We’ve recently covered 145th anniversary limited edition releases from Seiko in the Presage and Astron collections, and I bet some of you have probably been wondering, “Hey, what a dive watch?” Seiko, of course, has not forgotten about the Prospex line when it comes to anniversary themed limited editions, and have recently announced the HBC005 and HBB001 in the same blue/silver colorway that is becoming the visual signature of this anniversary celebration.
First up is the HBC005, which is built on the platform of their current 62MAS inspired reissue. This heritage focused dive watch has its (modern) origins with watches like the SPB143, but received a handful of small updates about two years ago to make it more wearable (and fix the somewhat awkward 3:00 date window for what I believe is a more under the radar 4:30 execution). The case comes in at 40mm in diameter and 13mm thick, with a lug to lug measurement of 46.4mm. Water resistance is 300 meters, and the movement is the 6R55 with a 72 hour power reserve.
The dial is silver with a subtle brushed finish and lume filled, rectangular hour markers. The blue seconds hand is matched with an aluminum bezel insert in blue. There are no obvious signs of it being a limited edition on the dial – just the normal Seiko wordmark at 12:00 and the Prospex logo and two additional lines of text highlighting the power reserve and water resistance below it. The clean silver/white dial paired with the blue accents give this diver a clean, modern look, in a shape that will appeal strongly to fans of the brand’s vintage output. The HBC005 is a limited edition of 4,000 with a retail price of $1,400.
If something even more contemporary is your preferred flavor of Prospex, Seiko has also introduced the HBB001, built on their cult favorite “Samurai” platform. The Samurai range also experienced a recent refresh, and the case now measures 41.7mm in diameter, 12.3mm thick, and 49.5mm from lug to lug. The newer Samurai cases have a slightly more rounded appearance, but are still quite a bit sharper and more angular than something like the HBC005.
The dial of the HBB001 is silver, but a shade or two darker than the silver found on the HBC005. It features fencepost, lumed hour markers and hands, and an aluminum bezel insert in dark blue and gray (for the first 15 minutes). The HBB001 runs on the 4R35 automatic movement, which has a power reserve of 40 hours when fully wound. The retail pricing on the HBB001 is set at $595, and it’s a (not very) limited edition of 9,999 pieces.
Both of these new diver watches arrive in June, which is when we expect most of the rest of Seiko’s 145th anniversary lineup to hit authorized retailers. More information can be found on Seiko’s website here.
