Tags: Technology and concepts | Seiko | Classic | Traditional
8.4.2021 | 11 MIN
Remembering watches by reference numbers is often challenging. Even for fans, whom Seiko has lots. Leaving aside SKX007, many others can merge together. Maybe that’s also the reason, why the trend of nicknames for interesting models has spread in the world of Seiko-lovers. Here is a selection of TOP 6 nicknames of dive watches and their stories, which every Seiko-lover should know.
Every watch lover knows this story, especially Seiko-lovers. The year was 1968 a professional diver from Hiroshima wrote a letter to Seiko, that most of their dive watches do not withstand the long-term strong pressure of saturation diving and shocks. Seiko took his words as its own promise of creating truly professional dive watches. It took seven years.
In 1975, a team led by Ikuo Tokunaga introduced Seiko Marine Master Professional (ref. 6159-7010) – a model that had the first single-block titanium case, unique L-shame sealing, folded rubber strap, water-resistance of 600 meters without a need for a helium valve. Massive MM600 with a diameter of 51 mm represented the best that Seiko could offer.
And how does it relate to tuna? 6159-7010 was no one else that a Grandfather Tuna. Three years later, in 1978, came the Golden Tuna (named for typically golden accents), which already had quartz movement. Since then, Seiko has come up with several changes and reissues. Also, today the most of the Tunas are quartz (or Solar), but even here it is a very precise machine specially designed for diving Tunas, very accurate and very reliable. And, of course, we can also find automatic Tunas, often under the nickname Emperor Tuna, e.g., Marine Master Pro. 1000 M Emperor Tuna with reference SBDX014 powered by high quality caliber 8L35.
Seiko Grandfather Tuna and Emperor Tuna, Source: fratellowatches.com
No special imagination is needed for the origin of the nickname. The round robust case simply resembles a can of tuna. In addition, the original Tuna had a monolithic case and could have been opened only from the front – just like a can of tuna. The design was to protect the watch as well as a can protects its content. If you turn over the can, you have a flat round Seiko Tuna case. Original Tunas had the mentioned diameter of 51 mm, later on Seiko also offered smaller version with a case diameter of 48 mm, called Baby Tuna.
Can of tuna – not romantic, but very apt nickname source: seiko-design.com
Some people might say the design is not very well done, but in reality, it is very thought trough in many details and what is important for owners of small wrists, it fit perfectly thanks to its shape. Perhaps only a rubber strap can be long and protruding, but who could it stop, especially when Tunas look so good with NATO strap. Models with solar power are also released by Seiko in several special editions, such as PADI (ref. SNE449P1) or Save the Ocean 2018 (ref. SNE518P1).
The turtle story is one of the most popular ones. It is hard to imagine a more accurate name for this legendary dive watch than the one fans chose. In fact, I would suspect Seiko designers that when they came up with the first “Turtles” in the late 1970s, they had this reptile in mind for a long time. They just let fans to believe, that the nickname was their perfect work.
Turtles are unmistakable – case resembles a turtle shell, crown close to the numeral four resembles forgotten turtle leg. When you turn the watch, the case resembles eggshell that follows to a flat caseback, the abdominal shell of a turtle. The serrated bezel edge can evoke bumpy surface of a turtle shell.
In addition, all Seiko’s turtle watches have diving features, including ISO 6425. After all, sea turtles are supposedly a symbol of good luck for divers.
The first Turtles appeared in 1977 (ref. 6309) and expanded the wide range of Seiko’s dive watches. Seiko renewed them in 2016 (as ref. SRP77x) and together with other reissues we can find them in the Prospex Sea series. They have become popular not only for their features, cushion case, but also for their affordable price.
Most of the current Turtles have an automatic movement 4R36 with day-date and hardlex crystal, and they often appear in Save the Ocean collection.
In 2020 Seiko came up with Turtles with sapphire crystal with lens, which earnt a nickname “King Turtle” (ref. SRPE03/05/07K1).
It was the strongly polarizing design of the first Monsters that decided how the watch will go down in the nickname book. You can recognize Monsters from a distance, they all have very typical “monster” features: cutouts on the bezel, copying same pattern on the case resembling traces of teeth or claws, bold indices with strong, really strong luminescence and hands, that are the same for all Seiko Monsters. The hour hand also resembles a tooth or a claw.
