Cazalea announces two new Seiko Prospex 'Save the Ocean' dive watches, offering a fresh interpretation of the 1968 diver's watch. This post details the advanced specifications and materials, including Seiko's Ever-Brilliant Steel and the 8L35 movement, designed to meet extreme conditions. The article highlights Seiko's continuous innovation in dive watch technology and its commitment to environmental themes.
As your Seiko moderator, I must sincerely apologize for my complete inability to keep track of how many Seiko Diver watches are currently being offered in the global marketplace.
Please accept my Apologies.
The new watches that are coming soon in January feature the 8L35 movement, assembled by hand in the
Shizukiushi studio, and offer either blue or black themes. They fall into the Prospex collection and provide a new interpretation of the 1968 diver’s watch but are even better equipped to meet the challenge of the most extreme conditions. These watches, with their advanced specifications, will be worn by members of the 63rd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition’s mission to Antarctica.
The case, bezel and crown are all made of Seiko’s Ever-Brilliant Steel, a grade of stainless steel which is more corrosion resistant than that which is commonly used in watches today. To further ensure the watch’s durability, the crown is not screwed directly into the case but locked into a separate component that is built into the case and so can be more easily replaced.
The design and texture of the watch strap pay homage to the 1968 original but it is produced in silicone for greater strength and comfort. The watch is also offered with a fabric strap which incorporates a traditional braiding technique from Japan called Seichu. The Seichu strap’s strength and resistance to the degradation caused by exposure to sunlight meet the most demanding standards of Seiko Prospex diver’s watches.
The watch is powered by Caliber 8L35 which was developed especially for diver’s watches and is hand-assembled by the craftsmen and women at the Shizukuishi Watch Studio in northern Japan. The movement’s rigidity and accuracy ensure the highest possible levels of performance in the most demanding environments, both on land and under water.
Specifications
- Caliber 8L35
- Movement Automatic with manual winding
- Accuracy +15 to -10 seconds per day
- Duration 50 hours
- Case Seiko special Ever-Brilliant Steel
- Crystal Dual-curved sapphire crystal with Anti-reflective coating on inner surface
- Lume LumiBrite on hands, index(es) and bezel
- Band Silicone strap and additional polyester strap is included
- Water Resistance 200m / 660ft diver's
- Thickness 13.1mm
- Diameter 42.6mm
Other Specifications & Features
- Screw case back
- Screw-down crown
- Serial number and LIMITED engraved on the case back
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- 26 jewels
- Date display
- Stop second hand function
Price
SLA055J1 is the Blue Dial version limited to 1300 pieces. The patterned dial captures the feeling of the Antarctic landscape while the subtle gradation of the blue from light to dark echoes the hauntingly beautiful colors of the polar ice. The bezel also evokes the uniqueness of this frozen landscape with its ice-blue numerals and markers. All twelve-hour markers have a generous coating of Lumibrite, as do the hands, and the crystal is a dual-curved sapphire with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface to ensure high legibility from every angle.
SLA057J1 is faithful to the original in design and color and is introduced as a limited edition of 600.
