As a big fan of Seiko (and Grand Seiko at that), it’s always exciting to see the Japanese watchmaker creating special limited editions for countries around the world, even if it does cause a little pang of jealousy that they’re only available in those lucky regions. This week, it’s Australia’s turn with the launch of two new Aussie-themed limited edition dive watches in the Seiko SRPJ53K and the SPB347J.
Boss Hunting’s own James Want was on the ground in Noosa for the announcement of the pair of limited edition Aussie watches, which was the perfect location to launch the two watches. The launch also included the announcement of Seiko’s ongoing commitment to ocean conservation in the “Save The Ocean” collection, where a portion of the proceeds of each watch is donated to protecting endangered species and underwater habitats. Now, let’s take a closer look at the Seiko SRPJ53K and SPB347J.
Seiko ” Eucalyptus” SRPJ53K Limited Edition
First up, we’ve got an Australian take on the iconic Seiko “Turtle” that has been nicknamed “Eucalyptus” for its charming gum-tree-green dial and bezel. While the 45mm diameter of the stainless steel case might sound large, the shape of the case means it wears smaller than you might expect, with the matching steel bracelet draping nicely around the wrist.
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The dial is framed by a darker olive green diving bezel, but the dial itself is a much lighter shade of green that does remind of gum tree leaves and has been finished with an attractive sunburst brushed effect. As with all of Seiko’s “Turtle” watches, the dial features large luminous hour markers and hands with the date and day indicated at 3 o’clock, while the gold-coloured seconds hand is a nice Aussie-themed touch.
As a robust and reliable diving watch, the SRPJ53K has water resistance guaranteed to 200m and is powered by the workhorse 4R36 which delivers around 41 hours of power reserve. This watch is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces and in addition to the stainless steel bracelet, also arrives with an additional green rubber strap to make it a perfect summer watch.
Seiko “Noosa” SPB347J Limited Edition
Also announced was the Seiko “Noosa” SPB347J Limited Edition which has been executed in a gradient of blue shades on the dial that reminds of the softly sparkling waters of the Sunshine Coast. Despite the slightly more elongated case shape, it also measures 45mm in diameter and features case sides that have been expertly polished to a near-mirror finish.
The black and blue diving bezel nicely matches the fading blue of the dial, which shifts from very dark blue at 12 o’clock, down to a much lighter blue at the bottom of the dial. The hour markers and hands have also been filled with luminous paint, and the hands are more of a straight sword shape with yellow highlights.
The timepiece is powered by the higher specification 6R35 movement that delivers 72 hours or three days of power reserve, with the calibre protected by the solid caseback that guarantees 200m of water resistance. The SPB347J is also a limited edition of 1,000 pieces and is exclusively available in Australia and New Zealand.