Every design element is very distinctive, some may think it is even exaggerated. You will hardly be able to find a similar looking watch. The design is truly aggressive and scary. More than for others, it is true for Monsters, that fans either love them or hate them. Aesthetics has given a way to a mysterious monster aura, which concentrates all its energy in the center of the dial. They are not charming – they are monstrously beautiful.
We cannot forget the diving qualities (they have ISO 6425 and belong to Prospex Sea), very affordable price (it belongs to a similar category as Turtles or Samurai) and atypical is also steel band, designed exclusively for Monsters.
Let’s see a quick genealogy. The first generation of Monsters came in 2000 as the SKX779 and SKX781. As the names suggests, they were expending the well-known SKX family. They had non-hacking automatic movement 7S26 and a possibility of manual winding. Today, the first generation is called the Classic Seiko Monsters.
The first generation of Seiko Monsters SKX779 and SKX781
The second generation hid inside a 4R36 movement and the design evoked terrifying monsters perhaps even more. Especially thanks to its typical indices, the dial resembled a maw of lamprey and that is how they are known among their fans.
The third generation was more moderate in design. Its atypicality is in the 6R15 movement, which is nowadays one of the most sought-after pieces by collectors.
The fourth generation was released in 2019. Design-wise they came close to the first generation, while with the 4R36 movement to the second generation. What sets them apart is the distinctive cyclops on the hardlex crystal. Although, they maintained all the monster features, they look neater and color variations are very conservative. In 2020, Seiko also included the fourth generation Monsters in its Save the Ocean Great White Shark line.
In addition to individual generations, countless other color versions have been created, some are really crazy, but Seiko-lovers yearn for them. A perfect overview of all limit editions and special editions has been put together by 60clicks.
Just as we find many samurai legends today, we can find stories in Seiko of why these dive watches were nicknamed Samurai.
Let’s try to sort them all out. First, the case has a bold sharp surface – like after being cut by a samurai sword. It looks like a protection without any necessary things, purposely like armor and the watch can evoke a helmet form the side.
Many details also refer to a samurai sword Katana. The first watch with this design had both hands in shape of a sword. Newer ones combine arrow-shaped hour hand with minute hand in shape of a sword. The mesh pattern of the bezel, or the crown, resembles the pattern of leather wrapped around the handle of Katana.
Samurai have a distinctive bevel as if after a cut of Japanese katana. Source: Seiko-design.com
And last but not least, for us foreigners, the sharp angles and very straightforward design, can evoke a feeling of Japaneseness, same as a Japanese samurai warrior. It is essential that the watch has the characteristics of a dive watch, it is certified for 200 m water resistance, including ISO 6425 and is one of the affordable dive watches in the lower Seiko category.
While the history of Japanese warriors dates back to the Middle Ages, for Seiko Samurai the legend only begins in 2004. Their specificity was that you could have them from steel or titanium (ref. SBDA001 for black ones, SBDA003 for blue ones). They had movements from the 7S family, the mentioned hands in the sword shape and bevelled rectangular indices. Seiko discontinued production in 2008.
In February, thanks to the hungry call for Japanese Samurai, Seiko came with limited edition Blue Lagoon (SRPB09), where the original movement was replaced by 4R35 caliber movement, updated hour hand and indices. Sharp features of the case remained similar to the original and blue Samurai were quickly sold out. Seiko also published orange Samurai (SBDA005) in the original collection, and so shortly after the Blue Lagoon, “Orange Samurai” (SRPB97) was created.
Seiko Samurai Blue Lagoon SRPB09
Finally, after the orange ones, blue SRPD49, gray-black SRPB51, pepsi SRPB53 and black ones with golden accents SRPB55 were released into the world. The models had a very specific pattern of dials similar to Cloud de Paris corresponding with hatching of the bezel and the crown. In the same spirit was released a limited edition for European market Dawn Grey Series (SRPD03K1).
Seiko Samurai Dawn Grey Series SRPD03K1, photo courtesy of monochrome-watches.com
The popularity of Samurai is still relevant, and they regularly appear in the top rankings of watches with a price tag below $500. Therefore, it is not surprising that Samurais are in the base set of special Save the Ocean editions.
