Two Broke Watch Snobs
Seiko’s Affordable Field Watch Icon Just Got Its First Real Update in Years
The Seiko Alpinist is back. A slimmer case, new 6R55 movement, and vintage branding make this one of the best affordable field watches of 2025.
4,324 articles · 46 videos found · page 35 of 146
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Seiko Alpinist is back. A slimmer case, new 6R55 movement, and vintage branding make this one of the best affordable field watches of 2025.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
After a decade of reviews, we compare Seiko and Orient on design, performance, durability, and value to help you choose what's right for you.
Time+Tide
This colourful 5KX takes George Bamford's signature baby blue colour and blends it with orange and translucent elements.The post Bamford’s glowing vision of paradise is realized with latest Seiko 5 collaborative limited edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
By now the Bamford name shouldn’t be unfamiliar to you. Having just taken a breath from launching their latest collaboration with Oris, the British brand has turned its sights towards Seiko with the release of their Seiko 5 Sports BAMFORD Limited Edition. With Bamford’s track record of highlighting versus cannibalizing its collaborators, the result between the two brands has resulted in a vibrant, eye-catching release that takes inspiration from a variety of sources: Seiko’s archival collage techniques, anime, retrofuturism, and the pursuit of paradise. To best understand this collab, Bamford and Seiko produced a short anime for the release. In it, we see a salaryman at his desk, late at night. Suddenly, his Seiko 5 BAMFORD Limited Edition transports him to a verdant landscape, a sort of Eden outside of the office. While the message behind this video is fairly straightforward, it’s the creative liberty in which the two brands have taken to marry this partnership and solidifying what I have long suspected: Bamford is a concept brand versus a brand who occasionally builds products around a concept. And, as such, Seiko is all the better for it. In terms of the watch’s design, the blue skeleton dial is, of course, what one notices first, and is inspired by George Bamford’s vision of duality, attempting to capture two worlds in one design. Underneath, we see the inner mechanics of the day-date display. Further design choices which highlight Bamford’s imaginations ...
Time+Tide
Affordable robust elegance?The post Are these new Seiko Presage Classic Series watches the best dressy daily wearers for US$1,000 or less? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
While all of us are now pretty familiar with the Seiko 5 Sports collection, and in particular the SKX series (an accessible aquatic-like watch inspired by the cult SKX007 of the past), there are also dozens of cool limited editions and bold collaboration models based on this platform. The latest in line, which will once […]
Worn & Wound
At the end of summer 2014, Dad gave me my first mechanical watch. There was nothing ceremonial about it; he simply handed me the box in the car. “I’m starting a new tradition, and it’s a grown-up gift since you’re heading to college,” he said. I looked down at the box. It said Seiko. I was familiar with the brand. In fact, it was what I had been wearing up to that point: reference SNE039, a mid-sized solar-powered watch that Grandpa gave me when he saw me showing interest in it. I still have it. But this Seiko was different. It was a reference SKX173, a sibling of the beloved SKX007 dive watch that has led many a good man down the rabbit hole. It had a waterproof case, rotating dive bezel that I had no clue how to operate, and most importantly, an automatically winding movement. “It’s easy – just shake it a bit to get it going,” said Dad. (OGs will remember the caliber 7s26’s lack of hand winding). I took the watch out of the box and shuffled it back and forth gently to coax it to life. It did, and as I stared at the sweeping seconds hand, I marveled that a microscopic team of gears, levers, and springs were all working harmoniously just to tell time. As an incoming engineering student, I couldn’t have asked for a better gift. I secured the black rubber strap on my wrist, and that was that. The remainder of the summer was spent reading everything I could get my hands on about Seiko watches and mechanical timekeeping at large. The excitement of movin...
