, their colours mimicking the decreasing ambient light experienced when diving, and dials with wave-like patterns are already a popular staple of dive watch design.
But what Seiko has done here is create a dial that looks like the surface of the ocean, when viewed from beneath by a scuba diver. The asymmetrical wave patterns look far closer to reality than the uniform waves of, say, an Omega Seamaster, while the shift from near-daylight at the top to almost complete darkness at the bottom of the dial is dramatic.
As well as a differing case and strap designs, the three watches also have different sizes of stainless steel case. The Turtle has a 45mm case diameter with a pronounced, continuous edge, a crown at the four o’clock position and a magnified day and date complication. Although the Sumo is also 45mm with a crown in the same position, its case tapers more at the edges and the date complication lacks a day wheel and magnification.
Lastly, the Samurai has a smaller (43.8mm), more angular case with a date complication that is magnified like the Turtle but lacks a readout for the day of the week. It is also the only watch of the trio to have a crown at the traditional three o’clock position, and it is also unique in coming with a blue silicone rubber strap instead of a stainless steel bracelet.
Their movements also differ. All three use automatic Seiko movements with manual winding, but the Turtle has a calibre 4R36, the Sumo has Seiko’s 6R35 and the Samurai uses a 4R35. The Samurai and Turtle both offer up to 41 hours of power reserve, while the Sumo manages an impressive 70 hours.
The watches are priced at £550 for the Samurai, £570 for the Turtle and £1,100 for the Sumo. They're not a limited run with pre-orders are being accepted now and the first examples due to be delivered in July.
