Prospex 1965 Diver's Modern Re-Interpretation Limited Edition SJE093

[Devildog]

Just seen this as available to preorder through my local AD

A new movement allows it to be 38mm - just 12.5mm thick and 46mm lug to lug, so true to the size of the 1965 original.

Looks fantastic - and only 1965 being made, but not cheap at £3180.

[1William]

The movement is not what it should be for the price. Good reviews and comments on some of the watch sites regarding this watch. The appearance is very good and I wish it came in at least the specs of the SLA017 or just 40mm with the 8L35 movement.

[Cru Jones]

Nice watch. The price is steep, but it’s an LE and reissue of an important watch, so I guess it makes sense?

[Fleetlord]

I just traded in my SLA017 for a good value. Glad I did! Seiko at it again with another reissue of a reissue!!!

[Lol-x]

Seiko claiming this to be thinner than ft he SLA017......but it's only 0.5mm thinner

6L movement is actually lower quality than the 6L in this "limited" edition.

[BSG75]

Looks great, but I think the price is a little steep. Especially for the movement.

[J!m]

I'd get one if the price was sane. I like it.

[Lol-x]

There's no such think as a 'limited edition' with Seiko because after a few years they do a second re-issue, rendering the first re-issue less valuable because of flooding the world with a second re-issue.

This new 2nd re-issue homage to the original has a lower grade movement, is about 2mm smaller in case size going from 40 to 38mm and 0.5mm smaller case thickness (wow so what) using an inferior movement.

Way to go Seiko!

[ryanb741]

Arguably it isn't as inferior a movement at 1st glance though. 6L King Seikos are priced at £2900 whereas the 6R King Seikos are around £1600 so there is clearly a perceived superiority of 6L vs 6R.

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[Lol-x]

Hold on the SLA017 has a Seiko high grade caliber 8L35; this is a thoroughly modern self-winding movement, running at 28,800 vph in 26 jewels, with a 60 hour power reserve.
The 8L35 comes out of the same factory as the Grand Seiko movements and is basically and unfinished Grand Seiko movement.

So the movement in the SJE093 is an inferior movement to that in the SLA017, but the price is about the same for each watch.

[ryanb741]

The 8L movement may or may not be better than the 6L but the 6L is A thinner which enables the watch to maintain heritage dimensions and B the 6L is a completely different movement to the 6R.

You may be correct that technically the 8L is superior but the thinness of the 6L is the main draw here combined with the fact it really is a much higher grade of movement than the 6R and I suspect a lot of the complaints about the movement in this watch were based on people thinking the calibre was basically the same as seen in Seikos £1k watches which is not the case.

Still wish they'd cough up the money for proper regulation prior to leaving the factory though.

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[Gazoak]

Originally Posted by Devildog

Just seen this as available to preorder through my local AD

A new movement allows it to be 38mm - just 12.5mm thick and 46mm lug to lug, so true to the size of the 1965 original.

Looks fantastic - and only 1965 being made, but not cheap at £3180.

That's Tudor Black Bay money on a bracelet which is a better watch although it looks the part.

[S2000_driver]

Some funny comments around here...

This watch is noticeably thinner ~ 1.5mm. Isn't it good that Seiko is offering so many options? We can all choose what we like best.

6L inferior? Have we figured out if 3235 is inferior to 3135?

[Travelller]

Interesting comments above ...

I have both, so here's what I noted in my original SLA017 pictorial:

~~~

The SLA017 (LE, 2000) was presented in 2017 as the first of a series of "tributes" to Seiko's venerable 1960s divers. Unlike the 1965 37mm original (6217-8000 "62MAS"), the SLA017 was roughly 3mm larger as well as approx. 1.5mm thicker. Seiko released other 62MAS-LEs, same as the SLA017 except with a blue dial (SLA037) as well as a blue dial & seconds hand (SLA043).

Many fans of the original 62MAS praised the releases but with several gripes, one that Seiko didn't adhere to the original measurements (given the "big-watch era" in full swing). Another gripe was the "laser-etched" vs. the original's "embossed" caseback. Last but not least, the printed vs. applied "SEIKO" logo.

So here we are in 2023 and Seiko surprised us with another 62MAS tribute, the SJE093, but this time in a size much closer to the 37mm original (@ 38x12.5mm) as well as a (mostly) embossed caseback. Alas, still no applied logo.

In order to manage the 12.5mm thickness, Seiko had to swap out the 8L35 with a new mvmt (6L37) based on their 6L35. The 6L3X is usually associated with less expensive Seikos, however it has the SAME "guaranteed" accuracy (-10 <> +15) as their 8L3X mvmts. My 6L37 runs between +1 <> +6 which is very good, despite Seiko's broader guaranteed range... .

Otherwise, Seiko uses the same "boxed" sapphire crystal, same high-quality markers and hands, same quality finish of the case and caseback as well as the "glossy" aluminum bezel.

Both come with an extra-long silicone strap designed to fit around a wetsuit. The SLA017 was also delivered with a steel bracelet, but IMHO, nothing to write home about and I've never used mine, opting for a shorter aftermarket "Tropical" rubber strap.

Seiko also made the following changes; they used thicker (or higher?) print for the logo, which I assume was "a nod" to the original 62MAS's applied logo (the difference may be more apparent in real-time viewing compared to a 2D photo). The crown is proportionally smaller. They "adjusted" the seconds markers due to the loss in dial surface-area. They elected to go with a larger lumed bezel-pip. Last but not least, they added a "drop" of lume at the 3 o'clock marker, despite the fact that the original 62MAS had none... .

I'm also assuming that Seiko has dropped the bad habit of "coating" their cases as I didn't see any indication in their specifications for the SJE093... .

So ...I think I've covered everything ...

[Travelller]

Originally Posted by Travelller

...they added a "drop" of lume at the 3 o'clock marker, despite the fact that the original 62MAS had none...

So a fellow WIS reminded me that the purpose of the additional lume dot at 3 was so that the reference would conform to ISO/DIS 17514 "Time-measuring instruments — Photoluminescent deposits" which requires the reading of time with an accuracy of +/-2.5mins

[ap1]

Originally Posted by Travelller

So a fellow WIS reminded me that the purpose of the additional lume dot at 3 was so that the reference would conform to ISO/DIS 17514 "Time-measuring instruments — Photoluminescent deposits" which requires the reading of time with an accuracy of +/-2.5mins

Which do you prefer?

[1William]

SLA017 is the one for me.

[Travelller]

Originally Posted by ap1

Which do you prefer?

Honestly the jury's still out because in order to make a fair comparison, I'd like to get them both on the same straps.

If I had to sell one (for whatever reason), I'd probably sell the one that would fetch more money; that's my most honest way of saying I'd be very happy with either one.

[NardinNut]

It’s badass

[Travelller]