Time+Tide
Seiko teams up with high-end Japanese shoemaker REGAL Shoes & Co. on a sustainability-focused collaboration.The post Seiko partners with REGAL for an upscale take on upcycling with latest Presage Classic release appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
If you’re looking for a classic watch with elegance, solid watchmaking credentials, a slight retro touch and a price that doesn’t break the bank, the Seiko Presage collection never falls short of offerings. While mostly known for its artistic dials, bringing Japanese crafts into the spotlight, the collection has grown dramatically to become the dressy/elegant […]
Time+Tide
Seiko follows 2023's SRPK50J 'Irori Moments' and 2024's SRPL20J 'Ichigo Ichie' with a Negroni rather than whisky -inspired Cocktail Time.The post From whiskies to Negronis: Seiko continues its run of cocktail-inspired Australasian limited editions with the Presage SRPL96J ‘The Conte’ appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
What better auspicious sign for this weekend than a watch inspired by the king of cocktails?The post New releases from Timex, Farer, Seiko and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Seiko adds a new limited-edition to its line of affordable dress watch with the Presage Classic Series Upcycled Leather Strap that sports knurled bezel, golden-brown gradient dial, and with a leather strap made from shoe leather offcuts supplied by Regal, a Japanese shoemaker best known for its leather dress shoes. Initial Thoughts Though strange on the surface, the Seiko Presage and Regal tie-up makes sense. Both are affordable, solid offerings in their respective segments, and also distinctly Japanese. Notably, Regal is launching the saddle shoes that produced the offcuts later this week. The watch itself is a good looking iteration of Seiko’s familiar entry-level dress watch. The bezel and smoked dial are a pleasing combination that set this apart from most Presage models. Seiko didn’t mention the impetus for this collaboration in press materials; I suspect geography was a part. Regal builds its top of the line shoes in the town of Morioka, near Morioka Seiko Instruments, the heart of Seiko’s domestic mechanical watch production. That proximity lends a lot of authenticity to the collaboration for me, and I wish it were part of Seiko’s messaging, though I understand most consumers don’t care. At the same time, Regal is little known outside Japan, but its shoes are a fixture in major Japanese department stores. The transient nature of leather straps is arguably a shortcoming in watches like the new Presage, or the Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon at the other en...
Monochrome
Seiko’s latest Presage Classic Series looks back at the late Edo period (specifically the Bunsei era, 1818-1830) with a gradient dial shade that was popular at the time. Perhaps even more emphasis is given to the straps that highlight upcycling with the use of leather offcuts from fine shoemaking. Inspiration was taken from the signature […]
Deployant
Seiko releases a new Presage Classic in collaboration with Japanese shoemaker Regal, with a classical watch which draws inspiration from fine leather shoes.
Time+Tide
The 1960s and 70s were formative decades for both the Japanese car and watch industries - and that's what these three watches celebrate.The post Seiko celebrates one of the most iconic Japanese cars of all time, the Datsun 240Z, with three limited edition Speedtimers appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
There’s no shortage of Seiko releases these days, but few pique our interest quite like a new Alpinist. The rugged field watch has earned cult status over the years, balancing quirky charm with real-world capability. Now, with the introduction of the Seiko Alpinist SPB531, the brand adds a Europe-only edition in a deep, moody blue. […] Visit Introducing: The Seiko Alpinist EU Limited Edition In Blue to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
A few months ago when Seiko unveiled their Jaws watch, I didn’t really think much of it. Jaws is one of the most popular movies ever made, and it’s celebrating a big anniversary this year. In a world where watch brands collaborate with all kinds of silly entities for all kinds of silly reasons, it seemed like a pretty normal release. Then, just in the last week, Seiko announced a trio of watches bearing the Datsun name. OK, a Japanese car – a cult classic car at that – doesn’t require a whole lot of mental gymnastics to figure out. But then yesterday, when I opened Instagram over my morning coffee and saw the new Seiko “Pepsi” watches, reader I have to admit: it broke my brain a little. At first I thought it must be a prank or a joke. Maybe Seiko’s account got hacked and one of these new AI engines built an entire marketing campaign around the most on-the-nose “collaboration” yet? But no, a little digging revealed that the two new Seiko 5 Sports watches with blue and red Pepsi bezels were indeed an endeavor bearing the name of the number 2 cola in the country. We’ve been referring to bezels in this colorway as “Pepsi” bezels for longer than I’ve been involved in the watch industry, as a hobbyist and certainly as a professional. It certainly never occurred to me that one day the beverage company would sign on as what amounts to an official partner with a watch brand. But it’s a testament to the ultra-corporatized watch world we’re all livin...
Fratello
Every once in a while, a big box with Seiko watches arrives at the Fratello office. It contains the brand’s releases for the upcoming months and allows us to review and photograph them ahead of time. I still remember when I discovered the Seiko SPB317 in there, back in 2022. I immediately fell in love […] Visit From Homage to Heritage: Why I Traded My Seiko SPB317 for the 6105-8000 to read the full article.
Fratello
Seiko is an absolute titan in the watch industry. The number of key timepieces in the brand’s catalog is too long to list here. Nevertheless, it’s a brand that has faced an identity crisis over the last half-decade or so, I would argue. The new SRPL91 and SRPL93 Seiko 5 Sports series show just how […] Visit Has Seiko Reignited A Little Magic With Its New Limited Edition 5 Sport? to read the full article.
