Seiko have released a 130-year anniversary special edition of their redoubtable ’5′ model.
It’s a 43mm piece in stainless steel, black & rose gold PVD.
It has a Hardlex crystal, a display back and is water resistant to 100 meters.
Movement is the bullet-proof Japanese automatic Seiko in-house caliber 4R36 with 24 jewels and a power reserve of 40 hours.
The ’5′ is always a great option if you’re looking for a rock solid automatic watch at an affordable price point.
Geeks and pilots (or geeky pilots) will love this one – fuel burn and slide rule calculations galore!
The Seiko Solar Pilot is a 43mm piece.
It has a Hardlex crystal and is water resistant to 100 meters.
Movement is the Japanese quartz solar-powered in-house caliber V172.
It features a chronograph and alarm function, with energy depletion warning.
Power reserve is 6 months.
Shame they mis-spelt ‘litres’ on the bezel ;-)
A bit of ‘timely’ industry news now (geddit?) from Seiko and the World Athletic Championships in Daegu.
[Press Release] Daegu, South Korea – SEIKO is proud to be chosen as the official timer of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships from Saturday, August 27th through Sunday, September 4th, in Daegu, South Korea. SEIKO continues its dedication to the IAAF since 1985 to time and measure each and every fraction of a second, distance and height achieved by the best athletes in the world.
The SEIKO Timing Team, a team of 50 timing engineers drawn from two specialist centers in Japan and the UK, will be working hard to ensure that every time and distance is recorded correctly and securely at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu. During the course of this nine day event, the team will measure over 15,000 individual times, speeds and distances, all of which will be critical to the official results and presentation of the sport.
SEIKO has served as the official timer for 11 consecutive IAAF World Championships. The planning phase of this year’s timing operation started as soon as after the previous World Championships 2009 Berlin were over, and have been intricately thought out ever since. SEIKO is delighted to present the most technically advanced timing and measurement systems at Daegu 2011.
To celebrate the start of the Spanish League season, and their association with Barcelona Football Club, Seiko have released the ‘Sportura FC Barcelona Chronograph’.
The watch features the club crest on the dial and reflects the club’s colours.
The watch is presented in a special presentation box and is accompanied by a commemorative leaflet featuring some of the team’s leading players and their signatures.
Of course, each team member gets their very own Sportura.
Sportura FC Barcelona Chronograph Ref. SNAE75 Caliber 7T62 Hour, minute and small second hands with date calendar Chronograph minute and second counters.
Chronograph measurement up to 60 minutes in 1/5 second increments Split time measurement capability.
Single-time alarm function Battery life indicator.
3-year battery life.
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating 42.0 mm in diameter Screw-down crown.
Band: Leather strap with stainless steel buckle
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating Water resistance: 10 bar
Some folk consider the Seiko 5 to be one of the best value automatic models you can get your hands on.
A simple yet reliable piece you should be able to pick one up for less than $150.
Unless you live in Australia, where for some bizarre reason the ’5′ is twice that much retail.
Annoying!
Anyway, enough of my rants and on to the 5 Sports ‘SNZF45′.
Utilising the 7S36B automatic movement, you also get 100m water resistance.
Err, and day/date function.
Not bad for $150 $350, right?
Seiko sub-brand Alba presents the canteened-crown ‘Canteen’.
The case is in stainless steel black PVD and measures 47mm. The crystal is mineral and it is water resistant to 100 meters.
Movement is the Japanese quartz Seiko in-house caliber VX42.
A nice cheap and cheerful everyday model.
Those ‘in the know’ know that Seiko can be anything but the cheap and cheerful brand that some might see them as.
Hard to find outside of Japan, ‘Grand Seiko’ models prove that more than most in the range, and these Anniversary models only serve to further underline the point.
Released as part of the brand’s 130th Anniversary Commemorative Collection these limited edition models come in three flavours – steel ($6500), 18k yellow gold ($16,500), and platinum ($25,000).
$25K for a Seiko is certainly nothing to be sniffed at!
All three models house a newly developed mechanical hand-winding movement. The caliber in these timepieces, 9S64, is a mechanical hand-winding movement. The mainspring is Seiko’s proprietary “SPRON510” alloy. The balance spring is made of another recently developed highly shock resistant and anti-magnetic alloy “SPRON610” and the caliber uses a new escape wheel and pallet manufactured by Micro Electro Mechanical System or MEMS.
Seiko claims a -3 to +5 seconds per day mean daily rate under static conditions.
The cases are polished by hand, using Seiko’s Zaratsu technique, and the dual-curved sapphire crystals have an anti-reflective coating. The Grand Seiko name on the dial and buckle is exactly as it was on the first 1960 Grand Seiko watch, and the “lion” symbol adorns the case back.
The gold and platinum versions are offered in a limited edition of just 130, while the steel edition is limited to 1,300 pieces.
• Caliber 9S64
• Manual winding – Hour, minute and second hands
• 28,800 vibrations per hour
• 24 jewels
• Power reserve: 72 hours
• Mean daily rate between -3 and +5 seconds per day (under static conditions)
• Movement diameter: 28.4 mm, thickness: 4.9 mm
• Available in September 2011
SBGW033
• Case: Stainless steel
• 35.8 mm in diameter
• Band: Crocodile with stainless steel buckle
• Glass: High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
• Water resistance: 3 bar
• Magnetic resistance: 10,000 A/m
• Limited edition of 1,300 pieces
• Retail price: $6,500 USD
SBGW039
• Case: Platinum
• 35.8 mm in diameter
• Band: Crocodile with platinum buckle
• Glass: High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
• Water resistance: 3 bar
• Magnetic resistance: 10,000 A/m
• Limited edition of 130 pieces
• Retail price: $25,000 USD
SBGW040
• Case: 18 karat yellow gold
• 35.8 mm in diameter
• Band: Crocodile with 18-karat yellow gold buckle
• Glass: High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
• Water resistance: 3 bar
• Magnetic resistance: 10,000 A/m
• Limited edition of 130 pieces
• Retail price: $16,500 USD
