2021 is set to be a big year for Seiko as it celebrates 140 years of history since the founding of Seiko by Kintaro Hattori. Although Seiko has plenty of great pieces, the most recent re-issues have been on the dive watch side of its lineage. Today, Seiko is set to introduce a retro Alpinist that shows off its sports line up.
The Alpinist originally debuted as part of the Seiko Laurel series back in 1959, these watches were dressy watches with high legibility, lume and higher water resistance. According to Seiko, they were created “to meet the needs of mountain climbers and recreational field sports enthusiasts”. These were paired with a 17 jewelJewels Watch jewels are small, synthetic sapphire or ruby bearings that are used in mechanical watches to reduce friction and wear on moving parts. They are typically made from corundum. They are used as bearings for a.o. the pivots to reduce friction. [Learn More] hand wound movement and triangular markers at 3,6,9 and 12.
The Alpinist then moved to the Champions line up for a bit in the 1960s and then disappeared from the catalog. It returned only in 1995 with the precursor of the modern green Alpinist (the one with the huge cult following).
Today, Seiko is introducing a new Alpinist model that pays tribute to the original 1959 version with similar dial markers, minus the date at 3 o’clock. To me, it could’ve been better off with no date similar to the original. On the dial Lumibrite is applied to the hands and the indexes that rest on a silver bases which look great in the release pictures. The new case is now 38mm, a nice modern size that should suit majority of wrist sizes and a nice update to the original 35mm case. Beating inside is the 6R35 workhorse movement with 70 hours of power reserveRéserve de marche Also known as Power Reserve. A watch's power reserve refers to the amount of time a mechanical watch can run without being wound. The power reserve of a mechanical watch can vary depending on the size of the mainspring, the efficiency of the gear train, and the rate at which the mainspring releases energy. If a watch has a Power Reserve 'complication' it simply means that the status of the power reserve can be seen on the watch itself (either on the dial or movement side of the watch). [Learn More]. The watch is water resistant up to 200 meters, which is plenty for daily desk diving and then some.
The watch comes in 3 different sunburst colors, cream (SPB241J1), green (SPB245J1), and grey (SPB243J1). The green dial is paired with a black leather strap, while the cream and grey dial is paired with a metal bracelet, all 3 models should be available in August of this year.
Specifications:
CaliberCaliber The caliber ('movement') is the heart and engine of a watch. It consists of a number of interconnected components that work together. Energy is transmitted through the gear train, to the escapement mechanism. The escapement mechanism releases this energy in a controlled manner. This drives the gear train, which ultimately rotates the hands of the watch and keeps time. [More Info] 6R35: 21,600 vibrations per hour (6 beats per second), 70 hour power reserve, 24 jewelsJewels Watch jewels are small, synthetic sapphire or ruby bearings that are used in mechanical watches to reduce friction and wear on moving parts. They are typically made from corundum. They are used as bearings for a.o. the pivots to reduce friction. [Learn More]
Stainless steel case
Curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
See-through screw case back
Diameter: 38.0mm, Thickness: 12.9mm
Water resistance: 20 bar
Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m
Stainless steel bracelet with three-fold clasp with push button release (SPB241, SPB243) Horse strap with three-fold clasp with push button release (SPB245)
Approximate recommended retail prices in Europe: €750 (SPB241, SPB243), €730 (SPB245)
SPB241, SPB243, SPB245