The Seiko Alpinist is a favorite among enthusiasts for its history, value, and very specific brand of rugged elegance that isn?t particularly common elsewhere in the Seiko lineup. Seiko has been refreshing the Alpinist line over the last year with updated Prospex badged models, and a line of more minimal, smaller versions of the Alpinist without the iconic compass bezel. The latest Alpinist, a European exclusive release, presents the full size Alpinist in a gray colorway inspired by a mountain sunset. 

Image via Fratello

For a watch called the Alpinist, gray seems like a natural color choice, so it?s a bit surprising we haven?t seen a variant quite like this before. I don?t know about you, but when I think of the type of mountain setting that Seiko wants us to conjure with the Alpinist range, snow capped peaks with gray skies come to mind, and that seems like the tone Seiko is going for in this release. The SPB201J1, in addition to its matte gray dial, features accents of red, white, and silver, all of which are meant to evoke the ?sunset? theme. Regardless of the natural phenomenon that pops into your head when you wear this watch (if any at all), I think the colorway absolutely works, particularly in the way the numerals and hour markers pop against the gray background of the dial. The red accents on the compass bezel provide just enough contrast to be functional and lend some visual interest whether you make use of the watch?s orienteering capabilities or not...