In a world of Seiko divers, this is the apex predator. Launched in 2019 it now sits at the top of the foodchain, it has no natural predators within the Seiko family. Its hunting grounds are however not limited to Seiko’s own family of diver’s watches.
At the 2019 Grand prix horloger de Genève the Prospex LX devoured its competition and came out on top, winning the coveted Diver’s watch price. In this video-review we go in full detail on what this watch has to offer:
The LX line was developed in collaboration with Ken Okuyama Design. Ken Okuyama is a bit of an apex designer himself, having designed a few cars with none other than Ferrari.
It is the overall angular design that truly struck a chord with me. The angles on this watch remind me a little bit of the lines on fighter jets and indeed supercars. The watch feels almost sculpted, the sides and lines of the case have visually pleasing angles. A mix between ZaratsuZaratsu Polishing Zaratsu polishing is a type of polishing technique used in watchmaking, specifically for the polishing of steel components, such as the case, lugs, and bracelet. It is a process that uses a spinning circular disk with an abrasive surface. The craftsperson, holding the watch part, applies a certain level of pressure and uses a specific angle to ultimately achieve a mirror-like finish. [Learn More] polished and brushed sides make this watch stand out.
The watch is built like a tank. Unscrew the crownCrown The knob on the outside of the watch that you typically use to either wind the mainspring or set the time [Learn More] and you are immediately reminded that this watch is built for purpose, no excuses. The crown is nicely positioned at 4 o clock to avoid digging into your wrist. The bezel feels premium, the way it clicks and feels in your hand, it is all very high end. There is a lot of inaccurate information floating around online with respect to the bezel. I can confirm that it is a ceramic bezel and to my eye it can stand toe to toe with the best ceramic bezels on the market.
The bracelet and clasp are purpose driven but also aesthetically pleasing. The bracelet fits very well to the case, a sign of quality in my book. The clasp is on the chunkier side, but this is a result of the mechanism that reveals itself when unlocking the locking clasp. It features a very handy slide adjuster, making it easy to adjust the bracelet sizing on the fly, for example when having to fit this over a wetsuit. It is very easy to operate and works very well. The clasp features the additional security of the little lock, which is of course as it should considering this is aiming to be a professional diver’s watch.
The watch is powered by a spring driveSpring Drive A Spring Drive movement, pioneered by Grand Seiko, is a type of mechanical watch movement that combines the traditional mechanics of a mechanical watch with the precision of a quartz watch. It uses a mainspring as the source of energy, just like a mechanical watch, but instead of using a traditional escapement, it uses a quartz crystal to regulate the release of energy. The Spring Drive movement is considered to be highly accurate, and is known for its smooth, gliding seconds hand. [Learn More] movement which is one more reason to like this watch. The movement can’t be seen as the watch has a closed case back, The Spring Drive movement is not usually found in Seiko watches, but reserved for Grand Seiko and Credor. However, this 5r65 spring drive movement is just as good as what you will find in a Grand Seiko, just with a little bit less decoration and finishing. That doesn’t really matter here of course since you are dealing with a closed case back.
The 5r movement is said to not only offer excellent accuracy but also increased levels of shock and temperature resistance, making this an ideal choice for this professional tool watch. The Spring drive movement has proven its reliability, having survived on the wrist of astronauts floating in space, and perhaps a bit more down to Earth, having survived a trip to the top of Mount Everest.
So how does it wear? The watch is designed in such a way that it has a low center of gravity, as a result it sits very comfortable on the wrist. It is a large watch, absolutely, but unlike many large watches it is very refined, everything somehow works together. The low center of gravity and the excellent bracelet contribute to a nice wrist experience.
This is one of the better bracelets I have seen for quite some time now. The clasp, due to its internal design is indeed on the chunkier side, but that’s a trade-off for the added functionality and it stays true to the overall design ethos of this watch. The bracelet integrates nicely with the watch head, you can see and feel that both were built for each-other. The design language found on the watch head is also found on the bracelet.
The Seiko Prospex LX is a professional-grade diver’s watch. Built like a tank. Sculpted like a supercar. Despite the higher than usual pricetag for this Seiko, one could reasonably argue that these are in fact somewhat of a bargain at the current list price.
More info right here.
Beautiful watch, beautiful video, but I can not understand why this is being branded as Seiko? This is clearly up to par with Grand Seiko? Don’t get me wrong, love the watch, but what does this mean for the SBGA231 then (which you have also covered here in the past)?
Seiko is the brand that introduced me to the first dive watch I loved and still do, the SKX which is now discontinued. I can definitely see the charm of this one, a purebred SEIKO diver! Thank you for the wonderful video review