When we talk about Seiko dive watches, so much of the conversation revolves around the affordable enthusiast favorites. Basically anything with an SPB prefix in the reference number, which covers your Willards and the modern interpretations of the legendary 62MAS, plus the universe of watches that sit at sub $1,000 price points – Monsters, Samurais, Turtles, and so forth. Seiko?s higher end professional/luxury divers are a bit rarer, but have a definite appeal for the hardcore Seiko lover, and the brand has just announced a pair of special edtions for US market that fit this particular bill. These Prospex badged watches have the specs of the toolish watches that are Seiko?s bread and butter, but come packaged in premium, collector focused sets that even include matching cufflinks. Not exactly what we think of when the words ?Seiko dive watch? hit our inboxes. 
The new SLA053 and SLA059 are built on the same platform as the SLA047 (released earlier this year) and other divers that take Seiko?s 6159-7001 as a starting point. Seiko buffs will recognize that reference as the brand?s first dive watch with 300 meters of water resistance. First introduced in 1968, the 6159-7001 was well ahead of its time, featuring a monocoque case for increased water resistance, and a new high frequency movement, a first for a professional diver. The new watches seen here are true to the heritage of the 6159-7001, and feature similarly constructed monocoque cases (meaning they ca...