Seiko Brings Back Famous 1968 Diver, Panerai Launches 5 New Watches For America's Cup, Oceaneva Has A Titanium Watch With 1,250m WR For Only $500 And New Watches From HYT And Boldr

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In this issue:

• The New Seiko Prospex SLA073 Is A Modern Re-Interpretation Of The Famed 1968 Diver

• Panerai Launches Five New Watches In The 2023 Luminor Luna Rossa Collection For The 37th America’s Cup

• Oceaneva Will Really Sell You The Deep Marine Explorer II, A Titanium Watch With 1,250m Of Water Resistance For Only $500

• Boldr Introduces The Venture Summer Collection With Field Medic Lagoon Blue, Fuel Blue and Rally SRW

• HYT Makes Another Reality Bending Meca-Fluidic Watch With A Magnesium And Titanium Case

Today’s reading time: 10 minutes and 15 seconds

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The New Seiko Prospex SLA073 Is A Modern Re-Interpretation Of The Famed 1968 Diver

Just last week Seiko ruffled a lot of feathers with their recreation of their legendary diver, the 62MAS. It is a great looking watch, almost identical to the original, but it has just an outrageous price tag - EUR 3,700, which is a lot for a watch powered by the 6L37 movement which is accurate between -10 and +15 seconds a day, while a Black Bay 54 with a COSC certified movement is only EUR 100 more. Now, Seiko is showing off a new watch inspired by a legned from their catalogue - the SLA073.

The SLA073 is not a faithful recreation of the watch but rather a re-interpretation. In fact, it’s part of the “Modern Re-Interpretation” series, which brings back some design elements of vintage models, but in a contemporary package. The watch it is based on was launched in 1968 and called the Seiko Automatic Diver 300m Hi-Beat 6159-7001. It was the second diver Seiko made after the 1965 62MAS and it was an impressive and innovative professional dive watch; Seiko doubled the water-resistance to 300 meters, improved functionalities and made what was the first hi-beat diver’s watch on the market. And even more importantly, it introduced a design language that has been influential for the next 50 years.

This new model, the SLA 073, takes hints from the 1968 Diver, as well as the 2021 references SLA055 and SLA057. It shares the same case shape and dimensions as the two Save the Ocean SLA055 and SLA057. It means a modernised take on the ref. 6159, with an angular shape, large polished facets on the sides, a crown positioned at (almost) 4 o’clock and a highly raised bezel on top. The case measures 42.6mm wide and 49mm in length as well as 13mm thick. The watch has a screw down crown and solid steel caseback, but only 200 meters of water resistance, compared to the 300 of the 1968 model. Unlike the Save the Ocean editions, the case of this version is uncoated stainless steel (not Ever-Brilliant steel). The uni-directional bezel is fitted with a black, glossy ceramic insert and a fully graduated 60-minute scale.

The real novelty on the SLA073 is the dial, with a cool texture and a double-gradient effect (darker on top and bottom) that is said to be inspired by cave diving. It’s a fantastic looking dial but, unfortunately, ruined as so many great dial are by the date window. Not only is it set at 4.30, the most horrible of placements, it sticks out like a sore thumb there because it’s just slightly off from lining up with the crown. Enough to drive a sane person crazy.

Inside the watch is Seiko’s 8L35, a high-end automatic movement based on the Grand Seiko calibre 9S55 and developed especially for diver’s watches. Beating at 4Hz and storing up to 50h of energy, it uses MEMS technology for the escape wheel and pallet fork and parts specifically developed to resist heat and cold. It is hand-assembled at the Shizukuishi Watch Studio in northern Japan. Seiko claims that the accuracy is -10/+15 seconds/day, but many in the real world have found ti to be much more accurate. However, this official number will likely be a problem to some, despite the 8L35 being a great movement.

