Japanese watchmaker Seiko is well established as an ideal entry point for diving watches. Its Sport 5 Series — named for the five qualities that should be embodied by any Sport 5 watch — takes on the mantle of the brand’s heralded but discontinued SKX line. For both its aesthetic and quality, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another watch in the Sport 5’s approachable price range of $200 to $500.
I was given the SRPG53, the dial of which is split into quarters with four different colors and is the only of the three planned for continued production. It’s the first diving watch I’ve ever owned and now joins my vintage ‘60s Omega Constellation to make a timepiece collection of two.
Part of what’s held me back from wearing a dive watch, besides a lack of surplus dough, is the heft they’re known for. My wrists are as skinny as any girl I’ve dated, and the Constellation I usually wear daily works well for me with a more unisex size. But to my surprise, the beefy Seiko 5 Sports collaboration didn’t overwhelm my wrist as much as I’d expected.
While I love the way the Seiko watch makes me feel, I’m also in love with its functionality. Having all three of the time, date, and day of the week at hand is a treat, and I’ve been blown away by how luminous the hands and hour markers are in even slight darkness. They’re charged up by light during the day and shine gloriously when I step into somewhere as poorly lit as my apartment building’s hallway.
Because I still work from home, I also appreciate the SRPG53’s 40 hours of movement after I stop wearing it. My few trips outside to the park or grocery store during the week aren’t necessarily watch occasions, and I can leave my Seiko sitting much longer than my Omega without having to reset the time.
One day, I hope to add a Rolex or more modern Omega to my collection, but I can’t ever imagine leaving my humble Seiko out of rotation for long. Its red, green, yellow, and blue dial brings a sense of irreverence to my outfit that I often find myself looking down at and smiling. If this really is just the beginning of my dive watch days, it could not have started with more fun.
Rowing Blazers’ Seiko SRPG53 is still sold out for now, but you can sign up for restock notifications on the brand’s website. I’ll avoid any trite time puns, but trust when I say you don’t want to sleep on that occasion. And even if this particular Seiko 5 Sports isn’t on the cards, there are plenty of other watches to be found from the line.