Jewellery & Watch News
Seiko has never been one to shy away from bold, colourful creations and yet their Black Series has notoriously focused on monochromatic palettes opting for all-black aesthetics to commemorate the world of night diving. For the 2022 Seiko Prospex Black Series however, a splash of colour is added to three watches, a King Samurai, Tortoise and Solar reference for better readability than ever before. Offering bright green lume across their hardware, meet the new Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ watches…
This is certainly not the first Seiko Black Series we have seen, with several collections being launched every year since 2017. Typically, the brand takes three of their most emblematic Seiko dive watches as a base, like the highly collectible Tuna, Turtle or Captain Willard, and treats it to a full black attire including black dials and straps to match. This year, Seiko continues to solidify their reputation in the diving world but instead with three models fairly new to the Japanese watch manufacturer’s portfolio, with two of the designs yet to have been found in their Black Series collection. This includes the Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ King Samurai (SRPH97K1) and Tortoise (SRPH99K1) watch followed by the solar-powered Solar Divers (SNE587P1).
Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ King Samurai SRPH97K1 Watch
After the relaunch of the iconic Seiko Samurai in 2017, the brand unveiled the ‘King Samurai’ last year with its new prefix marking several modern upgrades. The design still upheld the sharp, aggressive architecture of its predecessors including sword-shaped hands and angular case but with new sapphire crystal glass and a polished ceramic insert bezel. The new Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ King Samurai SRPH97K1 watch opts for the very same including a 43.8mm stainless steel case with black hard coating, a screw down crown, 200m water resistant rating and the Calibre 4R35 automatic winding movement with a 41 hour power reserve. The novelty of the new 2022 Seiko Black Series is of course the new green-coloured lume, which on the matte grey dial of the Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ King Samurai watch extends across the hour markers, hands and bezel marker. The watch is fitted with a black rubber strap and is limited to only 8,000 pieces.
Specs:
- Case: 43.8mm, black hard coated stainless steel, sapphire crystal, ceramic insert unidirectional bezel, 200m water resistance, screw down crown, screw down case back
- Movement: Calibre 4R35 automatic winding, hours, minutes, seconds and date, 41 hour power reserve, 21,600vph frequency
- Dial: Matte grey with green lume on hands and markers
- Strap: Black rubber with black hard coated pin buckle
- RRP: £590
- Limited Edition: 8,000 pieces
Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ Tortoise SRPH99K1 Watch
Next up in the 2022 Seiko Prospex Black Series is the ‘Night Vision’ Tortoise SRPH99K1 watch. Those familiar with Seiko’s iconic Turtle reference may think they’re seeing double, and you wouldn’t be wrong. The Seiko Tortoise was released only last year, delivering the same popular barrel-shaped case as the Turtle but with a new compass bezel for use not under water but on land. And what do you call a land turtle?... A tortoise. The unidirectional aluminium insert compass bezel pairs with the 42.4mm black coated stainless steel case while the 200m water resistant screw down case back is left untreated and is decorated with ground-to-air emergency signal codes. The same Calibre 4R35 automatic winding movement powers the luminous green hands of the Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ Tortoise SRPH99K1 watch while a black textile strap secures it to the wrist. This design is more elusive than the first, limited to only 7,000 pieces.
Specs:
- Case: 42.4mm, black hard coated stainless steel, sapphire crystal, aluminum insert unidirectional bezel, 200m water resistance, screw down crown, screw down case back
- Movement: Calibre 4R35 automatic winding, hours, minutes, seconds and date, 41 hour power reserve, 21,600vph frequency
- Dial: Matte grey with green lume on hands and markers
- Strap: Black textile with black hard coated pin buckle
- RRP: £510
- Limited Edition: 7,000 pieces
Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ Solar Divers SNE587P1 Watch
Last up in the 2022 Seiko Prospex Black Series collection is a Solar Divers watch under SNE587P1. The 1960’s inspired aesthetic has been spotted several times in the all-black line-up before, but never with a solar-powered movement. The Calibre V147 movement is conveniently powered by both natural and artificial light offering a never-ending battery life and an outstanding accuracy of ±15 seconds per month. As for its design, the 38.5mm black hard coated stainless steel case takes inspiration from Seiko’s famous 1965 Diver’s watch, also known as Japan’s first ever Japanese diving instrument watch which was famously worn on Japanese Antarctic Expeditions until 1969. It features a grooved 60 minute unidirectional bezel, a 200m water resistance, sapphire crystal glass and the novelty matte grey dial with green lume hardware. The Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ Solar Divers SNE587P1 watch also differs for its three-row link black hard coated steel bracelet and its limited edition status of 6,000 pieces.
Specs:
- Case: 38.5mm, black hard coated stainless steel, sapphire crystal, unidirectional bezel, 200m water resistance, screw down crown, screw down case back
- Movement: Calibre V147 solar-powered, hours, minutes, seconds and date, accuracy of ±15 seconds per month
- Dial: Matte grey with green lume on hands and markers
- Strap: Black coated three-row link bracelet and folding buckle
- RRP: £550
- Limited Edition: 6,000 pieces
If you’d like to learn more about the new Seiko Prospex Black Series ‘Night Vision’ watch collection and shop it for yourself, head over to the C W Sellors website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at sales@cwsellors.com.
