Seiko: Prospex Marinemaster 100th Anniversary

Seiko celebrates 100 years since the brand’s birth in 2024. In 1924, the Seiko manufacture, founded in 1881, introduced the first wristwatch with the ‘Seiko’ logo on the dial, starting what would be the success story of the Japanese brand.

Seiko pays homage to this anniversary with some commemorative collections, which will debut between the end of 2023 and 2024. Among these, the limited edition Presage Kintaro Hattori, a tribute to the first wristwatch with the Seiko logo, the Marinemaster, a reinterpretation of the iconic Seiko diver from 1965, and the Speedtimer mechanical chronograph.

Among these, today we discover the Prospex Marinemaster Collection, originally launched on the Japanese market only, makes its global debut in a revised version with three new creations, one of which is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Seiko brand.

The Marinemaster is Seiko’s flagship series for diving, equipped with a robust and high-performance movement with stable accuracy designed exclusively for diver’s watches. It represents the top tier of Prospex watches in a diving category that is integral to the history and culture of Seiko.

INSPIRED BY SEIKO’S FIRST DIVER’S WATCH FROM 1965

Representing the official global launch of the Marinemaster line, each new watch takes its design inspiration from what is known to fans as the iconic 62MAS of 1965, Seiko’s first watch for divers and the first diver’s watch made in Japan. 

A textured horizontal stripe pattern expresses lapping waves on each watch’s dial while adding a stylish touch to the new design, which features “Marinemaster” printed just below the Seiko logo at the 12 o’clock position. A silvery-white dial graces a limited-edition version commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Seiko brand, while light blue and black dials join the Prospex collection as standard watches. 

Each watch’s hour, minute, and seconds hands inherit the design of those found on the 1965 diver’s watch, with legibility in dark lighting ensured by Lumibrite-filled indexes and a luminous pip on the unidirectional bezel.  

SLIMLINE & DIVER

Inside each watch is the automatic Seiko Caliber 6L37 with 45 hours of power reserve, the first movement in the slimline Caliber 6L series developed specifically to meet the rigors of diving while allowing a pleasingly slender profile and a high level of comfort on the wrist. Caliber 6L37 has been adapted from the earlier Caliber 6L35 to have greater shock resistance while maintaining the slender profile that characterizes the 6L movement family. 

For the first time in a Seiko diver’s watch, the new Marinemaster creations feature an exhibition case back, allowing a view of this finely finished, high-performance mechanical movement. The development of a diver’s watch with a see-through case back, a feature that tends to add thickness, presented its own challenges. The new watch needed to maintain the high level of water and shock resistance that Prospex usually achieves with a closed case back while also keeping the profile thin. By reconsidering the case structure and using the slimline Caliber 6L37, Seiko created what is its thinnest mechanical diver’s watch currently (12.3mm) while adding a view of the movement. 

The new 39.5mm case design balances functionality and aesthetics thanks to dramatic cham- fering on the bezel and the case, which creates a sleeker and more modernized appearance while retaining the essential profile of the classic 62MAS from 1965. The combination of the hairline and mirror finishes on the case and bracelet endows the design with a sophisticated contrast and elegance. 

A NEW BRACELET

Wearability and comfort are paramount in Prospex diver’s watches, and these qualities have been carefully cultivated in the new Marinemaster thanks to an entirely new bracelet that features ellipse-shaped links with mirror-finished, dual-curved surfaces. Protected by an extra hard scratch-resistant coating, the bracelet is combined with a three-fold clasp with push button release, secure lock, and extender for wetsuits.

All three watches of the new Marinemaster collection will initially be exclusive to Seiko Boutiques, starting in December, and then will be available at select retail partners worldwide in January 2024. (Price €. 3,400 for each model)