Editors' Picks: Our Favorite Seiko Watches Of All Time

How does one choose a “favorite” Seiko? As someone who writes about watches for an audience that appreciates all different kinds of watches, I’ve always found superlatives like “favorite” and “best” to be daunting. At the watch-industry trade shows I’ve attended over the years, I have often been posed with the question of what were my favorite new releases. My responses, invariably, have tracked not necessarily with my personal tastes but with the watches that made for the most interesting stories for my watch-savvy readers. And when it comes to Seiko, its history is chock full of interesting stories — the first Japanese-made chronograph watch in 1964 and first Japanese divers’ watch in 1965; the original Seiko Astron, the first quartz watch, in 1969, and its successor, the Astron GPS model, in 2012, to name just a handful.

There has been no shortage of story-worthy Seiko watches over the decades, but in the interest of brevity, and of keeping this curated article consistent in its mission, I will put journalistic curiosity aside and sing the well-deserved praises of the most-worn Seiko in my personal collection, the Prospex SBDY025 “Save the Oceans” Edition, a sporty dive watch in Seiko’s “Samurai” style. The watch has all the distinctive elements that appeal to fans of the Samurai, including the thick, Lumibrite-coated indexes, aggressively angular round case (here in black-coated stainless steel), unidirectional divers’ bezel with a textured, easy-grip edge, and the sword-shaped minute hand that lends the watch its nickname. The dial’s somewhat wavy line pattern is enhanced with a gradient color scheme, from bright blue at the top to almost black at the bottom, a perfect visual shorthand for the deep diving that this 200-meter water-resistant watch was built for.

A screw-down crown with the same texture as the bezel edge helps seal the 43.8mm case, which contains a Seiko automatic movement, Caliber 4R35, which ticks at 21,600 vph and stores a 41-hour power reserve. The watch comes on a dark blue silicone strap with a prominent scalloping near the lugs, and firmly attaches to the wrist with a large pin buckle made of the same blackened steel as the case. There’s something about the juxtaposition of the dark blue and black shades — also on prominent display in the dive-scale bezel, with blue used for the first 15-minute sector and black for the remainder — that make the SBDY029 not only eye-catchingly attractive when spotted across a room, but actually way more versatile (dare I say, in the right ensemble, even more formal) than such a sporty watch has any right to be. This is not a watch that will make history, like the Astron, or the Seiko Laurel, or the first Spring Drive watch, but at the moment, it’s my favorite Seiko watch to actually wear. Maybe that is a story worth telling, after all.

Blake Buettner: Seiko 7002 Diver

My watch collecting journey has taken plenty of twists and turns over the years, but there’s been one constant serving as a foundation stone for everything that’s come after it. That watch is the Seiko 7002. On paper, this might not be the most interesting Seiko diver to ever be produced, but what it lacks in cache it more than makes up for in personality. This is the watch largely responsible for pulling me deeper into the hobby, an experience I’m sure I share with many of you. The 7002 itself is also responsible for bringing the illustrious Seiko dive watch lineage into the modern era, bridging two eras in the process. 

More than anything, I enjoy the story of this watch and what it represents to Seiko. It’s an imperfect watch that carved a new path for the brand, and created a lasting impression on those lucky enough to have grown up around it. The Seiko 7002 is a poignant reminder that watches don’t need to be perfect to be great, and there’s a lesson about life buried in there somewhere that resonates with me as well. 

The 7002 replaced the hugely popular 6309, and in an effort to be a more economical option for the brand to produce, opted for a 7000 series movement that used a few more plastic parts than its predecessor. This is a "shake to wind" affair, which could be considered an annoyance, but it’s really a part of the watch’s considerable charm. In use, it operates just fine and makes a damn fine daily companion. The case is slightly tanky, and the lug width is 22mm, so it has plenty of presence, but somehow it wears smaller than you might expect for a 42mm watch, which likely comes down to its 45.5mm lug-to-lug width. 

There are some fun details to be found here, such as the 4:30 crown placement and inward angled bezel, but what I really love about this watch are the dial and hands. The lume here has aged to a slightly greenish tint, which works perfectly with some of the orange text on the dial against a faded, matte black backdrop. The silver date disk is a final touch that brings everything together in an unexpectedly handsome hodgepodge of colors. The blue-and-red bezel doesn’t hurt that situation, either. 

Beyond any of that, this is a watch that I bonded with at a young age, and one that served as a guidepost for my collecting journey, as well as my overall outlook on watches from the get-go. This is the watch responsible not only for pulling me into the world of Seiko divers, but of tool watches in general, and my approach to watches has been shaped by it as a result. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this is the watch that keeps me tethered to what kindled my passion in the first place, which serves as a powerful perspective in light of the myriad of watches to come across my desk in the past 15 years. In that regard, the Seiko 7002 is priceless. 

