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Seiko Prospex Alpinist Automatic GMT 39.5mm Mens Watch Green Dial Strap Watch
Ref. HBC007J1
Sits in Seiko’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Seiko watches we list, which start at £110.
Price range £110 to £3,550 across 168 Seiko watches in stock.The Alpinist line reaches back to 1959, when Seiko built a watch specifically for mountaineers who needed to read a compass and tell the time without stopping to think. That rotating inner ring, operated by the crown at 4 o'clock, has carried through every generation since. What is new here is the GMT complication — a 24-hour hand with a red tip running against the bezel scale, letting the wearer track a second time zone as naturally as the first. Unlike earlier GMT Alpinists that circulated only in Asia, this reference enters the permanent Prospex catalogue. At 39.5mm with a 46.4mm lug span, the case sits closer to the wrist than most modern sports watches and disappears under a cuff without negotiation. The green sunray dial shifts character in changing light — muted indoors, considerably more alive in direct sun — and the three-dimensional indices give it enough depth that it does not read flat against the wrist. The 6R54 that drives it offers manual winding alongside the rotor, a small convenience that matters when the watch comes out of a drawer after its 72-hour reserve has run down. The leather is LWG-certified and the caseback is open, so the movement is visible from the back — a detail that rewards a second look on a watch whose mechanical credentials are genuinely worth seeing.
- Reference
- HBC007J1
- Brand
- Seiko
- Collection
- Prospex
- Case size
- 39.5mm
- Case thickness
- 13.6mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Green
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 6R54
- Functions
- GMT, Compass
- Water resistance
- 200m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- LumiBrite
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 46.4mm
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
Learn more about Seiko
Kintaro Hattori opened a watch and clock shop in Tokyo in 1881, aged twenty-one, and began manufacturing under the name Seikosha — roughly, house of exquisite workmanship — in 1892. The Seiko name appeared on watches from 1924.
The company's significance is that it broke the Swiss monopoly twice. First on precision: Seiko was appointed official timekeeper of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and built the quartz chronometers and printing timers to do it, and in the 1960s its movements placed highly at the Neuchâtel and Geneva observatory trials against the best Swiss houses.
Then on technology. On Christmas Day 1969 Seiko released the Astron, the world's first quartz wristwatch, accurate to five seconds a month where mechanical watches managed that per day. The consequences for Switzerland were catastrophic — employment in the Swiss industry fell by roughly two-thirds over the following decade. Seiko deliberately did not enforce its quartz patents, allowing the technology to spread.
The same year it produced the 6139, among the first automatic chronographs, and it has since introduced Kinetic, Spring Drive — a hybrid regulating a mechanical mainspring electronically, giving a perfectly gliding seconds hand — and its own dive and field lines.
Seiko remains fully vertically integrated, making its own hairsprings, quartz crystals, and even the Zaratsu-polished cases, at price points from under a hundred pounds upward.
- 1881
- Kintaro Hattori opens his Tokyo shop.
- 1924
- The first watches carry the Seiko name.
- 1964
- Official timekeeper of the Tokyo Olympics.
- 1969
- The Astron becomes the first quartz wristwatch.
- 1999
- Spring Drive enters production.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Seiko Prospex range (32), Stainless Steel Watches (2,833), Automatic Watches (1,417), Leather Strap Watches (904), Sports Watches (667), Dive Watches (486) and Dress Watches (456).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 200m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- 39.5mm suits most wrists
- 46.4mm lug-to-lug keeps the 39.5mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
Worth knowing
- Leather does not suit regular contact with water
Seiko Prospex Alpinist alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | HBC007J1 | C0329291104100 | 32068A01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,100 | £1,070 | £985 |
| Case size | 39.5mm | 41mm | 38mm |
| Water resistance | 200m | 200m | 200m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 80 hours | 38 hours |
| This watch |
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Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 200m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 46.4mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 39.5mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £1,100, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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