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Seiko Prospex 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Fan Selected 1965 Heritage Divers 40mm Mens Watch
Ref. HBC011J1
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 187 Seiko watches in stock.The 62MAS, Seiko's first dive watch, earned its reputation the hard way — worn by Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition teams and later carried to the poles and to Everest. This limited edition, one of 4,500 produced, marks sixty years of that lineage, but with an unusual twist: Seiko put the design decision to its own community. Fans voted across a range of colourways, each tied to a phase of natural light on the sea, and the daytime blue won. The result is not a committee watch; it is a watch that people actively chose. The dial carries a wave-embossed texture that earns its keep under raking light, and the blue sits at a depth that shifts convincingly between conditions. At 40mm with a 46.4mm lug-to-lug, it wears shorter on the wrist than its 300m rating might suggest — that kind of depth usually comes in a larger, thicker package, and 13.0mm across the case is disciplined for it. The super-hard coating on the steel means daily contact leaves less of a mark than it would on untreated brushed surfaces. The bracelet's diving extension is the detail that earns notice in use: 15mm of range across six 2.5mm steps, adjustable without removing the watch, which makes it genuinely practical over a wetsuit rather than nominally so. The 6R55 inside runs a 72-hour reserve, enough to survive a long weekend off the wrist without resetting.
- Reference
- HBC011J1
- Brand
- Seiko
- Collection
- Prospex
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 13mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 6R55
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 300m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- 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 (33), Back in Stock (4,868), Stainless Steel Watches (3,133), Automatic Watches (1,750), Blue Dial Watches (861), Sports Watches (800) and Dive Watches (572).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 300m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 46.4mm lug-to-lug keeps the 40mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
Also seen with this model (7)
Other versions of this model, not necessarily this exact watch.
- Martin Sheen · Seiko Diver ref. 6105 · Worn on screen · Apocalypse Now · Source
- Arnold Schwarzenegger · Seiko Prospex ref. H558-5009 · Worn on screen · Predator, Commando, The Running Man · Source
- Robert Redford · Seiko Diver ref. SKX009 · Worn on screen · All Is Lost · Source
- Roger Moore · Seiko Diver ref. 7549-7009 · Worn on screen · For Your Eyes Only, Ffolkes · Source
- Sam Claflin · Seiko Diver ref. SKX009 · Worn on screen · Adrift · Source
- Ed Harris · Seiko Diver ref. 6309 · Worn on screen · The Abyss · Source
- Kiefer Sutherland · Seiko Diver ref. 6105 · Worn on screen · A Soldier's Sweetheart · Source
Seiko Prospex 60th Anniversary Limited alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | HBC011J1 | L37424566 | H77455330 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,350 | £1,300 | £1,145 |
| Case size | 40mm | 41mm | 41mm |
| Water resistance | 300m | 300m | 300m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 64 hours | 80 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 300m 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 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £1,350, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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