145th Anniversary , Seiko didn’t come with anything groundbreaking and honestly, that was the right call. They played it safe, but they played it well.
Seiko brought us a limited edition of 10 new watches. Yeah, I know that sounds like a lot for a new release, but that’s exactly where they played it safe. Most of the watches didn’t change much in the movement, material, or shape of the case,the only down side of this release.
So you might be wondering what did Seiko actually do? From the 10 new watches we have 2 from the King Seiko collection, 3 Prospex, 2 Astron, and 3 Presage. Ten watches to mark 145 years.
Seiko was founded in 1881 by Kintaro Hattori, and in honor of him, Seiko brought the soul of his work into this collection, integrating it with new colors. They break down into 2 series . Series 1, a tone of gold reminiscent of vintage gold, and Series 2, called “Seiko Blue,” in our opinion one of the most beautiful blues in the market.
King Seiko SJE121
In this King Seiko what really called out from the old model is the dial . Light black it fades to a little bit darker on the edges . If you really pay attention to it you can see a texture, that “texture” is not just a normal texture it is a engraved pattern Hattori apply to his earliest pocket watches ( this is something that collector and enthusiasts will bring in the conversation) and with all this together gold-toned indices and hands and a multi-row bracelet bring more a vintage style .
Photo courtesy of Seiko
Photo courtesy of Seiko
The Specs
- Case: 39.4mm × 9.9mm, stainless steel
- Lug to Lug : 45.4mm
- Movement: Caliber 6L35 automatic, 4Hz,
- Power Reserve : 45h
- Crystal: Box-shaped sapphire
- Water resistance: 50m
- Bracelet: Multi-row ,stainless steel
- Limited to: 800 pieces
- Price: AUD 4,650.00
Prospex Speedtimer SRQ059 Mechanical chronograph
In compare to the other version of this prospex speedtimer nothing change it keeps same movement same case shape . But we have the new cool clean dial even with all the information on it .
The color off the dial is a kind of off- white with the “kintaro engraved ” subdials at 3,6 and 9 hours mark a date between 4 and 5 the colors of the markers and hand in gold .The multi-row bracelet carries clear vintage style all together makes the watch more elegant.
Photo courtesy of Seiko
The Specs
- Case: 42mm × 14.6mm , stainless steel
- Lug-to-Lug: 49.5mm
- Movement: Caliber 8R48 automatic chronograph, column wheel + vertical clutch, 4Hz
- Power Reserve: 45h
- Crystal: Domed sapphire
- Water resistance: 100m
- Bracelet: Multi-row, stainless steel
- Limited to: 700 pieces (most limited of Series 1)
- Price: AUD 3,900.00
Presage SPB538
If Series 1 has a soul, it lives in the SPB538. At 35mm, it’s the smallest piece in the collection and the only one that reaches all the way back to where Seiko actually began 1895, the Timekeeper, the moment Kintaro Hattori stopped selling other people’s watches and started making his own. The fired enamel dial, hand-finished by master artisan Mitsuru Yokosawa, glows in a way no printed dial can. The onion crown and articulated wire lugs. It’s also the first Presage Craftsmanship enamel piece with central seconds a quiet evolution that says Seiko is honoring its past.
Photo courtesy of Seiko
The Specs
- Case: 35mm × 12.3mm, gold-plated stainless steel
- Lug-to-Lug:Â 37mm
- Movement: Caliber 6R51 automatic, 3Hz
- Power Reserve: 72h
- Crystal: Box-shaped sapphire
- Water resistance: 50m
- Strap: Brown LWG-certified leather, pull-through style
- Limited to: 1,450 pieces (referencing “145”)
- Price: AUD 3,000.00
Astron GPS Solar Chronograph SSH186
The most technically sophisticated and tech-forward piece in the collection a black titanium GPS Solar chronograph with a gold sapphire bezel insert and a hidden “145” easter egg in the UTC ring, where gold markings appear only at positions 1, 4, and 5. The Caliber 5X83 syncs to satellites twice daily, runs on light alone, and keeps a perpetual calendar accurate to 2100. Quartz at AUD 5,200.00 sounds steep until you remember it connects to satellites to keep perfect time wherever you go.
Photo courtesy of Seiko
The Specs
- Case: 44.1mm × 14.4mm, titanium with black super-hard coating
- Lug-to-Lug:Â 50mm
- Movement: Caliber 5X83 GPS Solar (1/20s chrono, perpetual calendar to 2100, dual time, 39 time zones)
- Crystal: Dual-curved sapphire, gold-tinted sapphire bezel insert
- Water resistance: 100m
- Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m
- Power reserve: ~6 months (2 years in power-save)
- Bracelet: Titanium with super-hard coating
- Limited to: 1,450 pieces
- Price:Â $5,200.00 AUD
Our Opinion
The gold tone fits the classic theme well that warm, vintage gold just works across the collection. The price range, however, is a tougher pill to swallow. At AUD 3,000 to 5,200, these watches sit at a premium, and while Seiko’s 145 years of history go some way toward justifying that, it’s still a steep ask for what’s largely a cosmetic refresh. And that’s the real issue with Series 1: most of the watches didn’t change much. Same movements, same case shapes, same materials as their predecessors just new dial colors and finishing. The one exception is the Presage SPB538. If you can only choose one watch from this lineup, it’s this one. It’s the only piece that actually connects to Seiko’s founding story rather than just referencing it, and that makes it feel like the one genuine highlight in an otherwise safe collection.
