In a packed year of releases, these are the top 5 Seiko watches of 2023
Jamie WeissSeiko is the world’s biggest watch brand by volume, with the Japanese brand producing well over 200 million pieces across thousands of SKUs and introducing dozens of new models each year. In that sense, narrowing down the best 5 Seikos of 2023 is a pretty challenging task – but a few models released this year really spoke to us.
In particular, Seiko continued to show Australia love in 2023, following up last year’s Prospex Eucalyptus and Noosa releases with even more Australian limited editions across both their Seiko and Grand Seiko brands this year, which stood out as some of their best in recent memory. 2023 was also a year of retro revivals for the brand, with Seiko bringing back hot references from their back catalogue with fresh movements and higher standards of finishing. Anyway, here’s our vote for the best Seiko releases of 2023.
Seiko Presage Cocktail Time SRPK50J ‘Irori Moments’
Produced in collaboration with Lark, Australia’s foundational and most prominent whisky distillery, this Australasia-exclusive limited-edition Presage Cocktail Time SRPK50J ‘Irori Moments’ gets its name from a bespoke cocktail inspired by the irori, a traditional Japanese sunken hearth used for heating and cooking, and as a gathering spot for families. The warmth of the heart of the fire is represented in the highly textured dial, the same colour as the whisky-based drink.
In the Irori Moments, you get a stylish dress watch with a complex dial texture that’s of Grand Seiko quality (seriously, this dial is beautiful) and a delightful Australo-Japanese backstory. It’s a watch that looks far more expensive than it actually is – and is just at home on your wrist for a single malt tasting session or a wild night on the town smashing Rum and Cokes.
| Brand | Seiko |
| Model | Presage Cocktail Time ‘Irori Moments’ |
| Reference Number | SRPK50J |
| Case Dimensions | 40.5mm (D) x 11.8mm (T) x 47mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Rose gold-plated stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50m |
| Crystal(s) | Hardlex front and back |
| Dial | Textured gold gradient |
| Strap | Brown calf leather with push-button folding clasp |
| Movement | 4R35, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Australasian limited edition of 1,000 pieces |
| Price | A$950 |
Seiko 5 Sports Sense Style SRPK39 ‘Bruce Lee’
Bruce Lee is to Seiko as Paul Newman is to Rolex, and as my colleague Borna has pointed out, debate still rages as to which exact variant of the 6139-powered Seiko chronograph the star actually wore. However, Seiko chose to honour the martial arts and screen legend in 2023 with a limited-edition Seiko 5 Sports, our review of which proved to be one of our biggest stories across YouTube and the site this year.
Boasting a mean-looking black-on-black aesthetic with gold highlights; a dial that references Bruce Lee’s nickname, “The Little Dragon”; a bezel containing a phrase that represents Lee’s martial arts school, Jeet Kune Do; and a yellow NATO strap that mimics his iconic jumpsuit, this SRPK is a loving tribute to this pop culture icon that avoids being a tacky pastiche or too schmaltzy. On the contrary: this is a badass watch we’re sure Bruce would approve.
| Brand | Seiko |
| Model | 5 Sports SKX Sense Style Bruce Lee Limited Edition |
| Reference Number | SRPK39 |
| Case Dimensions | 42.5mm (D) x 13.4mm (T) x 46mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Black DLC stainless steel with hard coating |
| Water Resistance | 10 bar |
| Crystal(s) | Hardlex front and back |
| Dial | Black with dragon relief |
| Lug Width | 22mm |
| Strap | Black calfskin with embossed lining and black-coated steel hardware or yellow nylon NATO-style strap |
| Movement | 4R36, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, rotating bezel |
| Availability | Limited to 15,000 pieces |
| Price | A$750 |
King Seiko SJE089 & SJE091
In 2020, Seiko revived its King Seiko line after letting it lie dormant for almost half a century. For those who don’t know, King Seiko was established in 1961 – the year after Grand Seiko – to create internal competition within Seiko as they pursued mechanical watchmaking perfection. In its modern reincarnation, King Seiko is positioned as an upscale bridge between Seiko and GS, with these modern King Seikos featuring proper retro looks combined with elevated modern finishing.