Monochrome
One of the oldest Seiko watches still in production, the Alpinist was introduced in 1959 (note that the Laurel, released in 1913, is even more enduring), and it has since become a staple of the brand’s catalogue. Considered Seiko’s first professional watch, it was designed specifically by Seiko for Yama-Otoko, or mountain men. The collection […]
Seiko’s trio of Speedtimer x Datsun limited editions-SPB517, SRQ057, and SSC957-pays tribute to the iconic 1971 East African Safari Rally win, with each model channeling the spirit of the Datsun 240Z in distinct ways. Namely, a time-only, a mechanical chronograph and a solar chronograph, the trio provide offers at different price points.
Monochrome
Seiko’s Prospex Speedtimer line has long reflected the brand’s ties to motorsport and its enduring commitment to precision. For 2025, Seiko builds on this legacy by celebrating its shared history with the Japanese car maker Datsun, a partnership that harks back to the golden era of the late 1960s and early ’70s. Alongside the special […]
Monochrome
The original 1969 Seiko Speedtimer marked a milestone as the world’s first automatic chronograph with both a vertical clutch and a column wheel, boosting timing precision and reliability. That same year, the Datsun 240Z debuted as a Japanese sports car that proved its performance in global rallying, famously winning the East African Safari Rally in […]
Fratello
Seiko releases six new additions to the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer collection. Three of them celebrate the brand’s historic relationship with Datsun, the iconic Japanese carmaker that made waves with its affordable yet impressive 240Z sports car in 1969. The other three become part of the regular Speedtimer line. The link between Seiko and Datsun runs […] Visit Introducing: Six New Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Models, Including Three With A Nod To Datsun to read the full article.
Time+Tide
It might not be a chrono, but its nifty countdown bezel affords it plenty of practicality (and charm).The post The new Seiko SPB513 is a Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical, but it’s not a chronograph? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
What defines something as an icon is generally down to the public’s perspective of its significance. It can be anything, really, as long as it stands for something extraordinary. In watchmaking, we have a fair few of them that we regularly celebrate. Think of watches like the Seiko Speedtimer 6139, which was among the very […]
Fratello
Here’s a watch that pays homage not to a shark but the shark. And that’s why “we’re gonna need a bigger boat.” I was too young to see the now-iconic Steven Spielberg movie Jaws when it came out five decades ago, but when I did a few years after its initial release, it scared me. Although […] Visit Hands-On With The Seiko Prospex Jaws 50th Anniversary Limited Edition SRPL81: Reliving And Overcoming A Childhood Fear to read the full article.
Time+Tide
At US$620/A$975, the Seiko Prospex SRPL53K PADI Special Edition is a great, more affordable dive watch to take a closer look at.The post Seiko Prospex SRPL53 PADI Special Edition: a in-house dive watch for under $1,000 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Seiko‘s dive watch legacy is long and rich, yet surprisingly, a mechanical diver with a GMT complication only joined the catalogue in 2023. The SPB381/383and SPB385 laid the groundwork with their “caller GMT x Diver” design, and earlier this year, the SPB509 brought meaningful improvements, including 300m water resistance and a micro-adjustable clasp, wrapped in […]
Worn & Wound
The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer is one of those watches that is just incredibly easy to recommend. It runs on a solar powered quartz movement, which makes it ultra practical and reliable. It’s styled to look a little like classic vintage chronographs that we love, but isn’t an on-the-nose recreation of any in particular. And they come in an easy to wear 39mm case, a fairly neutral size for just about any wrist. They’re also relatively affordable, coming in well under $1,000. Seiko has released several of these “SSC” Speedtimers in recent years in a variety of colorways. The latest is a limited edition for the World Athletics Championships, which this year returns to Tokyo for the first time in 34 years. Seiko has been the official timekeeper of the World Athletics organization since 1987 and has made a number of watches to commemorate the partnership in that time. This Speedtimer would seem to capitalize on a fairly persistent trend in the watch world: the purple dial. According to Seiko, the tone of this dial in particular is inspired by “Edo purple”, a shade long associated with the city of Tokyo. This color has also been designated as the official color of this year’s World Athletics Championships event. The purple base is accented with black chronograph subdials and a black tachymeter bezel, along with applied faceted hour markers and lume filled hands that have been outlined in black for increased legibility. The black and purple combination works w...
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