If you’ve travelled down the path of becoming a fully dyed in the wool watch enthusiast, chances are that your journey started with seiko quartz a Seiko. And this isn’t just a case of me projecting as I usually do – the brand has captured the market in a way no other was able to, and despite recent price hikes, still manages to offer compelling watches across a widely spanning price spectrum. Just like any other year, 2024 was a busy one for Seiko, with no shortage of all-new models, refreshed colourways, nor region-specific limited editions – with quite a few of those coming our way. With that being the case, and being limited to picking just a top five, I did want to shout out a particularly good vintage tribute in the shape of the Seiko 5 SRPL03 and SRPL05, both faithful nods to Seiko 5s from the 1960s and 1970s.
Following ISO standards for scuba diving to depths of up to 300 meters, sport this perfectly edgy masterpiece for any adventure you dare to pursue. The Seiko Presage collection combines a Japanese aesthetic with traditional craftsmanship. If you’re looking for a design that’s stripped back, this could be the perfect watch for you. Featuring a minimalistic watch dial, it is said to represent the serenity of the Karesansui Zen gardens in Japan. The brand grew in leaps and bounds through the years, from being the official timer in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to creating Japan’s first diving watch in 1965.
The Seiko Prospex series includes their professional series of watches such as their diving watches, which are typically ISO 6425 rated from 200 to 1000 metres of water resistance. Seiko released many models under the Seiko 5 sub brand, including large and small divers; watches featuring different strap options, such as leather, nylon, or steel; transparent, or sterile case-back versions; and many other variations. The Elegance models use Grand Seiko’s original and most classical designs, adopting metals like steel or gold.
During the ten years of development at Suwa Seikosha, Seiko managed to create many parts which enabled the viable application of quartz in wristwatches. Some Grand Seiko timepieces also incorporate the company’s Spring Drive movement, a movement that is a combination of both automatic and quartz timekeeping methods, leading to unparalleled accuracy in the world of automatic wristwatches. The most famous example is the seiko quartz SBGA011 Grand Seiko “Snowflake”, housing the 9R Spring Drive movement. GMT watches feature in the Evolution 9, Heritage, Sport, and Elegance Collections, each offering a different design language. The Evolution 9 line-up includes Grand Seiko’s first mechanical chronograph, the 10-beat SLGC001, and a Spring Drive GMT chronograph model.