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Time+Tide
Has Seiko completely stolen Rolex's thunder by collaborating with Pepsi on some real 'Pepsi bezel' watches - that are less than $1,000?The post Forget GMT-Masters: Seiko has officially teamed up with Pepsi appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion. Vintage Seiko LCD How about a full-kit vintage Seiko LCD to start us off this week? This gem heralds from 1984 and looks every bit the 80’s watch! The squarish stainless steel case is excellent, unpolished and sharp with the original finish. The crystal looks clean, and the LCD display works well. The original bracelet is superb as well, with the Seiko SQ signed buckle. The caseback even has the original little oval sticker. This watch looks new old stock, and maybe it is. It comes complete with the inner and outer boxes, instruction booklet, price tag and hangtag! Can’t beat this gem! View auction here Vintage Citizen Leopard Super Beat 8 Next up is a seldom seen vintage Citizen Leopard Super Beat 8. The Super Beat has a hi-beat movement for better accuracy. The oval/cushion case looks unpolished, and has light wear to it but looks more like a nice steel patina than wear for me. The gray dial is excellent, with raised stick markers that have lume, skinny hands and a vertical day/date at 6 o’clock. The crystal is a mineral glass that has some scratches. The crown is original and signed with the Citizen logo, and the mesh bracelet is original as well and also signed. The movement...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Seiko Prospex SRPE93, the most recent version of the legendary Seiko Turtle dive watch, hit the market relatively recently, in 2021, but its lineage can be traced all the way back to the 1970s. What makes this defiantly retro-looking tool watch such a favorite of enthusiasts even today? There’s a lot more to it than the very accessible price point, as we’ll explore here in this in-depth examination - or, a look under the shell, if you will - of the SRPE93 “Turtle.” Seiko, the world’s oldest and most established Japanese watchmaking brand, was one of the pioneers of the dive-watch genre and it has long stood apart from its Swiss contemporaries in this field (i.e. Rolex, Blancpain, and others) for its use of bold and unconventional designs. One of its most off-the-wall and yet most enduringly popular designs is the original "Turtle” - aka, Ref. 6306 and 6309 - which made its debut in 1976. The former reference was made exclusively for the Japanese market (and thus, vintage examples are much rarer and more valuable), and the latter was sold to international customers. The reptilian nickname derived from the watches’ cushion-shaped cases with softly rounded lugs, which brought to mind the silhouette of a turtle when viewed from above. The reference numbers for the watches essentially matched those of their automatic movements - Caliber 6306A, which included hacking seconds and Caliber 6309A, which did not. The Turtle’s unusual look and rugged ...
Fratello
When the opportunity arose to tackle a Fratello Summer Watch Picks 2025 feature, I jumped at the chance. My managing editor Nacho and I did have a chuckle, though. You see, here in Sydney, Australia, it is currently winter. Southern Hemisphere, represent! When the discussion first occurred to write this feature, I looked up the […] Visit Fratello Summer Watch Picks 2025: Henry’s Top Choices From Seiko, IWC, Rolex, And More to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
The GMT market has changed dramatically in the past seven years. I use that number specifically, because it takes us to 2018, when Tudor brought attainable traveller GMT (independent hour hand functionality) to market in a splashy way. Since then we have seen brands like Longines and Mido continue the work by delivering more options at even better price points. From a general “caller GMT” standpoint, Seiko has knocked it out of the park with models like those within the SSK range. We are living in a GMT moment with more options than ever. But if you took things back just one more year, to 2017, you could argue that it was the year Japan’s Grand Seiko made a mic-dropping value statement by way of the SBGM221, a traveller GMT in a dressier package with elite functionality while delivering value that far outpaces its price point. In 2025, that value proposition has not changed at all. Background: The DNA of the SBGM221 looks back to the early roots of Grand Seiko in the 1960s to inform its design, but from a modern standpoint more directly can look to the SBGM021 released around 2010. That year is significant because it was the first year the brand arrived in the U.S. market. Aesthetically, the SBGM021 is an illustration of the older style of co-branded Seiko/Grand Seiko fare. Fast forward to 2017, and the watch reaches its completed form. But the 021, with its ivory dial, and general – and honestly quite original – GMT layout is established. You can see the direc...
