At Wind^Up a few weeks back, we met one of our long-time readers, James Smith (you Instagram fanatics may better know him as thejames80). We got to talking (about watches, of course), and the topic of his fantastic Seiko ref. SPB053 came up. We are both really big fans of the watch, and I mentioned offhand that I would love to get a review up on the site. To my luck, James was more than happy to oblige. So today, we’re taking a close look at the Seiko Prospex Diver ref. SPB053. –Ilya Ryvin, Managing Editor



One of the more interesting watches for me from Baselworld 2017 was the limited edition Seiko SLA017 and the associated non-limited edition SPB051/053. As the rush to grab one of the 2000 SLA017s has begun to die down (it looks as though there are still a few new ones left out there), my interest in the SPB053 began to increase. Perhaps my previous experiences with sub-$1,000 Seiko divers (the Sumo and SKX007) had something to do with my decision to hunt down a SPB053. The value presented by the Seiko Sumo variants sometimes makes me wonder why I spend more. That said, the size of the Sumo is not for everyone’s wrist.

Back to the SPB053. While its case and dial share some of the SLA017’s looks, it is its own watch. A modern interpretation of the original Seiko “62MAS,” this latest addition to the Seiko Prospex line is a midsize diver with a water resistance rating of 200 meters. Sporting a sapphire crystal and the scratch-preventing Dia-Shield coating, this looks to be another good value offering from Seiko. At this time, the black dialed SPB051 (with a bracelet) has a MSRP of $1,100 and the blue dialed SPB053 (with a silicone strap) has a MSRP of $800.