Danny Milton: Seiko 'Baby Alpinist'

This is a strange pick, I will acknowledge that right off the bat, but the heart likes what the heart likes and I like the smaller, more Explorer-like Seiko Alpinist. There is something about the 38mm sizing that scratches a similar itch to one of my favorite watches: The Rolex Explorer, specifically the Ref. 14270. Sure, this Seiko is more colorful, has more faux-tina, and lacks bits of refinement such as the blank crown, but when I put it on, something about the case silhouette and the brushed three-link, Oyster-style bracelet just works. I got this watch as a holiday gift one year, so perhaps that is slightly clouding my judgment, but this whole hobby is subjective. This is a sub-$1,000 watch that punches so far above its weight that I just have to list the ways in which it does it. First is the dial texture, a matte, grain effect paired with the smoked green-to-black gradient. Add this to the stylized numerals in a typographical style that just feels expensive, and the golden hue of the cathedral hands, and this one just wants you to think it costs $4,000. Some people hate cathedral hands. I love them. Even the date window is tidily included. Did I mention I really like this watch? Oh, yeah, I do.

Erin Wilborn: Seiko 5 Sports 38mm SRPK33

Last Spring, Seiko dropped the newly minted 5 Sports Collection, and essentially, the crowd went wild for it – for good reason. Listening to the demands of the mob, the case was scaled down as compared to its SKX-family predecessors to 38mm, making it much more unisex-friendly. Additionally, this expansion on the 5 Sports series moved away from the rugged dive functionality of the previous models in favor of something more versatile for every day, and a worthy contender of potential GADA watch status.

Of the four models released, I find myself drawn to the punchy turquoise model which boosts the retro 80s appeal, though I think if I were going for something a bit more neutral to wear on the day-to-day, the white-dial model is also aligned with my personal tastes. These models are now selling for just $260, and I really can’t think of a similar watch on the market today that looks as good as these. 100 meters of water resistance, automatic mechanical movement, retro appeal, and a matching steel bracelet? That’s hard to beat. 

D.C. Hannay: Seiko 6309-7049 "Turtle" Diver

Picking a favorite Seiko is akin to picking a favorite child, due to my enduring affection for the brand as a whole. Fortunately, I only have one child, but my Seiko collection generally hovers around ten watches at any given time (subject to change). So, yeah, longtime fan here. It’s frightening how easily accumulation can happen over the course of a hobby, and I was a bit surprised when I recently took stock. Danny has taken to kidding me when the “what’s on the wrist” question arises…”So, D.C., Seiko today?”.

Keep the laughs comin’, Shecky.

Good-natured ribbing aside, Seiko lives in my wheelhouse for many reasons, chief of which is my appreciation for its track record of iconic designs. My very first Seiko, and really, my first “serious” watch, was a 6309-7049 “Turtle” diver from 1979, found by my (far) better half in the display case of a mom-and-pop jeweler in upstate New York many years ago, tagged at $100. That perfectly-proportioned cushion case, the offset crown, the bold dial markings that had faded to cream-hued perfection, and that weathered bezel all drew me in with the irresistible force of an Imperial tractor beam. My wife saw how I was drawn to this humble tool watch, one that had obviously seen some action in its day, and she offered a gold chain to the proprietor in trade. It was a gesture I’ll never forget. Alas, the days of vintage Turtles for $100 are long gone, but the journey is more than half the fun, and it’s this Seiko that wears the crown above all the others for me.

Many more Seikos have joined the mosh pit of my collection since, each with their own distinct design language, and I love them all for their own personalities.  I’ve even taken the plunge into the Grand Seiko pool, with the recent acquisition of a vintage 61GS, a breathtakingly gorgeous, circa-1969 gateway into the brand. But that vintage Turtle diver, with its timeworn face and battle-scarred body, will always and forever be The One. It holds a thousand stories, some from before my time, and ones that have unfolded since. Here’s to the stories yet to come.

Bilal Khan: Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000 'Ripley' (And The Reissues)

While some may find the prospect of choosing a favorite Seiko to be daunting, I knew what my pick would be before I even had the chance to think about it too much. Seen in James Cameron’s 1986 masterpiece Aliens, the original Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000 is an iconic piece of film lore worn by the film’s protagonist Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver). The futuristic, asymmetrical design of the chronograph was perfect for the movie, and back in 2015 Seiko released a faithful reissue. The SCED035 and SCED037 were limited editions of 3,000 pieces each, priced at a now-unthinkable ~$300. While an original may be on my wish list, I would be more than satisfied getting my hands on one of these reissues.