Few watches can offer the same horological bang-for-the-buck-value that’s packed in a Seiko 5 watch. After all, the watches of the iconic SNK range—what I and I’m sure many others would happily agree are the benchmark for solid and honestly-priced mechanical watches today—proudly display the Seiko 5 badge on their dials.

Launched in 1963, the Seiko 5 line came into existence with a set of five simple rules. Seiko 5 watches needed to include:

1. automatic winding

2. day/date displayed in a single window

3. water resistance

4. recessed crown at the four o’clock position

5. durable case and bracelet.

Of course, much of this is already part and parcel of modern watches, so today these bullet points are more of a spiritual guide for the Seiko 5 line rather than a strict checklist. In fact, you’ll regularly find Seiko 5 watches without some of these features. Nevertheless, if you’re buying a Seiko 5 watch, then you know you’re getting a workhorse that punches well above its weight.

The quirky thing about Seiko 5 watches is that they just sort of appear, and they do so with absolutely no fanfare. There’s no PR campaign. There’s no grand story. The watches just come, and maybe you’ll hear about them, or, and this is far more likely, you won’t. I often discover new models while perusing the forums (Seiko fanatics make the best detectives), or I’ll come across some on Amazon, which is a pretty solid hangout spot for Seiko 5 watches.

On a recent trip to Amazon, I spotted a new Seiko 5 model that I hadn’t seen before, and it was one I was sure our readers would want to know about—introducing the Seiko 5 dual-crown diver series (Ref. SRPBxx).