Worn on a 3-link stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp and diving extension, the new Seiko Prospex 1968 Diver Modern Re-Interpretation SLA073 will not be a limited edition watch. The price is actually not that bad - EUR 3,000, substantially lower than the Save the Ocean SLA055 and SLA057 limited editions that Seiko asked EUR 4,600 for, and less than the EUR 3,700 of the 62MAS despite a better movement. See more at Seiko’s website.

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Panerai Launches Five New Watches In The 2023 Luminor Luna Rossa Collection For The 37th America’s Cup

The 37th edition of the America’s Cup is coming up next fall, which means that the teams are in full preparation mode. Which also means that the sponsors are starting to unveil the special edition stuff they will produce to accompany the race. One of these sponsors is Panerai, who have worked with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team from Italy for years and ahead of every race they come out with a fleet of new watches. The Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa 2023 collection for the America’s Cup includes five watches, including a time and date model, a GMT, a chronograph and a his & her pair of Luminor Due.

As part of the Luminor Quaranta sub-collection, the Steel DLC Luna Rossa PAM01408 model has a 40mm diameter case, putting it solidly in the small to mid-size end of the spectrum. It has the characteristic cushion shape of a Panerai with its circular bezel and the Luminor’s signature crown guard. As the name suggests, it’s made from steel with a black DLC (diamond-like carbon). The dial is relatively understated with a classy sunray finishing in a dark blue. It follows the navy and red colour scheme of the Luna Rossa by pairing that blue dial with a red small seconds hand at 9 o’clock. Inside is Panerai’s P.900 calibre, an automatic with a 3-day power reserve, high frequency of 28,800 vph and Incabloc anti-shock device. It’s priced at $9,250, which makes it the median price of the five watches here

Next up is the Panerai Luminor Chrono Carbotech Luna Rossa PAM01519, which is one of Panerai’s Experience editions, which means that purchasing the watch gives the owner access to an exclusive event designed to highlight the strengths of the watch. With this one, it will be “a two-day Experience of adventure, discovery and sportsmanship together with the Luna Rossa Team”. The is 44mm wide with a Carbotech case. It’s a chronograph model so the internal bezel is adorned with a tachymeter for measuring speed and distance. The dial features the same sunray brushed blue design as the other Luna Rossa watch. It’s powered by the P.9200 calibre with 42-hour power reserve. This is also the most expensive watch of the collection, which is not surprising considering the materials used and the two days you get to spend with some of the most capable sailors on the planet. It’s limited to just 37 pieces in honour of the 37th America’s Cup and it will set you back about $48,000.

Third is the Luminor Quaranta BiTempo Luna Rossa PAM01404. Another Quaranta, meaning a 40mm cushion case in steel. However, this time the grey colour of the steel is left visible with a combination of polished and brushed finishes. On the dial is where we see the BiTempo which means ‘two time’. you guessed it, it’s a GMT! Inside is the P.900/GMT calibre, a modified version of the P.900 with that additional GMT module which displays the second time zone not on a 24-hour scale but a 12-hour one. This one is priced at $9,600.

And lastly, we have a duo of the Luminor Due Luna Rossa Grey PAM01381 and the Luminor Due Luna Rossa PAM01378/81, the first in 42mm with a dark grey strap and the second in 38mm with a white and red strap. The intention of this duo is for them to serve as a him and hers set. As for the dials, they’ve deviated away from aquatic blue for a neutral white, although the team colours are still represented via the red seconds hands. Both watches house the P.900 calibre. The Luminor Due Luna Rossa 42mm is $7,800 and the 38mm is $7,400, making them the most accessible in the collection.

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Oceaneva Will Really Sell You The Deep Marine Explorer II, A Titanium Watch With 1,250m Of Water Resistance For Only $500

There are thousands of watch brands out there. It’s impossible to know them all. And I’m more than happy to admit when I have never heard about a brand. And Oceaneva is just one such brand. And at first glance I probably wouldn’t give it a second look. They look just fine, if a bit generic, with perhaps a bit too much text on the dial and interesting hands. But there are many watches like it out there. At least, it seemed like there were. The latest watch the brand introduced is the Deep Marine Explorer II in titanium. And boy… this might be the bargain of the century - a fully titanium watch with 1,250m water resistance for less than $500.

