History of Seiko Alpinist: watches that have mysteriously become a legend

Tags: Presentation | Seiko | Classic | Retro | Traditional

8.4.2021 | 12 MIN | 2x comment

It is real life mystery why Seiko Alpinist is one of the greatest legends among the Seika lovers' community. Especially the SARB017 variant with an atypical dial shade from 2006 is a term known to every watch enthusiast. The originally privileged Japanese rarity has finally been released to the global market. While the name Alpinist disappeared from the watch, the story continues…

The Seiko Alpinist has an interesting position among the iconic Seika models. No one expected such a strong cult to form around this model. Not to mention the variant with a specifically green dial. The watch, which did not need to get a nickname from the fans, because it already had its name, gained a strong position and thus joined the ranks of other sports terms such as samurai, sumo, monster ...

In January 2020, Seiko Prospex Land Alpinist, which was previously only for the Japanese market, arrived in Europe. According to Seiko, however, this is a model only "inspired" by Alpinists, and indeed, we will not find the famous designation on the watch anywhere. The development towards the categorization of individual series has been evident from Seiko for a long time, and the Alpinists have at least characterized under the Prospex series for a long time. Only now, thanks to the "X" on the dial, it can be distinguished apart from others...

Four variants are available: with a black dial (SPB117), beige and silver hands (SPB119), green (SPB121) and champagne with gold hands (SPB123).

Seiko Prospex Land black (SPB117), beige (SPB119), green (SPB121) and champagne (SPB123)

The main change is the upgraded movement 6R35 with a 70-hour reserve, which can be seen for the very first time through the case back. Other parameters remained: typical cathedral hands, internal compass bezel rotatable with a crown in position 4, water resistance 200m and a sapphire crystal, this time with a magnifying glass on a date stamp.

Let's look at them in more detail below, now let's follow in the historical footsteps of this "Japanese explorer".

The beginning of the Seiko Alpinist in the 1960s

The First Alpinist

The beginning of the Seiko Alpinist story does not date back to 2006, when SARB was introduced, not even to 1995, when typical design was born, but began to be written in the 1960s. Here the sources diverge a bit: according to Seiko, it was 1959 that created the first watch for Japanese mountaineers.

According to other sources, the first watches bearing the name Laurel Alpinist were from 1961. The name was not assigned to them by a coincidence. Seiko tried to make a watch for real "men of the mountains", in Japanese "yama-otoko". The harsh conditions of the Japanese mountains were the inspiration for a model that was supposed to be resistant to water, impact, in short, the watches that you could rely on. In essence, however, it was a slightly modified Laurel.

The diameter of the steel case of the first Alpinists was 35 mm, they had a screwdriver and a Seikosha machine with 17 stones and a heart rate of 2.5 Hz. The dauphine-shaped hands were covered with a luminescent layer, as well as triangular indices (probably mountain peaks).

The Second Alpinist

The second generation arrived two years later, 1963. It was included in the Champion series and generally the second-generation Alpinists are referred to as the "Champion Alpinist 850". Of course, many models were created, typical for them was the radial division of the dial, which, in addition to the word Alpinist, also carried "water proof" information, indicating that this watch is indeed even in the humid terrain of the mountains. For the first time, a simple mountain symbol and the name Alpinist appear on the case back in some versions.

Development of Seiko Alpinist; source: thespringbar.com

The resurrection of the Seiko Alpinist in the 1990s

But the real birth of our legend takes place 30 years later. The year is 1995 and designer Shigeo Sakai finds inspiration in the historical model. It retains an attractive name, but breathes a completely unique design… The Red Alpinist is created.

Red Alpinist 1995

As the third generation, we can label the models for which the name "Red Alpinist" has been adopted. The reason was the unmissable red inscription "Alpinist" on the dial. However, the appearance has changed fundamentally from the previous ones.

The aforementioned Shigeo Sakai, who has been working in Seiko since 1975, is behind the creation of the iconic design. He himself probably did not expect his Alpinists to have such a response. He designed three versions - with a beige dial (SCVF007), black (SCVF005) and green (SCVF009) in a very specific shade, but more on that later.

Red Alpinist, foto: Masayoshi Kondo

A significant element are the cathedral hands, used in all three variants. They probably got their name in resemblance to stained glass windows of cathedrals and we often find them among sports watches, thanks to the large space for luminescence, they can guarantee perfect readability in the dark. So they are rightly placed within the Alpinists.

As well as the internal azimuthal rotating bezel. Sakai solved its control with the help of the second crown in position 4 - another characteristic of the watch, which has survived to this day. In addition, the watch had a water resistance of 20ATM, a screw-down crown and a full screw-in dimple with an engraving of the Alpine emblem.

