Seiko Prospex The 1959 Alpinist Re-Creation SJE085
The Seiko Prospex The 1959 Alpinist Re-Creation SJE085 pays tribute to the Japanese brand’s first sports watch. This new model emulates the appearance of the vintage model with some glorious period details while also including some modern-day features that enhance the day-to-day ownership experience.
This year, Seiko is celebrating its 140th anniversary. The Japanese firm has a rich history punctuated with the release of several iconic watches. Over the last few years, an increasing number of horophiles have discovered the firm’s Presage and Prospex collections, recognising the impressive quality-price ratio that Seiko regularly delivers.
Prospex has become a popular choice for those individuals seeking a premium divers’ watch, a horological genre favoured by desk divers and sporty types alike. I was therefore surprised to learn that Seiko’s first sports watch was not a divers’ model but a timepiece intended for ‘mountain climbers and recreational field sports enthusiasts’. Released in 1959, Seiko’s first Alpinist watch proved popular in Japan, however, over the years, its reputation has grown and it is now known to watch aficionados around the globe.
Image – The original 1959 Alpinist watch
To celebrate an important landmark in its history, the brand has released three contemporary versions of the vintage model, each aptly named the ‘1959 Alpinist Modern Re-Interpretation’. In addition, the firm has unveiled the Seiko Prospect The 1959 Alpinist Re-Creation SJE085. This latter model will inevitably cause Seiko fanatics to salivate thanks to its many period-correct details.
Image – Seiko Prospex The 1959 Alpinist Modern Re-interpretation SPB243
The stainless steel case measures just 36.6mm in diameter, a size that would have been popular back in 1959. Dauphine-style hour and minute hands lucidly impart meaning. The hours are marked with batons, save for the cardinal points which feature triangular indexes. Both the indexes and said hands are treated with Lumibrite, augmenting legibility in dim light. Additional indications include a central sweep seconds hand along with a date display, positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock. Purists may point out that the original 1959 watch lacked a date display, however, Seiko does not market the SJE085 as a carbon copy of the original, but rather a sympathetic recreation.
The dial sits beneath a retro-style box-shaped sapphire crystal. At the heart of the watch is a modern slimline movement, the automatic Calibre 6L35. This movement has a frequency of 28,800 vph (4Hz) and features 26 jewels. Assuming the mainspring is fully wound, the watch will run autonomously for 45 hours. Lastly, the watch is presented on a leather bund strap and is limited to 1,959 pieces.
‘Approximate recommended retail price in Europe: €3,000’ (as at 25.2.2021)
The brand’s press release
It was in 1959 that Seiko’s first Alpinist watch was introduced to meet the needs of mountain climbers and recreational field sports enthusiasts. From the start, it was well received and, over the ensuing decades, its reputation spread far beyond the Japanese market for which it was first intended. Remarkably, it was the first Seiko watch ever produced with sports in mind and it blazed a trail that led to the development of many landmark timepieces and timing devices for sports, from stopwatches to diver’s watches, in the decades that followed. While its core character has remained unchanged, its design has evolved over time. Today, the first Alpinist watch from 1959 is re-born in a re-creation that has the high functionality that characterizes the Prospex collection, whose very existence owes so much to the first 1959 Alpinist.
As striking today as it was 62 years ago.
Born in 1959 as the Seiko Laurel Alpinist, this watch was a new departure for Seiko and marked its entry into the sports watch arena. It had a screw-back case to prevent dust or sand particles from entering the case. It had a sturdy leather cuff band to protect the watch from perspiration. The indexes and the hour and minute hands all had luminous inserts ensuring high legibility in the dark, and the name Alpinist was evoked in the mountain-shaped markers at the three, six, nine, and twelve o’clock positions. These four clearly differentiated markers represented the four main points on a compass and, with the specially designed marker at twelve o’clock, allowed the time to be read safely and correctly at any angle. This was a feature that became central to the design of many subsequent Seiko sports watches and remains so still today.
The re-creation brings the 1959 Alpinist back to life in every detail. The generously sized markers are, as before, set against a black gloss dial. White minute markers form an inner ring on the dial base, just as on the original. Of course, the indexes and the hour and minute hands are coated with Lumibrite for legibility in the dark. The glass is a box-shaped sapphire crystal that re-creates the gentle feel of the original watch’s characteristic domed glass. The watch is presented on a leather strap that has the same jagged stitch design as its predecessor.
A slimmer profile and upgraded specifications
While the re-creation is faithful to the original design, it has been brought right up to date in technology and has the high specifications and functionality for which Prospex is renowned. It now incorporates a date window between four and five o’clock and is water resistant to 10 bar. The box-shaped sapphire crystal is treated with an anti-reflective coating on the inner surface, delivering high legibility. The watch is powered by the slimline Caliber 6L35 which has a power reserve of 45 hours. Despite the addition of a date and the enhanced performance, the case is just 1.0mm thicker.
The re-creation will be available as a limited edition of 1,959 at the Seiko Boutiques and selected retail partners worldwide in August 2021.
Further reading
https://www.seikoboutique.co.uk/