A Pair of Fantastic Seiko Special Editions in My Collection
The Seiko 5 Rowing Blazers collaboration and the Seiko Prospex PADI diver
Earlier this month, I got a tip from a watch enthusiast group chat that the Seiko Rowling Blazers color block was back in stock. I remember that when three colorful watch models from this collaboration were released in June 2021, I tried but failed to buy one. The limited edition and special edition pieces were gone in no time. So, I knew that such an opportunity didn’t come often and this small batch would sell out quickly. I spared no time in grabbing the Seiko 5 Sports Rowing Blazers Special Edition SRPG53 at the Seiko website!
With this happy acquisition, I got a pair of Seiko special edition sports watches. The other one is the Seiko Prospex PADI Special Edition SRPA21 I bought in 2018. PADI stands for Professional Association of Diving Instructors and is a long time partner of Seiko. I got my PADI diving certificate in Santa Barbara many years ago. That was why I fell in love with this blue diver watch with the PADI logo on the dial. It is an outdoor companion where I took it for swimming and beaches. What a colorful pair and they share the same movement inside!
Owning one or more Seiko watches is a common experience that many watch lovers share. To vintage watch collectors, the long history of Seiko (founded in 1881) offers a vast selection of different watches made over the years. The modern collection is equally attractive and affordable. Globally, Seiko’s current watch collection includes the following sub-brands: Astron, Prospex, Presage, King Seiko, Seiko 5 Sports, Lukia and Seiko Premier. The high-end brand Grand Seiko has been marketed separately to stand out more.
Seiko 5 Sports Rowing Blazers Special Edition SRPG53
Seiko is a prolific collaborator with many partners to produce intriguing watches, long before many other watch brands started to do so. Such collaborations have brought delight to avid watch enthusiasts and collectors all over the world. Seiko 5 is an entry level brand started in 1968 which was rebranded to “Seiko 5 Sports” in 2019. To offer exciting models to watch lovers of all ages, Seiko 5 Sports launched a number of highly coveted collaborations with Street Fight V, Naruto & Boruto, Evisen Skateboards, graphic designer Guccimaze, BAIT, Yuto Horigome, One Piece and Brian May (coming in April 2022).
On June 17, 2021, Seiko 5 Sports announced a collaboration with Rowing Blazers, a hip fashion brand combining classic British and American style with the latest trends in streetwear. While the young brand might be new to watch folks, avid watch collectors should all know Eric Wind, an active participant of this collaboration, as he was the college roommate of the founder of Rowing Blazers, Mr. Jack Carlson. Mr. Eric Wind is a veteran of the watch industry and is currently the owner of Wind Vintage.
Three models were released including the 500-piece limited edition SRPG49, the 500-piece limited edition SRPG51 and the special edition SRPG53. The “special edition” means that there is no hard limit on the number of the production, but the volume is still low and may end after the duration of the collaboration. That was why I got a chance to purchase the SPPG53 when it was back in stock briefly just last week.
The difference among the three models lies in the design of the bezel - ranging from a checkered pattern, a red zig-zag pattern, to a red/blue/green/yellow color block. The dial is black and there is a day/date display at 3 o’clock. The day display is bilingual and includes English and one other language (usually Spanish, German or Japanese). The day wheel is long enough to display 2 languages (14 symbols), so why not? The case diameter is 42.5mm. The crown is not screwed down yet it offers 100 meters water resistance. Both a stainless steel bracelet and a nylon strap are provided.
The watch is powered by Seiko 4R36 automatic caliber which is used in many of the Seiko models. The movement can be viewed from a see-through case back. One interesting touch here is the display of one of Rowing Blazers' "house codes", a contemplative skeleton, together with the words TEMPVS FVGIT. It is a Latin phrase, usually translated into English as "time flies". This is very similar to the genre of skull watches telling the same message of seeking the day.
The color block bezel design is my favorite because the four colors are exactly the same colors in the Google logo. I had worked for Google for 4.5 years, therefore, the coincidence in the colors just occurred to me when I saw the picture of this Seiko watch for the first time. There is a Google employee watch club who had special-ordered watches from Nomos with Google logo colors used as small decoration. This piece showing the Google logo colors prominently would be a perfect Google company watch, haha.
Seiko Prospex PADI Special Edition SRPA21/SRPE99
The Prospex series name was derived from “Professional Specifications”. It is clear that the Prospex collection is positioned as the high-end tool watches for Seiko encompassing divers, field watches and pilot watches. The water resistance of the Prospex diver watches is designed to be at least 200m and up to 1000m.
The collaboration with PADI may be considered a marriage made in heaven. The PADI logo on the dial is special even for folks who are “desk divers”. It worked on me at least :). While I did have a PADI diving certificate in the past, I have not had a chance to go diving for a very long time. The SRPA21 is for me more of a swimming watch and beach watch.
There have been a number of collaboration watches between Seiko and PADI. The one I own, SRPA21, is still in current production except with a different product reference number SRPE99. The two models are essentially the same. It is a common complaint about Seiko’s model numbers that are hard to remember. Fortunately, there are many nicknames for Seiko watches given by watch lovers such as Tuna, Samurai, Arnie, Sumo, Sea Urchin and Shogun. The nickname for SRPA21 and others in the Prospex series with the same design came obviously from the watch’s curved, shell-like case shape. What a wonderful name for a dive watch!
The SRPA21/SRPE99 has a case diameter of 45mm and comes with a screwed down crown for 200m of watch resistance. The case back is closed with the display of “Air Diver’s 200m” wording and the matching wave logo (yes, the different wave logo matches with the water resistance specification). The movement inside is 4R36, the same as the one in the Rowing Blazers collaboration models. It is a solid professional tool-watch for divers through and through.
With the Rowing Blazers color block acquisition, I have a pair of colorful Seiko special edition watches. They are fun watches to wear and look at. The awesome selections offered by Seiko, especially the variety of collaborations, provide every watch enthusiast something to call their own. The best part is that owning these watches will not cost an arm and leg. If you like the Rowing Blazers color block, watch out for future drops from Seiko. Enjoy the search and your new discovery.