For the model with a black dial, Sakai chose triangular indices, and for beige and green, Arabic numerals (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12). The slide was mineral, resp. "Sapphlex", a mineral with a sapphire layer, which we no longer find at Seiko watches today. The magnifying glass in the 3rd position for the date were also specific.

Details of Seiko Alpninist SCVF009 from 1995

The 4S15 mechanical movement was used to run the watch, which was relatively small (case diameter was 37mm), but ran at a 4Hz frequency and had 25 stone mounts. However, it was difficult to mass-produce, which was one of the main reasons why production was stopped after two years. The watch became even rarer and its price logically climbed up…

Red Alpinist SVCF009; foto: Mike Wilgus

The model was designed for the Japanese market and belonged to the Prospex sports line. In Southeast Asia, however, the Alpinist with the 4S15 was produced under the Sports 200 series. However, it did not bear the name Alpinist on the case back or dial, otherwise it was identical, including three versions.

Shade of almond green

The carefully chosen shade of green, which was very specific in combination with the gold details, certainly received the most attention. It was not emerald, olive, military or pistachio. But almond green.

The shade was chosen deliberately to fit a brown leather strap with an alligator pattern. In addition, it was supposed to evoke a certain nobility of the hobbies of English gentlemen, such as fly fishing or hunting. Such Alpinists were - sporty, evocative of nature and mountains, and at the same time elegant, worthy of the clothing of gentlemen… This is at least what Shigei Sakai himself represents (a conversation about the popularity of green Alpinists is a very interesting source)..

Alpinist Quartz with GMT: a forgotten part of history

The less-known Alpinist from Seiko dates from 2003. It had a high-precision 8F56 HAQ (hight accuracy quartz) and offered the GMT function and the eternal calendar. It was made of titanium with a beige or black dial.

Alpinist Quartz GMT Titanium

Common features with the 1995 Alpinists included an internal swivel bezel and a case shape. The crowns were placed in positions 2 and 4, the date was shifted to position 4 and the shape of the hands was sword-shaped. The fact that it was really the Alpinist was revealed by an inscription on the dial and a case back.

Alpinist Quartz from 2003 is one of the relatively rare pieces

The limited series of 500 pieces with a blue dial was really unique. It was created as a tribute to the SSASS Foundation (Seven Summits Actions for Sustainable Society) by climber Ken Noguchi, who initiated an increase in awareness of the problem of garbage accumulating along mountain trails. He and his colleagues climbed the seven highest mountains of the world for active cleaning. The blue colour resembles the sky and the sea and is the main color of the non-profit foundation.

Limited edition Alpinist SSASS with blue dial

Seiko Alpinist SARB 2006 series

Perhaps even better known than the original 1995 version is the SARB Alpinist. It entered the market in 2006 and again attracted many, especially collectors.

The design was restored and modified by Yasuhiro Kuzuya, who has been working for Seiko since 1981. He also chose three shades: beige (SARB013), black (SARB015) and green (SARB017). At first sight, one could confuse them with the Red series, but we can find differences here.

SARB017 has probably become the most conical representative of the Seiko Alpinist

Above all, the movement changed, specifically from 4S15 to 6R15 with a 50-hour power reserve and 23 stones. The name Alpinist disappeared from the dial (but remained in the engraving on the pumpkin). The date-increasing cyclops were also removed, and the mineral glass was replaced with sapphire. The diameter of the case also increased slightly, and the Arabic numeral font was slightly modified.

The black version of SARB015 had the most changes. It kept triangular indices instead of numbers, but they adjusted slightly in shape. The cathedral hands were abandoned and replaced by the dauphine we know from historical models. The date also moved to the 4th position. The second hand was beautifully red, balancing the absence of the Red Alpinist from the Red series.

There are slight differences between the models from the Red series and the SARB series

The green variant again achieved the greatest admiration and popularity. The combination of a typical shade, gold indexes and hands with a brown strap is very specific and SARB017 has become the most iconic representative of the Seiko Alpinist ever.

SARB017 Strap

In 2009, Seiko also came up with the SARB059/61/63 models, but their design was fundamentally different. The common feature remained - the Alpinists mountain engraved on a case back.

Seiko Alpinist SARB059 and SARB061 from 2009

The SARB line, designed for the Japanese market, was discontinued in 2017. And it seemed so did the Seiko Alpinist.

Limited Blue Alpinist 2019

The year 2019 was surprising as the Seiko released a limited edition under the name SPB089. The design was the well-known SARB from 2006, but with a blue dial. The numbered limit of 1959 pieces was intended exclusively for Seiko boutiques and the Hodinkee.com. The number of pieces was chosen according to the year when, according to Seiko, the first Alpinists were formed. Those were the last Seiko Alpinist made, which had a well-known mountain engraving on a case back...

