Just last month, Seiko brand ambassador Novak Djokovic won his 16th Grand Slam, with 72 wins on the famous grass courts of London SW19, more than at any other Grand Slam venue, and doing it while wearing his namesake Limited Edition Seiko Astron to claim his 5th singles title at Wimbledon.

This month, Seiko extends their winning streak with launch of their newly revamped Seiko 5 sports collection with 27 new divers watches. The first of its name,  the Seiko Sportmatic 5, was launched in 1963 to espouse Seiko’s 5 core propositions: Automatic winding, day/date displayed in a single window, water resistance, recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position and durable case.

The original Sportmatic, the first Seiko 5 Sports watch from 1968

New Seiko 5 Sports collection continues the brand’s winning streak

Providing high levels of reliability, durability, performance and value, the Seiko 5 series was always positioned as an affordable entry point to Seiko’s mechanical watch world. The Seiko 5 Sports line was a slight update of the entry level tier, offering additional water resistance (diver levels) and higher quality finishing and materials while still keeping below USD350.

Available in September 2019, the new Seiko 5 Sports collection is now comprised of five core variants, each for a specific “look” or style but essentially, all equipped with the same specs –  hacking seconds via an automatic (but can be hand wound) 4R36 movement, lumi-brite lume and a sporty case which bears more than a passing resemblance to Seiko’s higher specced “SKX” scuba diver’s but definitely not to its specs. Editorially speaking, we are not entirely sure if “desk divers” like ourselves might be willing to fork out extra for a higher specced Seiko SKX when a new Seiko 5 Sport diver with looks straddling from dressy to sportive exists.

Sans screw-down crown and rated to only 100 metres water resistance, it’s not a “professional” diver’s watch like the Prospex or SKX line but 100 metres is seriously sufficient for urban types and hobbyist snorkellers/divers, anything over 100 metres is serious overkill to 99% of the consumer watch market.

Introducing Seiko 5 Sports core editions

Throughout the decades, Seiko 5 Sports has found trans-national appeal as an affordable ‘’go-anywhere’’ watch that offered a unique look thanks to its 4 o’clock crown, robust mechanical calibres and its wallet friendly affordability. Among watch enthusiast circles, the Seiko 5 models are considered the “watch collector’s worst kept secret” becoming a collection synonymous among younger watch lovers and with veteran watch hobbyists as the “guilt-free purchase” thanks to its many designs, dials treatments and aesthetic executions.

New Seiko 5 Sport Price and Specs

Movement Automatic calibre 4R36 with 41 hours power reserve
Case 42mm stainless steel with either gold plate or DLC coating with 100 metres water resistance
Strap Leather, NATO or Bracelet
Price From US280