A New Prospex: Seiko PADI Special Edition 200m SPB071J1

January 18, 2018

comments 0

Already announced in late 2017, there will be a new PADI Special Edition 200M Automatic Diver’s watch available. Based on their first professional diver from 1965, this new model, with reference SPB071J1 has a cool dial with a color gradation from blue to black and features a wave pattern.

Seiko SPB071J1

For €910 (approximately), you will receive a 42.6mm diver’s watch from their Prospex (‘Professional Specifications’) collection. This is not the first PADI Special Edition, we wrote about the earlier models here.

The reference SPB071J has the Seiko 6R15 (automatic) movement which has a power reserve of 50 hours. This movement ticks at 21,600vph. The watch has a screw-down crown and caseback, to ensure the 200 meters of water resistance. Normally, you will find Seiko’s own Hardlex mineral crystals on their watches in this price range (and even the Marinemaster 300 SBDX017 with a price tag of €2500 has this type of crystal), but for this special edition SPBJ017J1 Seiko made an exception and used a sapphire crystal.

Only two weeks ago we wrote you about the Seiko Prospex Black Series (here). Either Seiko can’t wait to do these new releases outside BaselWorld or they want to get some of the SIHH action. In any case, it is their full right to do so and we are not complaining. The slight side note we have is with the price of this watch. The 6R15 movement also has been used in the SUMO and some other models, with a lower retail price than this SPB071J1. It is certainly not a bad movement and positioned higher than the Seiko caliber 4R36 (which you’ll find in the Seiko Monsters for example). The fact that it is a PADI special edition probably also influenced the price setting of this Seiko SPB071J1.

We love the case shape of this watch and the PADI Special Edition’s dial color is simply stunning looking. When it comes out and available for review, we will make sure to perform one and go a bit more into detail with this diver’s watch.

According to some earlier images we saw of this watch, the dial and hands uses Lumibrite material in two different colors (blue and green). The minute hand and the hour markers at 12, 9 and 6 as well as the dot on the bezel have a blue lume color, while the hour hand and remaining hour markers lume in green.

Available starting February 2018, with an approximate retail price of €910. More information via Seiko Prospex on-line. The watch comes on a silicon strap.