The King Seiko SJE089 & SJE091 are an updated take on the 1965 King Seiko KSK, which was the second King Seiko series to be created and the most fundamental for the sub-brand. Their cases and bracelets are some of Seiko’s most attractive ever, with extremely sharp edges and a distinctly modernist aesthetic. Slimmer than previous KSK revivals and utilising the premium 6L35 automatic calibre, these dapper double-signed pieces are proper enthusiast fare.
| Brand | Seiko |
| Model | King Seiko |
| Reference Number | SJE089 (silver) SJE091 (black) |
| Case Dimensions | 38.6mm (D) x 10.7mm (T) x 45.8mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Boxed sapphire |
| Dial | Silver or black |
| Lug Width | 19mm |
| Strap | Seven-link stainless steel with butterfly push-button clasp |
| Movement | 6L35, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 45 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Available now |
| Price | A$5,200 |
Seiko 5 Sports SKX Sports Style 38mm
The Seiko SKX (and the SKX Sports Style range that replaced it after it was discontinued in 2019) remains one of the most popular watches of all time, with our contributor D.C. fittingly dubbing it “the gateway drug for a million watch nerds“. However, one of the few criticisms that has been levelled at the SKX has been its size. At 42.5mm in diameter, it’s just ever so slightly too big for many watch fans – a complaint that Seiko addressed this year by releasing a new range of 38mm SKX Sports Styles.
38mm is a ‘Goldilocks’ size that’ll suit just about any wrist, and in some ways gives this new sports watch something of a retro appeal. Four dials are available – black, sunray champagne, sunray orange and teal blue (everyone went mad for Tiffany blue in 2023, including Seiko) – and it features the same movement as larger-cased Seiko 5 Sports models, the 4R36. This might not be the flashiest Seiko release of 2023 but I wager it’ll prove to be the biggest sales winner.
| Brand | Seiko |
| Model | 5 Sports SKX Sports Style |
| Reference Number | SRPK29 (black) SRPK31 (champagne) SRPK33 (teal) SRPK35 (orange) |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (D) x 12.1mm (T) x 44.2mm (L2L) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 10 bar |
| Crystal(s) | Hardlex front and back |
| Dial | Black, sunray champagne, teal blue, sunray orange |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Stainless steel 3-link |
| Movement | 4R36, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, unidirectional diving bezel |
| Availability | Available now |
| Price | A$495 |
Seiko Prospex SPB429J ‘Whitsunday’
We started this list with an Australian LE, let’s end this list with an Australian LE. A variant of the popular ‘Sumo’, this Seiko Prospex was inspired by one of Australia’s most beautiful holiday destinations, the Whitsunday Islands: a group of tropical islands that extend out from the coast of Queensland, a short distance from the world-famous Great Barrier Reef.
The colour scheme of this ‘Whitsunday Sumo’ perfectly encapsulates this region, from the navy blue of the deeper oceans to the light greens of the sunlit reefs. The forests are also reflected in the darker green of the bi-colour bezel, and the golden seconds hand hints at the typical Australian green and gold scheme. We can’t think of a better Australian-themed dive watch from Seiko.
| Brand | Seiko |
| Model | Prospex Automatic Diver’s Whitsunday Limited Edition |
| Reference Number | SPB429J |
| Case Dimensions | 45mm (D) x 12.9mm (T) x 52.6mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 200 metres, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Blue gradient |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Steel bracelet with folding clasp, additional silicon straps in white and blue |
| Movement | 6R35, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 70 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, unidirectional diving bezel |
| Availability | Australasian limited edition of 1,000 pieces |
| Price | A$1,800 |