Seiko just quietly announced three new limited edition “Black Series” Prospex dive watches, set to be released sometime in the first quarter of 2018. It’s pretty hard to screw up redoing existing pieces in black with a vintage design sense, and these three Prospex watches keep that trope alive. Aggressive, legible, and handsome, the black dials, tan hour markers, and white & orange hands (done in Lumibrite, naturally) keep from messing up the original aesthetic of the pieces. Seiko claims that these Black Series watches are inspired by night diving and are designed to achieve maximum legibility. Really, no matter what you think, these limited edition pieces are going to be grabbed up by the legions of Seiko dive enthusiasts out there.

Let’s start with the one that’s going to be the most wanted, the black ‘Turtle’ watch. The Prospex Diver Automatic SRPC49K1 has the same specs as the standard Seiko Prospex Automatic Turtle, with a 45mm wide case that has a 200m water resistance rating. The movement is the same 4R36 that operates at 21,600 bph with a 41 hour power reserve. The case is done in what Seiko calls a “hard black coating” – so either a DLC or PVD coat, with a screw-down crown and a unidirectional rotating bezel. Just the classic Seiko Prospex Automatic Turtle watch in a black case. It’s simple and definitely a favorite.

Next up is the first of two solar-powered pieces, the Prospex Solar Diver SNE493P1. Smaller than the Turtle at 43.5mm wide, this watch also has the same black coated case as well as a 200m water resistance rating, screw-down crown, and unidirectional bezel. The V157 solar powered movement has a 10 month power reserve.

Finally, the third model is the Seiko Prospex Solar Diver Chronograph SSC673P1, which shares the same 43.5mm case size as the Solar Diver and also has a 200m water resistance rating, screw-down crown, and unidirectional bezel. It uses the V175 movement, with a one-hour chronograph that shows 1/5 second increments. Power reserve here is 6 months. Moving to the case, you’ve got matching black chronograph pushers in addition to the blacked out case.

All three Seiko Prospex “Black Series” watches will come on a black silicon rubber strap. Again, all three will be limited to an unknown number but if you’re interested, I’d stay on top of it since they probably won’t last long. Price for the Prospex Diver Automatic Turtle SRPC49K1 will be €490, the Prospex Solar Diver SNE493P1 will be priced at €380, and the Prospex Solar Diver Chronograph SSC673P1 will be €410. seiko-prospex.com