Seiko will soon unveil its first Spring Dive “Tuna” dive watch, the Prospex Marinemaster SBDB008. Water resistant to 600 m, the SBDB008 has a titanium case with gold coated components.

Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SBDB008

Seiko’s shrouded dive watches, nicknamed “Tuna” for their resemblance to tuna cans, now include for the first time a Spring Drive model. The new Marinemaster SBDB008 is a 600 m dive watch with the cal. 5R65 Spring Drive movement which has a 72 hour autonomy, power reserve indicator and date. Akin to its Tuna brethren, The SBDB008 is extremely large, with a height of 16.2 mm. The diameter is 50 mm, just like the 1000m, titanium and ceramic SBDX011. And like all Seiko divers this has a rubber strap. The case and and shroud are titanium – DLC coated shroud and gold-plated inner case and back – with gold coated bezel, crown and shroud screws. This gold and black aesthetic was originally only with a quartz movement as the 7459 “Gold Tuna”. Because this is a Spring Drive model, the hands and indices were redesigned and are very different from its automatic and quartz compatriots. According to Seiko, the new hands and dial improve underwater legibility. With a launch date sometime in July, the SBDB008 will retail for ¥399,000 inclusive of 5% tax, which works out to about US$3917. It is a limited edition of 300 pieces. Like most of Seiko’s recent launches, the Grand Seiko 44GS reissue for instance, the Marinemaster SBDB008 is to mark the 100th anniversary of Seiko’s first wristwatch, the Laurel. – SJX