Among Seiko?s releases today are a set of cushion cased divers that fall within their Prospex family, and you might view them as a perfect balance between the SPB149 and the SPB153 (and their ilk). They are the SPB313, 315, and 317, and if past is precedent, we?ll likely see more built on this platform in the coming year. The three launch colorways (white, black, and gilt) won?t surprise you, and if you?re a fan of the classic Seiko diver aesthetic, you?ll find these watches to be right at home, and just in time for summer. 

These three watches will live in the upper-middle ground of Prospex watches, priced around the $1,000 mark, further building Seiko?s arsenal of premium divers that use the 6R35 movement. These new references make a lot of sense between the skin-diver type case of the SPB149 watches, and the full-on asymmetrical case of the Willard watches. Here, we find a symmetrical cushion case that measures 41mm in diameter, and will lay a bit flatter on the wrist at a touch over 12mm in thickness. The crown is integrated into the case just beyond the 4 o?clock marker, and the case as a whole tucks in toward the lug for a tidy appearance.
The dial design here is in line with what we?ve seen on the Willard references, with a few small changes that make a notable difference. The hour markers are a bit smaller all around to account for the slightly smaller size of the watch, and the date window, which is now circular, has been moved to 4:30. The disc is colo...