Already released as the Japanese Domestic Market (ah, that legendary ‘JDM’ abbreviation that’s been rice-rocket freaks’ and watch aficionados’ darling for so many decades!) models, the 2017 limited-edition Seiko Prospex Diver Scuba Giugiaro Design (available at the time of writing as refs. SBEE001 & SBEE002) is an almost perfect re-issue of the 1980s’ model that had great potential but failed to become an icon of industrial design. One can only welcome the Japanese brand’s decision to give the collection a second chance, even as only a limited-edition model.

Seiko Prospex Diver Scuba Giugiaro: Overall Impression

Why did Seiko decide to reintroduce the watch?

Was it to celebrate its partnership with the legendary Italian design atelier?

✓ Pros: Unusual Design. Time-proven Seiko caliber 7N36. Good legibility.

❌ Cons: The off-centered case and the crown at 7 o’clock can potentially cause ergonomic issues. Sales limited to Japan.

Or, perhaps, the watchmaker simply wanted to jump on the hype train of the recently released Alien: Covenant blockbuster by offering a similarly shaped “off-centered” Lance Henriksen’s wristwatch from the Aliens?

Nevertheless, the world needs a wristwatch that doesn’t look like millions of others, has an idea behind the design, and doesn’t cost like a Porsche 911 plus a year’s supply of gas.

They didn’t (at least, not directly) link the Scuba Giugiaro to the PR campaign that preceded the release of the movie.

Yet, the idea behind the case’s strange shape has been inspired by the deliberately asymmetrical Speedmaster ‘Bishop’ limited edition (and a similarly styled Ripley Watch: a unicorn for every fan of the franchise) worn by Lance Henriksen’s character in the ‘Aliens’.

The Seiko Prospex Diver Scuba Giugiaro takes the idea to an extreme by moving the case to the left of the imaginary line that goes through the black rubber strap.

The design looks more original compared to thousands of inexpensive divers available out there.

It is also more ergonomic, at least for those of us righties who are used to wearing their watches extremely low on their wrists. The relatively long setting crown will no longer bite you into the back of your palm. Not only because they moved the lugs so far to the right, but also because the setting crown is now on the other side of the case.

Lefties, on the other hand, will find themselves in a world of pain, but that’s good: being statistically more talented in most areas, it was only time before a right-handed person would create a watch that would make them suffer for their sins.

The Exterior

Predictably, the shape of the case is the most interesting things about the watch.

The Bezel

The bezel is generic. It sports the usual “diving time” scale and huge, deliberately oversized notches. The latter not only provides a fairly good grip for those operating the diver in thick neoprene gloves but also gives the device an even more “rugged” appearance. It plays nicely with the huge dots on the black rubber patches on both sides of the case.

The markers and bold, boxy Arabic numerals on the bezel are not luminous, but the single glowing dot at “00” (apparently, it is the same LumiBrite compound covering the hands and hour markers on the dial) will work just fine.

It will minimize the visual noise while giving you a good idea of how much time you have left before going back to the surface (or before taking your boiling eggs off the kitchen stove, which is a more common use case scenario for most of these crude timers.)

The Case

Being a sort of “re-issue” (there are a few subtle differences between these new watches and the originals, but they seem to be limited to the dials,) the watches seem to be almost identical to the OG watch.

They sport the same mildly oversized diameter of 43.80 millimeters (boy, they looked HUGE only three decades ago!) and a lug-to-lug width of just 48 mm thanks to their short lugs.

Yes, guys from Giugiaro Design knew a thing or two about ergonomics: despite being larger than an average “diver,” this one will take less space on your wrist than a lot of modern dress watches!

When it comes to vertical space, it is not as impressive (at least, for a quartz-powered timekeeper with just 200 meters of water resistance.)

Still, I would wager that you would be pleased with how comfortable it is on a wrist. Just 11.20 millimeters from top to bottom (with, perhaps, two-fifths of this occupied by the aforementioned extra-thick bezel and a sapphire crystal that, too, appears to be slightly thicker than usual,) it will fit nicely under most shirt (or jacket) cuffs.

The Crown

You may not pleased about the position of the setting crown (it will make correcting the timekeeper’s reading a real pain for most persons,) yet, being a “re-issue,” there was nothing that Seiko could have done about it.

On the other hand, a quartz-powered watch doesn’t need to be re-adjusted as often as one sporting a mechanical movement. So it isn’t a real problem here if you weigh in the extra comfort of a wristwatch that would never bite you in the palm of your hand with its long crown.

