Seiko SPB143 Review – The Quintessential Seiko Diver

The year was 2020, and the vibes, as we used to say, were far from immaculate. The nation was paralyzed by the unknown while simultaneously infatuated with a man known as the Tiger King. 

As a watch enthusiast, I could hardly be bothered by the chaos of a global pandemic as I had my own crosses to bear (although I did get caught up in the Tiger King craze…..weird times!) I had important research to do! All of a sudden, “What watch would you wear in an apocalypse?” seemed a lot more pressing and a lot less hypothetical.

While searching for the piece that would accompany me through anything, I was immediately interested in a watch that would soon be released and set the watch world into a frenzy. The Seiko SPB143. 

It was far from the first time that Seiko released a reintroduction of their iconic 62MAS design, but it was the one that got it right. I immediately pressed pause on Netflix and did what any self-respecting watch enthusiast would do: I became obsessed!

A few months later, this watch was in my hands, and I was ready to go on some adventures, albeit socially distanced. Was this watch the perfect piece I dreamt it would be? Did I finally achieve Watch Nirvana and find my forever watch? Spoiler alert: No and no. Let’s take a look at this darling of the watch community nearly 4 years later and relive the journey.

About The Seiko SPB143

Before jumping into the recreation, we need to spend a little time appreciating the original. By 1965, many of the dive watches we know and love today were already in existence. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Rolex Submariner, and Omega Seamaster had already solidified themselves as the premier tools for professional divers. 

At the same time, the Zodiac Seawolf, as well as many other Skin diver watches, had carved out their own niche in the recreational side of the growing dive community. 

Seiko introduced their first dive watch, model 62MAS, which provided 150M of water resistance and a 37mm case dimension. The Gray dial and black rotating bezel helped to give this watch a unique look against its black-dialed competitors, but in terms of Seiko Divers, this was a very uniform design. 

It wasn’t until years later that the signature 4 O’Clock crown and cushion cases of the Seiko watches we know today became prevalent. The 62MAS is where it started, and if you are looking for a Seiko dive watch that looks and feels familiar, this is the design you’re after.

Case & Materials

The Seiko SPB143 is a 40.5mm dive watch closely resembling the color scheme of the original 62MAS. The Gray dial and 120-click black steel bezel help to give this watch a neutral color scheme that, outside of a formal event, never feels out of place. The look and dimension of this watch are what set it apart from previous iterations.

4 years ago, a modestly sized Seiko dive watch was a bit of a unicorn, especially at 13.2mm thick and 47mm lug to lug. Although slightly behind the trend of competitors like Tudor, this is the watch that opened up the likes of other small wrist-friendly watches, such as the SPB313.

Movement

The movement of the SPB series of watches is the Seiko 6R35, an In-House movement featuring a 70-hour power reserve and a surprisingly wide range of acceptable daily variance at -15/+25 seconds per day. 

I have owned several Seiko watches featuring this movement, and my feelings are somewhat mixed. If you are coming from a Sellita or ETA comparable movement, the accuracy will feel like a bit of a disappointment. What you lose in accuracy, however, you more than make up for in robustness. 

This movement is the epitome of a workhorse and will more than likely outlive you with even the slightest of care. Given the apocalyptic scenario, this criteria seemed far more important than a few seconds of accuracy at the time.

Dial

Adorning this watch, you will see Seiko’s legendary LumiBrite lume and dial finishing much more fitting of a watch 2x or 3x the price. The polished indexes are accented by baton-style hands featuring both mirrored and brushed finishes. The case finishing feels more industrial than something like what you would find with a Black Bay from Tudor. 

The Diashield coating provides an extra layer of protection, ensuring that, unlike the Black Bay, this Seiko will look this great 6 months or even 6 years down the line. The 200M of water resistance and date, either with or without lume plot given the year of production, ensure that you have an ISO-Certified dive watch capable of far more than 99.9% of us will ever throw at it.

Strap Options

The watch was originally sold with a solid stainless steel bracelet featuring the Diashield coating and a large diver’s extension. Combine this with the fact that the bracelet hardly tapered and had a very slight gap where the end link met the lugs, and I’d say this is where Seiko took a slight shortcut. This bracelet is usable and certainly better than anything you’d see on a Seiko dive watch from 5 previous, but it fell kind of flat for a $1,200 watch. 

Thankfully, this can be easily remedied with a cheap spring bar tool and one of the thousands of great NATO, rubber, or even leather straps (I’m not judging….just kidding, of course, I am judging). There are even several third-party bracelets with fitted end links that, although the color will be ever so slightly lighter, thanks to the lack of Diashield, fix a lot of the concerns with the OEM bracelet.

The Seiko SPB143 is a watch that I feel everyone needs to try. Is it perfect? Far from it. But will it make you question whether or not you need to spend more on a watch? I think it will. The level of watch sickness you find yourself inflicted with will determine if that feeling is fleeting or not. 

If you are looking for a tool watch that will be there through thick and thin and become a partner in your everyday adventures, the SPB143 will be hard to beat. If you are looking for a watch to help substitute the desire for another watch you have had your eye on, this will more than likely fall short of those expectations (in all honesty, even the watch you have had your eye on will fail to meet the unrealistic expectations we often put on them).

Should You Buy A Seiko SPB143?

