Seiko: Prospex Automatic Chronograph 50th Anniversary

Seiko celebrates the chronograph’s history with two limited editions: Prospex Automatic Chronograph 50th Anniversary and Presage Chronograph 55th Anniversary

All around the world, the year 1969 was marked by events that turned out to be history-changers – like the moon landing, or social phenomenons that impacted culture, such as Woodstock, and brought millions of fans together, like the broadcasting of Star Trek’s last episode…

Just as we’d say about excellent wine, the last year of the 60s was a great vintage in the horlogerie world as well in terms of innovation. It was in fact 50 years ago that the first automatic chronograph movements were launched on the market.. Among them, the 6139 Caliber of the Japanese brand Seiko, which only five years earlier, in 1964, had launched its first wristwatch with chronographic movement, the “Crown”, the first Japanese chronograph ever. Today, Seiko pays tribute to half a century of these two milestones in its history, with two new limited editions: one belongs to the Prospex collection and the other one to Presage.

Back to the automatic chronograph’s history, in 1969 Seiko was among the few manufacturers to enter this brand new market. Seiko’s Caliber 6139 was the first to incorporate both a column wheel and a vertical clutch in a chronograph, a combination that represented a great advancement at the time, and that today is considered to be a basic prerequisite for a high-performance chronograph.

The new Prospex, produced in a 1000-piece limited edition, celebrates the original 1969 style and uses the brand’s most advanced chronograph Caliber, 8R48, which was introduced in 2014. Besides the vertical clutch and column wheel, this movement incorporates Seiko’s three-pointed hammer and a heart-shaped cam which ensure the perfect synchronization of the hands’ fly-back. The dial, white with black sub-dials, is inspired by Seiko’s 1970 historical timepiece, very famous at the time and known among the brand’s fans as the “Panda” because of the combination of contrasting colors between the sub-dials and the dial. Of the original timepiece, the new Prospex also loyally reproduces the dial’s hairline finish, the hour markers, the hands and the orange tip to the chronograph second hand, and the tachymeter bezel markings.

In addition, the new version features a third sub-dial for the time of day second hand, an updated case design with Zaratsu polishing, and a box-shaped sapphire crystal. Water resistant up to 10 bar, the case is made of steel with a diameter of 41mm, and is 16mm thick.

Finally, let’s mention the Presage collection’s limited edition. Produced in 1000 pieces as well, the movement is the 8R48 with 12 hour chronograph and 45-hour power reserve . The crystal is sapphire with anti-reflection coating, while the lugs are Zaratsu polished. Perfectly faithful to the design of the 1964 “Crown” chronograph, it features sharply defined numerals on the narrow bezel and a 42.3mm steel case with an inwardly tilted shape that allows it to sit tight on the wrist.

The two limited editions are priced to the public respectively of €. 3,700 for the Prospex Panda and €. 3,400 for the Presage and will be available just in time for Christmas, from December 2019 in Seiko’s boutiques and in a selection of Seiko authorized retailers around the world.

By Valeria Garavaglia