Seiko stands out as a name meaning quality and excellent design in the Watch market. The brand’s products have stood the test of time, but they do not rest on their laurels. Jeremy Webb looks at the new Prospex Glacier, Prospex Speedtimer Oregon, and Presage Sharp Edged Series.
When you are tackling the depths of the seas or scaling the heights of Mountains, you need a reliable timepiece for many reasons. You can’t afford to have your watch stop when timing your dive or piloting a plane. That is why so many Divers, Pilots and Adventurers select Seiko as their brand of choice. For decades the brand has made watches that can stand up to the rigours of time, but they don’t stop innovating, and 2022 sees new models launched.
For Divers, the Prospex collection is a re-interpretation of three legendary diver’s watches from the 1960s and 70s firmly focused on the future. The new designs are inspired by the glaciers pioneering explorers saw and the Arctic and Antarctic landscapes. Each of the watches is coloured differently, from a glacial ice shade, then deep blue and finally brilliant white.
All three watches use the Caliber 6R35, delivering a power reserve of 70 hours. They are 200 metres water-resistant and presented on steel bracelets with secure clasps and extenders. The cases have a super-hard coating, and the crystals are of sapphire with an anti-reflective coating on the inner surface to ensure high legibility from every angle. All twelve indexes have a generous layer of Lumibrite, as do the hands, to maximise legibility in the dark.
The watches join the Seiko Prospex Save the Ocean series. This program delivers financial and other support to Seiko’s chosen marine charities. All three will be available at the Seiko Boutiques and selected retail stores worldwide from June 2022.
In sports timing, Seiko was pioneering in the 1960s, when the company introduced a range of timing devices that set a new global standard of precision to the world’s sporting stage. The Prospex Speedtimer Limited Edition Chronograph celebrates the sporting heritage of Seiko.
It has a vertical clutch and column wheel, measuring elapsed time more precise and error-free than ever before. Hand-assembled by Seiko’s skilled watchmakers, the new Speedtimer has the Caliber 8R46 to power it.
A lightweight, strong escapement is at the heart of the timepiece using MEMS technology which enhances the stability of the watch’s precision. The pushers are prominent and have a wide and flat upper surface area to facilitate accurate operability. When you push the reset button, the hands return to zero instantly and in perfect synchronisation, ready for the next race.
A patterned sand colour dial mimics the texture of the running track, and the chronograph second hand and the 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock are in yellow, the colour of all Seiko’s timing and measurement devices. The second-hand curves towards the markers; its tip extends right to the edge of the dial so the elapsed time can be read accurately at a glance.
The hour and minute hands are covered liberally with Lumibrite to enhance readability in the dark. The Automatic Chronograph has a power reserve of 45 hours, and the watch is water-resistant to ten bar of pressure.
The new Speedtimer will be available as a limited edition of 400.
The Presage Sharp Edged series launched in 2020, quickly establishing a place in the world of fine watches for its combination of traditional mechanical watchmaking with a distinctively modern Japanese style. You get the refinement of traditional Japanese aesthetics with robust and angular case designs. This year the collection grows with five new watches, each bringing aspects of Seiko’s mechanical watchmaking to the fore.
A limited-edition GMT is joined by two open-heart movement pieces and two offering a multi-hand dial with power reserve, day and date displays. Updating the Presage Sharp Edged Series Seiko has introduced a new case, calibre, and designs.
The Asanoha pattern dials are in colours that evoke the traditions of Japan. Asanoha is a hemp leaf pattern used in Japanese fabrics ever since the Heian period over a thousand years ago. The design is popular as Japan’s Asanoha plant symbolises health and vitality thanks to its robust and fast-growing nature.
The GMT limited edition has a dial that comes in a shade of blue used by Ukiyo-e artists to depict Mt Fuji in summer. The 6R64 GMT Calibre is ideally suited to the character of the Sharp Edged Series. You get a wide dial showing the time of day, GMT function, power reserve and date at a glance.
The Presage watch is offered as a limited edition of 900 and will be available in July 2022 at the Seiko Boutiques and selected retail partners worldwide.
A new case design has been created for the other four timepieces, which is elegant and angular. A mirror finished Facet has been added between the top and side surfaces bringing an intense sparkle to the watch.
To find out more about Seiko watches and their ranges, please visit seikowatches.com.
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