There are a few certainties in this world – death, taxes, and Seiko continuing to work with new and exciting partnerships. Off the back of recent collaborative efforts with the likes of Kosuke Kawamura, Zero Halliburton and Pokémon, Seiko has just announced a link-up with the Norwegian-founded outerwear brand Helly Hansen to create the blacked-out SBDC181 dive watch.
The collaboration takes one of Seiko’s most enduringly popular designs, originally based on the iconic ref. 6105 “Willard” diver that starred on Martin Sheen’s wrist during his Apocalypse Now performance, and injects it with some contemporary cool for a decidedly stealthy-looking timepiece. The entire watch is executed with a black coating over the stainless steel of the case and bracelet, while the dial is punctuated with high-contrast white hour markers and dial text.
Conspicuously, the only elements of the Seiko x Helly Hansen limited edition is the fluorescent yellow HH logo on the dial, which is a nod to the Tactician GORE-TEX Race Jacket (HH12050) by Helly Hansen that features a black body and fluorescent yellow hood. It’s a subtly tonal motif, but one that really works against such a dark timepiece.
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The case measures 42.7mm from side to side, with a thickness of 13.2mm, while the solid caseback and screw-down crown help guarantee the watch 200m of water resistance. Beneath the caseback is the in-house automatic 6R35 movement, which serves up a very respectable 70 hours of power reserve.
It’s a cool collaboration for Seiko to create, and one that makes sense in the context of both brands’ interests in ocean conservation, robust and reliable products, and enduring quality. The Seiko x Helly Hansen SBDC181 is a limited edition of 500 pieces worldwide and is currently available with an RRP of JPY165,000 (AU$1,725).