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Teddy Baldassarre
When considering the most versatile watch brands in terms of both global reach and variety within their own brand portfolio, it’s difficult to identify a brand that surpasses Seiko. In 1881, a young entrepreneur by the name of Kintaro Hattorri (pictured below), opened up a shop in Tokyo's Ginza where he sold and repaired watches and clocks. At just 21 years old, Hattori took a massive risk in hopes of creating something bigger. These hopes were realized in the coming century as the watch brand he created established numerous watchmaking milestones and eventually changed the course of the entire watch industry with the release of the legendary Astron, the world's first quartz wristwatch, in 1969. In more recent years Seiko has established itself as one of the most beloved brands on the market, offering a wide range of styles from dressy to sporty to space-age high-tech and all for what most would consider very accessible prices. In this blog, we dive into the wide world of Seiko watches, naming our favorites from the brand's major families, in hopes of providing a jumping-off point for your own research into a potential next purchase. Some Ground Rules Given the number of watches that could be included, we will need to draw the line somewhere, so don’t be concerned if one of your favorite Seiko models is not on the list. We will focus primarily on regular-production models, not limited editions that may be unavailable before too long. We've envision...
Teddy Baldassarre
Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Grand Seiko “Snowflake” is not just a watch that helped define Grand Seiko as a luxury brand to be reckoned with in the 21st Century: it is also at the vanguard of an industry-wide movement toward making dials more beautiful, enticing, and unique - not only with the bold use of color, but with textures that play with the concept of 3D space and the interplay of light and shadow. Nearly every Grand Seiko model of note can claim a dial (and often a nickname) with a distinctly eye-catching motif, usually inspired by the breathtaking natural wonders of the company’s native Japan. Other luxury watch brands have noticed and followed suit - from luxury leaders like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet, to attainable brands like little-brother Seiko and its main competitor, Citizen. The “Snowflake,” Grand Seiko’s first and still most famous textured dial, is arguably the OG of this trend; here is the story of how it came to be and where it stands today. As success stories for new watch brands go, it’s hard to find a better case study in the past decade than Grand Seiko. The Japanese high-luxury watchmaker has, in its relatively short stint in the international market, elevated itself in the eyes of many collectors to the upper echelon of watchmaking prestige and collectibility, competing for connoisseur attention and dollars with well-established maisons from Switzerland and Germany. This plaudit, of course, comes with a caveat: Grand Seiko is not ...
Teddy Baldassarre
Before getting into the Seiko "Arnie," I must discuss the man who made it an icon on the big screen. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a guy who knows watches. Or he is at least a guy who is very clear and consistent about the types of watches that he likes. In terms of impact on the watch industry, few celebrity enthusiasts have been as huge (pun intended) as Schwarzenegger, the former “Mr. Universe” from Austria who dominated the big screen during the 1980s and ‘90s in high-testosterone blockbusters like Conan the Barbarian, Predator, Commando, Total Recall, End of Days, and the Terminator series. Along with his fellow iconic action star, Sylvester Stallone, Schwarzenegger helped bring Panerai and its hypermasculine, military style to the attention of millions, kicking off a fascination with large, bulky watches that more or less defined the early 2000s. He also played a significant role in taking Audemars Piguet’s boldly styled Royal Oak Offshore out from under the shadow of the original Royal Oak and into a pop-cultural milieu all its own, famously donning a specially tailored model for his 1999 thriller, End of Days. From this, one can make the assumption that Arnold, who also went on to become the governor of California, loves big watches with mechanical movements from historic Swiss maisons. But in at least two of the movies listed above, he turned instead to a Japanese watch with an analog-digital display - still plenty big, but at the time priced in a range tha...
Hodinkee
A bright white Seiko diver GMT, just in time for summer.