It’s not a bad looking watch. It just looks like it was inspired by a dive watch, if you know what I mean. It’s 42mm wide, has a brushed titanium case, broad bezel, smooth lugs and crown guards. Things get a bit intense when you want to choose a color for your watch, since Oceaneva offers 16 different dials, including blue-black gradient, Mother of Pearl, full green, yellow, and an opaline silver. Whichever colourway is your favourite, it comes with lume filled hour markers in hyper legible circle, rectangle and triangle shapes. The different shapes are designed so that you can still read the time in the dark even if the watch is at an odd angle. More color can be had on the bezels. You can either get a solid black, blue, green bezel or several two tone options.

Inside the watch is the Sellita SW200-1. It’s an automatic movement with a power reserve of 38-hours, a very well known watch among microbrands, something that’s reliable and easily servicable. The watch comes on a steel bracelet with a clasp that many reviews had nice words for.

So, let’s recap this. It’s a fully titanium watch, with a bunch of different options, a great diver look, it has a helium escape valve because it’s water resistant to an incredible 1,250 meters, it will be limited to 1,000 pieces per colorway and you can pre order it right now for $499. Deliveries are supposed to start in September of this year and Oceaneva says they will gradually increase the price until then to $1,600, which seems appropriate for such a watch.

Just to put it into context just how cheap this watch is. When you buy in bulk, a Sellita SW200-1 will run you about $85. Now add to that the incredibly difficult titanium machining. Assembly. Packaging. How do they manage not to lose money? Go see it for yourself.

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Boldr Introduces The Venture Summer Collection With Field Medic Lagoon Blue, Fuel Blue and Rally SRW

Getting right into it: Boldr introduced their summer collection, which consists of the Venture Field Medic Lagoon Blue, Venture Rally SRW and Venture Fuel Blue. All three watches have 38mm cases in titanium with the signature tonneau shape of the Venture. At that size in titanium, they’re incredibly lightweight and durable, which is perfect for their tool and field watch design. One version, the Rally SRW, has a black PVD coating and the Fuel Blue is the only non-chronograph so it has its crown in a different position to the other two.

The dials are as similar to one another as the cases, with just a few small differences. First is the Field Medic Lagoon Blue, designed for use by frontline doctors and features pulsometer and asthmometer scales which allow you to use the chronograph function to calculate the pulse and respiration rate of a patient. For the summer edition, it now has light blue chronograph counters, which is where the name Lagoon Blue comes from.

Second is the Venture Fuel Blue which is a time and date model. The Fuel Blue name comes from the entire dial and NATO bracelet being in a petrol blue color. Lastly we have the Venture Rally SRW, which is actually a watch made in collaboration with Boldr’s brand ambassador Daniel Wells, an Australian rally driver and the name stands for the initials of Daniel’s firstborn daughter, Sophie Rose Wells. The watch has a black dial with light blue and grey accents across the chronograph hand, counters and tachymeter.

The two chronograph movements are powered by the Seiko SII VK64 meca-quartz movement while the time-and-date model houses the Seiko SII NH35A automatic. Prices are as follows: the Field Medic Lagoon Blue is £241, as is the Rally SRW. The Fuel Blue is slightly higher at £273. Check out more on the Boldr website.

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HYT Makes Another Reality Bending Meca-Fluidic Watch With A Magnesium And Titanium Case

Bankruptcy seems to suit HYT fairly well. It’s more complex than that, of course, but the Swiss brand has filed for bankruptcy in 2021 only to be revived again a year later. And since then, they have been pumping out new models on a rate that’s not really seen in the high-concept, technically super advanced, high horology market. One might say that these new watches are all just variations of their liquid time-telling gimmick, but one would be wrong. The new HYT Hastroid Blue Star limited edition is a lightweight variation made of magnesium and titanium.