Let’s pick back up with my story. Tiger King has been resumed, and I am back living my day-to-day life, albeit with a face mask and a newfound case of paranoia anytime someone comes near me. 

The Seiko SPB143 is accompanying me on most of my adventures (hiking, kayaking, biking, day drinking, all of the hobbies I excelled in during the pandemic), and for the most part, I was happy. If you keep this watch on your wrist and forget about it, it’s hard not to love. 

Unfortunately, this is where my story takes a turn from the happily-ever-after I expected. I found a new watch. This new watch had a better movement, slimmer proportions, a significantly better bracelet, and its own 2020 hype moment. 

That watch is, of course, the Black Bay 58 with the new blue dial. I foolishly thought that there was a world in which both of these beautiful dive watches could exist in my 3-watch collection. As it turns out I was wrong. 

I found myself favoring the Tudor for most of my adventures, and my one prized Seiko suddenly started collecting dust. Maybe it was the 3x price of the Tudor that made me feel as though I had to wear it, or perhaps it was just the fact that it solved many of the minor faults I found in the SPB143. Either way, a few short days later, I no longer owned what I once considered the perfect Seiko.

So, if it wasn’t for me, who exactly is the Seiko SPB143 for? This watch is an incredible option for someone looking for a watch with which to experience life. If the adventure is more important than the watch’s accuracy on your wrist while you do it, then you’ll love the watch’s robustness. As much as I wanted to be this type of enthusiast, I simply fell short. 

Seiko SPB143 Alternatives

When it was released in 2020, the SPB143 was a game changer. Its modest but thoughtfully considered design made the case and dial feel premium for a watch of $1,200. There was almost no competition or alternatives to consider. A lot has changed in four years. 

Japanese rival Citizen has introduced their own compact and robust dive watches, while the Swiss have managed to produce some great affordable alternatives thanks to the power of the Swatch group. As it turns out however, the Seiko SPB143’s greatest competition comes from within in the form of other Seiko dive watches.

Seiko Prospex SPB421 1965 Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation U.S Special Edition

In watch enthusiast circles, Seiko is known for doing 2 things extraordinarily well. First is creating stunning watch dials at affordable prices, and the second is releasing limited edition watches. Thankfully, with the SPB421, Seiko leans into both of their strengths to deliver a watch that is fundamentally the same as the SPB143, yet so different. 

The textured blue dial was designed to pay homage to the icy surface of the Alaska Moulins, which may or may not make you feel a certain way. If the creative marketing team at Seiko doesn’t have you sold, the Grand Seiko inspired textured blue dial certainly will!

Seiko Prospex SPB423 1965 Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation U.S Special Edition

Blue not your color? The Seiko SPB423 delivers the same functionality as the Seiko SPB143, with the dial texture of the previously mentioned SPB421, but delivers it in a stunning light to dark gray gradient dial.  If you love the functionality of the SPB143 but want a dial that provides a more interesting finish while still remaining neutral, this may be the version you are after.

Seiko Prospex SPB453 1965 Heritage Diver’s

In 2024, Seiko did something that very few watch enthusiasts saw coming. They provided a refresh to the 62MAS reintroduction of their Prospex line. The new SPB453 is very similar to the SPB143 line while sporting a more discrete 4:30 date window and a traditional black dial and bezel combo. The case is slightly reduced down to 40mm, while the lugs are slightly shorter, and the thickness is dropped down to 13mm. You’d be hard-pressed to pick the two apart in a lineup. That is, of course, until you slap the watch on. 

The stock bracelet, while not perfect, is a significant update and solves many of the minor annoyances with the original. If you are in the market for a Seiko SPB143 but want the most current spec with a refined execution, the SPB453 is an excellent option.

Seiko Prospex SPB455 Seiko Brand 100th Anniversary 1965 Heritage Diver’s Special Edition

Thanks to Seiko’s unwavering commitment to provide a dive watch for every watch enthusiast regardless of their personal style preference, we have the SPB455. This watch carries over all of the refinements of the previously mentioned SPB453 but adds a touch of gilt, and the dial and bezel are slightly muted to a gray charcoal color. There is no doubt that this iteration has its sights set directly on the original Tudor Black Bay 58, and given the price savings, it is certainly a worthy competitor.

Seiko Prospex SJE101 Marinemaster 1965 Diver’s Modern Re-interpretation

The Seiko SJE101 Marinemaster is the most interesting 62Mas reintroduction produced today. The refined styling matches more closely to a Rolex Submariner, While the pricing, at roughly $2,800, is a little more than 2x the SPB series and significantly less than anything produced by Rolex or even Tudor for that matter. 

The 6L37 movement powering this watch is a nice improvement from the 6R35 in the SPB143, but the accuracy is still noticeably behind anything produced by Hans Wilsdorf and company. If you look past the accuracy of the movement, this watch may be the biggest sleeper entry-level luxury watch on the market today!

Conclusion

So, there you have it! A long-winded recap of my adventure-ready watch, along with a few alternatives that certainly would have piqued my interest if they were around in 2020. The SPB143 is still a watch that I would recommend to any watch enthusiast. It is uncomplicated and really good at what it aims to be good at. 

The details that pushed me away from Seiko and into the arms of their Swiss rivals are trivial to most people, especially those with more sense than money. Thanks to my unnecessary Tudor upgrade, I have proven myself to no longer have either of those!

Happy watch hunting!