SJX Watches
The People Have Spoken: Seiko’s Crowd Favourite 62MAS
Last year Seiko let fans vote on which of four vibrant dial colours would adorn an upcoming diver, and the people made the right choice, picking this vibrant Daytime Blue for the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver Fan-Selected HBC011. While a bit late to hit the beach, the latest 62MAS homage maintains all that was already good about Seiko divers, namely looks and tenacity, with key upgrades to the bracelet, for a reasonable price. Initial Thoughts Last year marked 6o years of Seiko diver’s watches, which can be traced back to the original 62MAS (refs. 6217-8000 and -8001) launched in 1965. Seiko let the many fans of its diver’s watches decide how to celebrate, giving collectors a choice of four colourways: Sunrise Orange; Daytime Blue; Late Afternoon Green; and Sunset Red. The online poll was open for the entire month of July, which was long enough for me “to get around to later” but short enough that it had already closed by the time I remembered to vote. Unsurprisingly, the trendiest colour, and the one I would have voted for, Daytime Blue, won. From left to right: Sunrise Orange; Daytime Blue; Late Afternoon Green; and Sunset Red. Seiko has disclosed no plans to bring the other three colourways to market at this time. The vibrant blue and stamped dial make the HBC011 stand out from the pack of 62MAS-inspired models, though it changes the character of the watch so entirely that this bubbly beach watch doesn’t feel like a 62MAS at all. Which is a good thing, as the mo...
