Of the Sea, Land, and Sky
Five decades of Seiko setting global standards for diver’s timepieces
The impact of an excellent timepiece is built on several foundations. It should have a history, quality, and preciseness to its functions. These are the reasons why watches are perceived as synonymous to success, a life well-travelled, and of future feats.
Seiko watches is among the most ardent global timepiece labels that stay faithful to these standards. With over a century of history backing it up and an undying perspective and approach on quality, the Japanese brand has risen to be a global leader in its industry with many milestones under its belt.
Though known for its many successes, its long line of accomplishments in the diver’s watch market is one of the hallmarks that definitely cemented its position in the international scene. Prospex, the brand’s diver’s collection which also includes master crafted timepieces for sky and land adventure,has shaped up to be a global standard after 50 years of continuous innovation.
Seiko first made history in the diving market when it released the first ever diver’s watch in Japan in 1965–the automatic 150m Diver’s model. With a self-winding mechanism, an out sized crown, rotating bezel, and special gasket, the model started the fire of the brand’s commitment to continuous innovation after proving its reliability and precision at the 8th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition.
A decade after its first milestone, the global label made history again with the Professional Diver’s 600m—the watch that changed the diving world’s standard for being the first to come with a titanium case. The model’s accordion style strap, shock-, and corrosion-proof two-layer case construction secured over 20 patents to the timepiece.
In 1985, Seiko turned their attention towards the recreational diving market and released the Quartz Diver’s 200m with secure timekeeping. This move opened the Japanese giant’s doors to a wider market while adding another worldwide bestseller to its name.
The Japanese brand ushered 1995 with three noteworthy models, the Diver’s 200m with depth and temperature gauge, the Kinetic Diver’s 200m, and the world’s first Diver’s 200m with automatic analog depth indicator.
The Diver’s 200m with the water and temperature gauge allows the diver to display stored data and dive log underwater while the Kinetic was the first in the world that featured a GMT hand for world time use. The Diver’s 200m with auto analog and depth feature, on the other hand, calculated dive information while also detecting depth and water pressure.
The turn of the millennium was most definitely a time of great leaps for the Japanese brand. In 2000, Seiko revealed the world’s first Nitrox multi-level diving computer watch equipped with diving profile display. This was followed by the Spring Drive Diver’s 600m, the first in the world that uses only a mainspring for power and delivers one-second-a-day accuracy. The model, which was built with high-intensity titanium and sapphire glass, was designed for saturation diving up to depths of 600m.
More than just ruling the seas, Prospex also crossed borders to cover the land and sky as well. Combining innovative, world-class features with sleek and sophisticated designs signature to the Seiko brand, the global timepiece giant puts forward rosters of superior watches designed to support adventurers and enthusiasts, every step of the way.
True enough, Seiko’s success is strongly founded on its determination to not just be a step ahead of others but of itself as well. After five decades of excellence with Prospex, the brand’s spirit burns even brighter as it sets its gears to make more history in the future.
