Seiko’s longstanding 5 Sports collection, specifically the diver, has been home to countless variations and special editions, in a very wide range of colours and styles. There are very classical ones, with simple black or blue dials, but also more outspoken editions such as the Kosuke Kawamura SRPJ41 and SRPJ43 or a series with camo dials. And now, for the second time in recent history, there is a set of watches designed by the public and selected through a series of campaigns held in Japan, Asia, Europe and the USA. The result is a surprising mix of limited editions that go into four very different design directions despite being based on the exact same base model. These are the Seiko 5 Sports Customized SRPK03K1, SPRK05K1, SPRK07K1 and SRPK08K1.
The Seiko 5 Sports Customized series of watches are the outcome of a campaign organised by Seiko under the same name. People all over the world were able to participate in four different campaigns and suggest ideas for a new and unique Seiko 5 Sports dive watch. It’s the second time Sieko has done this, with 2020 being the inaugural year. Each campaign is linked to a specific region, being Japan, Asia, Europe and the USA. Once the time to enter had passed, a simple majority vote by the public would declare the winner for each region, which would then enter production. It’s clever, and fun and allows people to actively get involved in designing a watch.
The design of the Seiko 5 Sports dive watch is classic, and iconic even, and all four fall in line with the main collection obviously. That means you get a stainless steel case measuring 42.5mm in diameter and 13.4mm in height, with a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. One of the four stands out thanks to its rose-gold coloured case and crown, which is the model that won the Asian campaign. The unidirectional rotating bezel matches the case but comes in four different styles. Three show a classical lume dot instead of the luminous triangle in the insert. Furthermore, the design of the inserts also varies in terms of the diving scale. The Japan Model has a silver insert with a black scale, the Europe Model has a black insert with a silver and red segmented scale, the America Model has a black insert with a scale in silver, and the Asia Model comes with a burgundy red insert.
Just like the bezel, the dial is where each of the four models differentiates itself. All feature the well-known Seiko 5 Sports architecture with applied numerals and hands filled with LumiBrite and the day-date window at 3 o’clock. But the colours are hugely different as you can see. The Japan Model SRPK03K1 is the most subdued, with a ton-sur-ton silver dial. The America Model SRPK05K1 shows a pop of colour with a bright orange dial. The Europe Model SRPK07K1 is a take on a classical black dial, with gilt details. And finally, the Asia Model SRPK08K1 is the most outspoken of the set, with a sunray brushed gold-coloured dial to match the case and bracelet. The dials are covered by Hardlex crystals.
On the inside, we find the ever-familiar Calibre 4R36, which powers the vast majority of Seiko 5 models. This automatic movement runs at a rate of 21,600vph and has a power reserve of 41 hours. It indicates the time through a central hour and minute hand, with a hacking seconds hand. The day and date discs are bilingual. The movement can be seen through the Hardlex crystal caseback, with a special decoration indicating the Customize competition winners.
The quartet of Seiko 5 Sports Customized models are available worldwide through Seiko’s e-commerce platforms. They all come on stainless steel three-link bracelets with a folding clasp, which is gold-coloured to match the case and dial of the Asia Model SPRK08K1. Each of the four references is limited to 1,968 pieces, with the Japan Model (SRPK03K1), America Model (SRPK05K1) and Europe Model (SRPK07K1) costing EUR 320, and the Asia Model (SRPK08K1) retailing for EUR 400.
For more information, please visit SeikoWatches.com
The images of the Seiko 5 Sports Customized collection have been kindly provided by our regular contributor Santiago Tejedor from HorasyMinutos.com
Technical specifications – Seiko 5 Sports Costumizes SRPK03K1, SRPK05K1, SRPK07K1 & SRPK08K1
Case: 42.5mm diameter x 13.4mm height – stainless steel case (rose-gold coloured for the SRPK08K1 edition) – black unidirectional rotating bezel with graduated diving insert in silver, black or burgundy (depending on the reference) – hardlex crystal – special crystal on caseback with Ultraman figurine – screw-down crown – 100m water-resistant
Dial: black, orange, silver or rose-gold coloured dials (depending on the reference) – applied indices with LumiBrite – sloped minute flange – central hour and minute hands with LumiBrite – central seconds hand with LumiBrite lollipop counterweight – day-date window
Movement: Calibre 4R36 – in-house – automatic – 24 jewels – 3Hz frequency – 41h power reserve – hacking seconds – hours, minutes, seconds, day-date
Bracelet: three-link stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp and safety lock (rose-gold coloured for the SRPK08K1)
Reference: SRPK03K1 – Japan Edition, steel case, silver dial and bezel insert
SRPK05K1 – America Edition, steel case, black dial and bezel insert
SRPK07K1 – Europe Edition, steel case, orange dial with black, silver and red bezel insert
SRPK08K1 – Asia Edition, rose-gold coloured steel case, bracelet and dial, burgundy bezel insert
Availability: Limited series of 1,968 pieces per edition, available worldwide through Seiko’s online e-commerce platforms
Price: EUR 320 (Europe, America, Japan editions) – EUR 400 (rose-gold coloured Asia edition)
https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-the-seiko-5-sports-customized-collection-srpk03k1-srpk05k1-srpk07k1-srpk08k1-specs-price/