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Teddy Baldassarre
I love when Seiko gets niche, quirky, or just straight-up weird. There was the Egg-Boiling watch for, well, boiling eggs. And then there was even a “Vampire-Exclusive” watch for those who choose to live that lifestyle. But the Seiko Metronome from 2022 is special because it really has a practical purpose and is a little extra nifty because it was made by Seiko Instruments, which is the brand’s division responsible for electric components, printers, and - you guessed it - metronomes. There were several versions of the watch produced in different colors but the Seiko Metronome SMW006A seen here is definitely one of the cleaner and better-looking models. A basic primer for those unfamiliar with this instrument: a metronome is a device that creates a steady beat (either audibly or visually) measured by BPM (Beats Per Minute) to help musicians stay on rhythm. Design: Before getting into the functionality and novelty of the Seiko Metronome, I want to talk about how well designed it is. It would be easy to relegate this watch into the "technical instrument" bucket that so often leads to the “function over form” thinking that results in such obscure and, for lack of a better word, “nerdy” designs that can be really quite off-putting. The Seiko Metronome, and more specifically the reference SMW006A, avoids falling into that trap by leaning into a minimalist, almost-Bauhaus design that belies the data-heavy display of its functionality. The matte white dial is arra...
Teddy Baldassarre
Join us for an unforgettable day celebrating the artistry and innovation of Grand Seiko, hosted by Teddy Baldassarre. This special event will feature a curated presentation led by Joe Kirk, Grand Seiko Brand Curator, alongside a master watchmaker from the Shinshu Watch Studio, offering a rare glimpse into the craftsman
Hodinkee
In the second installment of our three-part series in partnership with Grand Seiko, we go in-depth on the history and development of Spring Drive.
Hodinkee
It takes the skill of many craftsman to produce a complete Grand Seiko Spring Drive – and the dedication and talent of a single watchmaker.
Hodinkee
The newest Seiko 1965 Heritage Diver’s watch blends the legendary style of the original with a host of performance, aesthetic and ergonomic upgrades.
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Hodinkee
Combining Grand Seiko's technical bona fides with Taro Tanaka's "Grammar of Design" ideals
Hodinkee
The new standard for aesthetics
Hodinkee
Pioneering a new level of precision
Teddy Baldassarre
Japan’s Seiko has never been shy about going bold and unconventional with its designs, especially when it comes to its divers’ watches, a genre in which the brand has been an undisputed industry pioneer since the 1960s. One of its most off-the-wall and yet most enduringly popular designs is the so-called Turtle, which made its debut in the 1970s and has undergone a successful renaissance here in the 21st Century as part of Seiko’s rugged and sport-centric Prospex line. At the pinnacle of the Turtle sub-family, in terms of luxurious finishing and dominant wrist presence, is the grandly named King Turtle, best represented by the Refs. SRPE03 and SRPE05 released in 2019. Here’s what you should know about them. By the time this watch’s ancestors made their debut, Seiko had already produced some highly unusual, unexpectedly iconic, and cleverly nicknamed dive watches, like the Ref. 6159 “Tuna” (for its chunky tuna-can-like case shape) and the Ref. 6105 “Captain Willard” (thanks to its being famously worn by Martin Sheen’s character in Apocalypse Now.) The “Turtle” nickname first surfaced in 1976, applied to the References 6306 and 6309 - the former, made for the Japanese market, and the latter, for international customers. These watches were notable for their cushion-shaped cases with softly rounded lugs, which brought to mind the silhouette of a turtle when viewed from above. The Turtle gained a modicum of pop-culture visibility when actor Ed Harri...
Teddy Baldassarre
It’s a little crazy to actually type this out but I never actually owned a Seiko watch until this year. Obviously I have reviewed, written about, photographed, and indeed appreciated dozens and dozens of Seikos throughout the decade I have been in this industry but there was never one that truly spoke to me as a collector. Well, that was until I saw news of the Presage SPB437, a beautiful limited edition done with a blue enamel dial as a tribute to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, one of my favorite movies of all time and the Hayao Miyazaki film that led to the creation of Studio Ghibli, the legendary Japanese animation studio. 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of Nausicaä which seems like the perfect opportunity to release a limited edition for the most hardcore fans. This is not the first Seiko watch done for Studio Ghibli as there was a pair of Presage watches released in 2020 for the also-great Porco Rosso. The first of these was the SNR047J1, a 500-piece limited edition done with a Spring Drive movement and a white enamel dial inspired by the cockpit of the Crimson Pig’s plane with subtle touches like red seconds hand, red R, and the The Tricolour Italian flag colors. The second of these was the SRQ033, a black enamel dial Spring Drive chronograph with similar color touches and a Tricolour seconds sub-dial at 3 o’clock that was limited to 600 pieces. These were magnificent pieces made for Ghibli-heads like myself though they were significantly pricer at ar...
