Introducing The New Seiko Prospex SPB451, SPB453 And SPB455

The descendant of the much-loved Seiko SPB143 diving watch has just arrived in three dial tones and with clear improvements starting with a down size case. 

That’s right, the big news is the size reduction, which side by side with its predecessor may seem big but in reality is not reflected so much in the numbers but more in the improvements on the bevels and beyond, an excellent job made by Seiko’s development team, which makes the watch appear much smaller than it is, for a better understanding let’s talk about numbers, while the SPB143 came with dimensions of 40.50 x 13.30 x 47.60 mm, its predecessors arrive with 40mm in diameter, 13mm in thickness and 46.40mm lug-to-lug distance, as you may have already noticed, the optical illusion also works wonders in watches. 

Still on the outside there are at least three more new features, starting with the watertightness of the case which goes from the previous 200m to now 300m which will certainly make many happy, the aluminum insert bezel is laser engraved which allows its scale to last much longer and the steel bracelet has been redesigned, now featuring shorter links and the same applies to its clasp which adds a dive extension. 

On the dial, the improvements are less evident, with the black tone becoming more pronounced and appearing less anthracite, but still coming with a sunburst finish, with the date window migrating to the 4:30 position now assuming a round shape with a black background and the 3 o’clock lumed marker returns to its normal size, finally the inclusion of the inscription “3 Days” next to “Automatic” which, as you may have already noticed, indicates an increase in the power reserve and also the replacement of the previous 200m of water resistance with the new 300m. 

As for the different variants, the SPB451 comes with a blue dial, the SPB453 with the classic black dial and finally the SPB455 also comes with a black dial but with gilt accents for those looking for a more retro look. 

And if almost everything is said on the outside and on the face of the watch, the same does not apply inside, with the “old” Caliber 6R35 now giving way to the improved Caliber 6R55, whose main benefit is already claimed on the dial, now showing 72h of power reserve compared to the previous 70h, which not being trully significant, allows announcing 3 days on the dial which undoubtedly makes it looks much better to people’s eyes. 

Regarding prices, the SPB451 and SPB453 come with a price of €1,400 while the SPB455, which is a celebratory edition and comes with an extra grey fabric strap made from recycled plastic bottles, cost €1,600. 

Read more here.

General Specifications:

Brand: Seiko

Model: Prospex Diver

Reference: SPB451, SPB453, SPB455 Special Edition

Dial: Blue (SPB451), black (SPB453, SPB455)

Case Material: Stainless steel

Case Dimensions: 40 mm Diameter, 13 mm thickness, 46.40 mm lug-to-lug

Crystal: Sapphire glass

Case Back: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 300 Meters

Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp and dive extension, extra grey fabric strap (SPB455)

Caliber: 6R55

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 21,600 Vph

Jewels: 24

Power Reserve: 72 Hours

Price: € 1,400 (SPB451, SPB453), € 1,600 (SPB455 special edition)

Limited Edition: No

Availability: Now