Blue Alpinist - limited edition from 2019

Alpinists inspired new Seiko Prospex Land 2020

At the end of 2019, an interesting news spread around the world: Seiko resumed production of Alpinists and released them for the global market. The seventh generation came in January 2020. It has a very similar design that so many enthusiasts have fallen in love with, but it is the first watch that does not bear the Alpinist name.

Seiko "Alpinist" Prospex Land 2020 SPB121

Three basic variants were left: black (SPB117), beige with silver indexes (SPB119) and green with golden indexes (SPB121). A new version with a champagne-colored dial and gold indexes has been added (SPB123) and a green leather strap.

Seiko Prospex Land "Alpinist"

This time, too, the movement was changed, from the original 6R15 to the new 6R35 with a 70-hour power reserve, 24 stones and running at a 3Hz frequency. For the first time in history, the movement can be seen through a transparent case back. The watch should still be able to sustain water resistance up to 20 BAR.

For the first time movement can be seen through the case back

As with the SARB models, the glass is sapphire (with internal anti-reflection), and the magnification known from the Red edition have returned. The shape of the cathedral hands remained, in all variants. However, the black alternative with a dial without a sunburst effect again has indices resembling mountain peaks instead of Arabic numerals.

The unsigned buckle was replaced by a really good folding buckle with a signature on the leather variants, the black dial is again in combination with oyster steel bracelet. However, the embossed "S" disappeared from the crown. The diameter of the case is 39.5 mm and the width of the lugs for the bracelet is 20 mm.

The crown no longer has a signature, the straps have been given a folding buckle

In addition to the presence of the cyclops, another model reveals at first glance the logo of the Prospex "X" series on the dial. A small detail that does not detract from the beauty, but will probably increase the value of older Alpinists. The price of Seiko Prospex Land „Alpinist“ is just under 20 thousand of Czech crowns.

Genealogy of Seiko Alpinist

1. Generation Laurel Alpinist

Production: 1961-1964 (ended) 
Movement: 17 Jewels Seikosha (18000 bph)
Colour options: Cream and Black
The name Alpinist appears on the dial for the first time

2. Generation Champion Alpinist 850

Production: since 1963 (ended) 
Movement: 17 Jewels Seikosha (18000 bph)
Many variants, typical use of Dauphine hands and beam division of dials
The Alpinist mountain symbol appears on the case back for the first time, the Alpinist designation remains on the dial

3. Generation „Red“ Alpinist

Production: since 1995 (ended) 
Movement: 25 Jewels 4S15 (28800 bph)
Colour options: Cream (SCVF007), Black (SCVF005), Green (SCVF009)
Sapphlex crystal with magnification glass used for the date
The compass bezel (and the second crown in position 4) and the cathedral hand appear for the first time, the name Alpinist remains on the dial (the distinctive red colour gave rise to the name Red Alpinist) and the mountain symbol Alpinist on the case back

4. Generation Alpinist GMT Titanium Quartz

Production: since 2003 (ended)
Movement: 8F56 (very precise quartz movement with GMT function and eternal calendar)
Versions: SBCJ019, SBCJ021 a SBCJ031 and limited edition SBCJ029 500pieces SSASS
Quartz movement, the name Alpinist remained on the dial

5. Generation Alpinist SARB

Production: since 2006 (ended)
Movement: 23 Jewels 6R15 (21600 bph, 50h power reserve)
Colour options: Cream (SARB013), Black (SARB015) Green (SARB017)
Used sapphire crystal, without magnification, the name Alpinist disappears from the dial, the full case back with the mountain symbol Alpinist remains, the variant with the black dial returns to the Dauphine hands

6. Generation Alpinist SARB2

Production: since 2009 (ended)
Movement: 23 Jewels 6R15 (21600 bph)
Colour options: dark green dial (SARB059), black dial (SARB061) and black dial with black steel finish (SARB063)
New external swivel bezel (only one crown in position 4), without the Alpinist name on the dial, but the Alpinist mountain symbol on the case back remains

Blue Alpinist Limited Edition

Production: 2019
Limited edition: 1959ks
Movement: 23 Jewels 6R15 (21600 bph, 50h power reserve)
Colour options: blue dial (SPB089)
Inspired by SARB013-017

7. Generation „Alpinist“ Prospex

Production: since 2020 -
Movement: 24 Jewels 6R35 (21600 bph, 70h power reserve)
Colour options: black dial (SPB117), cream (SPB119), green (SPB121), champagne (SPB123)
Inspired by SARB113-117, the name Alpinist disappears from the dial and the case back (newly transparent), the new Prospex "X" logo on the dial

See more:

• seiko-design.com – The green watch, the most enigmatic Seiko watch ever
• thespringbar.com – The ultimate Seiko Alpinist Collectors Guide