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SJX Watches
To celebrate 60 years of dive watches, Seiko is diving into the deep end with three additions to the Prospex range: the 60th Anniversary Marinemaster Professional (SLA081), 1968 Heritage Diver GMT (SPB509), and 1965 Heritage Diver (SPB511). Whether you’re a die-hard Seiko collector or simply a looking for an affordable, high quality diver, all three are distinct enough from their stablemates to be worth a look. But as exciting as the watches are, they’re arguably overshadowed by something simple yet significant, a feature Seiko enthusiasts have been requesting for a long time. The SPB509 and SPB511 are both equipped with a steel bracelet incorporating a micro-adjustment clasp that can be resized on the go by up to 15 mm, as opposed to the less practical diving extension found in preceding models. The 1968 Heritage Diver GMT SPB509 (left), and 1965 Heritage Diver SPB511 Initial thoughts In Western culture, significant anniversaries like the 25th, 50th, and 100th tend to be celebrated with great fanfare. In contrast, Japanese culture (and also widely East Asian culture) emphasises the 60th birthday – kanreki in Japanese – which also coincides with the completion of the traditional 12-year zodiac cycle. In this context, it’s worth looking closely at how Seiko is choosing to celebrate this milestone. The 1965 and 1968 Heritage models are powered by the well-known cal. 6R-series movements, which offer a 72-hour power reserve. While the pair are essentially variants o...
Teddy Baldassarre
Japan’s Citizen Watch Company, founded in 1918, is known today by most aficionados for its affordable and technically forward-thinking timepieces, and for good reason: the firm introduced the revolutionary Eco-Drive technology to watchmaking and has been building upon it ever since, with pioneering innovations like Satellite Wave GPS functionality. Now, as it enters the third decade of the 21st Century, Citizen has embarked on a mission to establish itself in another sector of the watchmaking world, as a purveyor of luxury timepieces that hold their own not only with Japanese competitors like Seiko and Grand Seiko but with Swiss and German contemporaries as well. To that end, the brand has launched Citizen Premier, a new category that it says will focus on “redefin[ing] luxury timepieces by fusing over 100 years of innovation, style, and craftsmanship.” Initially, Citizen Premier will be the umbrella category that links two of its existing product families: the all-titanium Attesa models and the recently inaugurated, all-mechanical Series 8. For the launch of Citizen Premier, Citizen is showcasing two of the first timepieces to fall under the new, luxury-focused banner: one, a limited edition from the Series 8 collection with a striking ice-blue textured dial; the other, the first Attesa model to combine a “Super Titanium” case with a ceramic bezel. The Citizen Series 8 831 Mechanical Limited Edition is the latest piece to emerge from the Series 8 collection’...
Teddy Baldassarre
After a relatively short time in the international market — and an even shorter time as a truly independent brand rather than an elevated product family — Grand Seiko has indisputably come into its own as a top-tier luxury watchmaker. Despite the inescapable fact that it still shares ownership and an industrial base with the parent Seiko brand, Grand Seiko has successfully put distance between its high-end output and Seiko’s more accessible, mass-market offerings. In fact, one could argue that enthusiasts and collectors have largely pigeonholed Grand Seiko as the luxurious, elegant dress watch brand and “Regular” Seiko as the sports- and tool-watch brand. But this perception would not be entirely accurate. Grand Seiko makes its own fair share of sporty timepieces with robustly built cases, less-than-modest case dimensions, and practical functions and complications, despite packaging all of these attributes into timepieces that are distinctly more luxurious — and accordingly more pricey — than their Seiko counterparts. Most of these watches fall within the aptly named Sport collection, which made its official debut in 2017, the same year that Grand Seiko established itself as its own brand. The roots of the Sport family DNA reach back significantly further — starting in 1998, with the launch of the Caliber 9S5 inside the first automatic Grand Seiko in more than 20 years, and continuing through the introduction of the first Grand Seiko model with a GMT func...
Hodinkee
The season of sakura (cherry blossoms) returns with a new rose gold case.
Hodinkee
The President and the Senior VP of Seiko Watch Corp join Ben for a candid chat about their histories with Seiko, bringing Grand Seiko to the US, and much more.
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