Few dive watches, historical or modern, enjoy such persistent praise from knowledgeable aficionados as those produced by Seiko. With a vast catalog of offerings at many different price points and levels of precision, the Japanese brand excels in producing watches that appeal to a wide variety of enthusiasts. Recently, Seiko once again revisited its archives to introduce two new vintage-inspired divers. The dual release includes the SPB239, which is a re-interpretation of Seiko’s first dive watch from 1965 (aka the 62MAS), and the SPB237, which a revamp of another noteworthy Seiko diver from the 1970s.

Like many previous watches that Seiko has produced in a neo-vintage style, both of these new models channel many of the signature historical attributes of their historical predecessors while adding upgraded materials, finishing, and colorways, as well as slight adjustments to their silhouettes. The watches follow up on the 55th anniversary quartet of releases launched in 2020, two of which also recalled the historical watches referenced here.
Most notable about this pair of new releases is their shared use of a new water-resistant fabric strap (above). The straps use a traditional braiding technique from Japan called ?Seichu,? which according to the brand provides them with a tensile strength four times stronger than that of previous fabrics used in its watches. This material also offers greater resistance to degradation via water and sunlight.

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