This is a huge watch - 48mm wide, 17.2mm thick and 52.3mm lug to lug. So it’s a good thing that it’s made of lightweight magnesium, finished in electric blue, with black-coated titanium elements to make it wearable. But while the case of this HYT looks great, it’s the dial of any HYT that’s truly fantastic. The same is true with this one. The hours are indicated by the two non-mixable liquids inside a capillary that runs the perimeter of the dial. As the liquid is pushed along, the barrier between the two keeps track of the progress of every hour. Once it reaches 6 pm, the liquids are pushed back to the start to start their 12-hour journey once more. The large central hand is used to indicate the minutes and is finished in black and blue with a small white tip. There’s also a black-and-white minute track, finished with a blue outline for an extra bit of colour. The upper half of the dial is also home to a running seconds display on the left and a power reserve indicator on the right

The movement in the Hastroid Blue Star is unchanged from previous watches. The Calibre HYT 501-CM has a blue and black color scheme with blackened plates and bridges and is made of a manually wound mechanical base with their proprietary meca-fluidic module fixed on top. You can see most of the movement’s running gear in action, as it beats at a frequency of 28,800vph and has a 72-hour power reserve.

The HYT Hastroid Blue Star is limited to 20 pieces and is delivered with a black and white rubber strap with blue stitching. Additionally, you also get a white rubber strap with blue leather embossed decoration and white stitching to change up the look. The watch retails for CHF 79,000 excluding taxes. You can see more on their website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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A review of the Aquastar Model 60

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Hands on with the Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Desert Racer

⚙️Watch Worthy

A look at an off beat, less known watch you might actually like

The Tornek-Rayville Paradive G3 Type I TR-50717, the military watch reimagined

At first glance, the Tornek-Rayville Paradive may look somewhat familiar. This is because it’s inspired by the MIL-W-50717 specification for military-issued wristwatches from the early ’70s. To better understand military-issued watches, it’s essential to understand the government procurement process. Rather than considering available options, the United States government specified detailed criteria for the desired product. In the ’60s and ’70s, American watch brands such as Benrus, Westclox, Hamilton, Timex, and more submitted proposals outlining how they would meet the Department of Defense (DoD) requirements and at what cost.

⏲️Wait a minute

A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting

• The elusive, maddening mystery of the Bell Witch, a classic ghost story has something to say about America—200 years ago, 100 years ago, and today.

• I absolutely adore stories like this one from the GQ. It’s a profile of professional bowler Jason Belmonte. I know nothing about bowling and I don’t particularly care. But a piece like this can make you care about Belmonte and his two-handed technique that made him an outcast first and the greatest after that, all while changing an entire sport.

• An underground network of wildlife enthusiasts is restoring rare species like boar, beaver, butterflies and pine marten without asking permission. Are they criminals or heroes?

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The full trailer for Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon came out a couple of days ago and I was planing on posting it here today. I’m pretty sure that this will be the best movie of the year and perhaps Scorsese’s best ever. Then I saw the trailer for Napoleon. Directed by Ridley Scott, staring Joaquin Phoenix, it just looks incredible

💵Pre-loved precision

Buy and sell your watches. Think of this section like old school classifieds - i don’t guarantee anything except that a bunch of people will see your ad and I’ll put the buyer and seller in touch. Want to advertise your watch? Contact us 

• LOOKING TO BUY: One of our readers is looking to purchase three very specific watches: an Islander ISL-133 Mother of Pearl, a Sinn 556 Mother of Pearl or a Zelos 300m GMT Mosaic Mother of Pearl. If you’re selling any of these, reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

• FOR SALE: Longines Heritage Skin Diver, box and papers. €1400. Reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

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