Sumo, a Japanese national sport with a tradition of over a thousand years, is full of symbolism and rituals. The ideal wrestler has a large weight and a low center of gravity. When fans first saw this massive Japanese watch with rounded curves, it is not hard to understand that sumo came to their mind.
This Seiko watch got a nickname for its resemblance to a sumo wrestler, source: www.seiko-design.com
Possible explanation for the nickname:
Massiveness. Case is relatively robust with a diameter of 45 mm. In contrast, the band with a width of 20 mm seems small and illusion increases the size of the watch. Both are from steel, so the weight of Sumo gets over 170 g. Seiko sumo is a real whopper, so the resemblance to sumo wrestler is obvious.
Mawashi: If you have ever seen sumo wrestling, you may have noticed a typical loincloth. It is called “Mawashi” and has a certain visual resemblance on the indices’ 12th position on the Sumo watch.
Oicho: The specific hairstyle of sumo wrestlers with a visible “topknot” called Oicho, can also refer to the 12th index.
Dohyo: Matches take place in a ring with precisely given parameters. It is called “Dohyo”. Looking at the watch obliquely from above, there is a certain resemblance as well.
The first Sumo entered the ring in 2007. They had automatic movement and aside from the basic version, the blue alternative became popular, aptly named Blumo. Except for the colors of the dial, the Suma remained unchanged until 2019, when Seiko introduced an upgraded version; hardlex was replaced by sapphire, 6R35 movement with 70-hour power reserve. The variant with the black dial was completed by the green "Greemo".
Seiko Prospex SPB101J1 and SPB103J1
Sumo is one of the best choices when it comes to dive watches in the $500-1000 range. It belongs between lower category of Seiko Turtles or Samurai and higher category of Marine Masters. For sumo wrestlers, balance is the key, the same balance can be found in the Seiko Sumo. The quality of the surface treatment is really high.
Choosing the last top nickname for dive watches was the hardest. Eventually, I picked a watch which launched in December 2008 under the reference SBDC007 (with orange dial SBDC009) and fans began to call it Shogun. The one who started the nickname apparently had the armor of shoguns (the military ruler of Japan) on his mind.
The inspiration for the nickname may have been the armor and helmet of Japanese shoguns, source: www.seiko-design.com
If we look at the design of Seiko Shogun, we can find a combination of Sumo and Samurai. Same as Sumo, Shoguns are quite large and have the same movement as the original Sumo 6R15. But they are titanium, and therefore lighter by more than a third than Sumo. However, they both have a very nicely elaborated surface, much more consistent in detail than Samurai. With Samurai, it for a change shares sharper case angles, but at the same time more rounded. Finally, there is a similar connection between samurai (those who serve) and shogun (those who rule) and Seiko Shogun, which have higher standards for movements and elaboration than Seiko Samurai.
Sumo, Shogun and Samuraj
Determining selection of only 6 Seiko watches with nicknames was a hard work. But it is no coincidence, that the famous nicknames are obtained by diving models. Every piece in the selection belongs to the Seiko Prospex Sea line and have ISO certification for min. 200 meters. They earned their nickname not only for their typical design features, but mainly for their qualitative characteristics, thanks to which they became iconic and were often sold for decades.
In the world of Seiko-lovers, we can find many other models with a catchy nicknames, a fascinating story or unmistakable design.
Let’s name at least two cinematic: Seiko Arnie, which Arnold Schwarzenegger wore in 5 of his iconic movies and Seiko Ripley with futuristic Giugiaro design, which appeared on Ripley’s hands in the movie Alien.
Two with an unmistakable design from the 70’s: Bullhead with chronograph designed as a racing watch and the Seiko Pogue wore by Col. Pogue during his NASA Skylab mission in the 1970s (and they are, by the way, the first automatic monographs to be worn in the space).
And also, two sea creatures: Sea urchin in the basic Seiko 5 set, which gained its nickname according to the indices on the bezel resembling a hedgehog’s spikes and Starfish which belong to dive watches with 200-meter water-resistance and with start-shaped bezel.
