Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s PADI Special Edition SPB501 Watch Review

Seiko are celebrating their partnership with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) by releasing a pair of dive watches dedicated to the association. Those new watches are the Prospex 4R and 1965 Heritage Diver’s PADI Special Edition. Both watches feature the same dial motif and so for this review we’re going to focus our attention solely on the higher spec 1965 Heritage Diver.

The element that jumps out immediately is of course that feature dial. It’s green (though in certain lighting it appears much more teal than green) with a vertical gradient that gets lighter towards 12 o’clock with some darker green patches right at the top. It creates the illusion that you’re sitting below the surface of the water with sunlight passing through the gently undulating waves. That effect is emphasised by the sunray brushed finish that radiates out from the 12 o’clock position rather than the centre of the dial as is the norm.

Green (or dark teal) is an interesting choice for a subaquatic design, as it makes the water feel murky rather than the crystal clear, tropical vibe you normally see from dive watches. It feels less like you’re above a pretty coral reef where you might have a chance of finding Nemo and more like you’re swimming over one of those dark kelp forests of thalassophobic nightmares.

That green dial is paired with a unidirectional rotating bezel in a matching shade of green. The chunky grip makes it easy to rotate without feeling loose, allowing you to keep track of your immersion time with confidence, even if you’re wearing diving gloves. Broader than that, the case is made from stainless steel with 300m water resistance. It’s styled after the 62MAS Diver from 1965, hence the name Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s PADI Special Edition.

Aesthetically, it’s quite a square design with flat flanks and bevelled corners that lead into snub-nosed lugs. At 40mm it’s not dramatically big on the wrist while also being large enough to ensure a good amount of legibility thanks to the oversize lumed hour markers and hands. It’s presented on a choice of steel bracelet, or a NATO style strap made from recycled fishing nets.

Powering the watch is the Seiko calibre 6R55, which is one of the Japanese brand’s higher spec movements as evidenced by the fact that it’s the go to movement for the slightly more prestige 39mm King Seiko series. It has a weekend proof 72-hour power reserve and features hours, minutes, seconds and date complications. The date window is positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock, it’s also particularly small but that’s not necessarily a bad thing on a dive watch where the legibility of the rest of the display is more important.

At £1,500 the Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s PADI Special Edition sits in the mid-range of Seiko dive watch prices. Considering that the Marinemaster variant is almost twice the price with lower specs across the board, it makes the PADI feel like solid value. Though if you’re concerned about price, the 4R PADI is just £560.

More details at Seiko Boutique.

​Oracle Time 

Read More