The Dial & Legibility

Even though I like the blue and white color scheme better, the gold PVD-plated one looks more interesting and, surprisingly, easier to read.

Kudos, of course, go to the way the bold hour markers, as well as all three hands (this seems to be the only thing that is visually different between this “re-issue” and the version from the 1980s), are now blacked-out and filled with white LumiBrite luminous compound.

While the same elements on the ‘blue’ version predictably look too fat and sort of bloated without a nice black frame around them, on the ‘yellow’ model they look surprisingly slim. They also work better with the black ring on the unidirectionally rotating bezel with its gold-colored markers and numerals.

Unlike their many recent divers and military-styled timekeepers, this one has a lot more balanced appearance. There are no deliberately exaggerated elements aside from the bezel, and no gimmicks whose main purpose is solely devoted to hi-jacking your attention while scrolling through thousands of “affordable” divers on Amazon.

I also can’t praise the brand enough for its decision to remove the “Professional” inscription from the dial. This is not a professional diving tool and I think that it never was: even by the standards of the 1980s the inscription was misleading.

The Mechanism: Seiko caliber 7N36

As the engraving on the solid back tells us explicitly, only the mechanism is of purely Japanese origin here: the gadget itself is assembled in China.

Still, Seiko has set up a thorough quality control process on their Chinese plant, so there is a good chance that the timekeeper’s land of origin won’t spoil the satisfaction of owning this beautiful “homage” in the slightest.

Ah, Yes: The Case-Back Cover!

Should have mentioned it in the “The Case” paragraph, but, oh well… Speaking of the case back cover, I should admit that I admire the finish. The Seiko Prospex Diver Scuba Giugiaro’s back has a nicely done ‘wave’ pattern on it. It seems to be not just stamped on the metal cover, but also polished and -if eyes don’t lie- finely machine-brushed or sand-blasted for an even more ‘premium’ look.

The only thing that stings my eye a little is the Giugiaro Design logo below the medallion. The way it touches the ‘wave’ is a bit untidy.

Also, given how bright both versions are, I would probably prefer to see the three dashes below the GD letters filled with colors of the Italian flag as it is done on the brand’s original logo. It probably wouldn’t raise the cost in any noticeable way, but would at the same time make the watch look even more expensive.

Back to the Movement

The movement that powers this timekeeper is the good old Seiko caliber 7N36: a great quartz engine that is known for its reliability and long lifespan.

Not one of the most accurate mechanisms out there (the official specification allows for monthly deviation of plus/minus fifteen seconds,) it is nevertheless a more than adequate choice for this gadget. Back in the 1980s, it powered a whole plethora of inexpensive divers, most of which are still in perfect working order (yet, as you can see on numerous eBay listings, in need of some serious work in the cosmetics department.)

Besides the usual hours, minutes, and central seconds, the mechanism also rocks two calendar wheels: one for date and the other, which is closer to the center, for the current day of the week.

Being a piece of old technology, the mechanism predictably doesn’t feature solar charging technology or other means of saving the planet, but it uses a fairly large battery that will be good for approximately four years. Not particularly impressive, but at least you will have a chance to regularly test the gadget’s water-resistance and also earn a respectful nod from a service person: they probably rarely see this sort stuff in their daily life.

Pricing & Availability

As was the case with other recent iterations of “Giugiaro Design” watches, the Diver Scuba is not that expensive even for your average quartz-powered diver.

Released as a Japanese Domestic Market (aka JDM) model, the ref. SBEE001 will retail for just ¥40,000, while the ref. SBEE002 will set you back at a slightly higher ¥45,000 (at the current exchange rate, this roughly translates to €325/$365 and €365/$410 respectively, taxes are not included.)

WWR Verdict

Originality 5/5
Build Quality: 4.5/5
Usability: 3.5/5
Overall Legibility: 5/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Photos: Seiko (Source) / WorldWatchReview.com (collages)

Seiko Prospex Diver Scuba Giugiaro Design (refs. SBEE001 & SBEE002) specification

Price: ¥40,000 (MSRP, ref. SBEE001) / ¥45,000 (MSRP, ref. SBEE002)
Power: Quartz
Movement: Seiko caliber 7N36, 23.3mm x 2.5mm, Made in Japan
Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month
Number of jewels: 1
Power reserve: Approx. 48 months (depending on use and temperature variations)
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, day of week
Case: Stainless steel / “Gold” PVD-coated steel
Shape: Round, off-centered
Bezel shape: Round
Size: 43.80 mm (48.00 mm lug-to-lug)
Case height: 11.20 mm
Dial: Blue / Yellow
Numerals: Arabic (diving scale on the bezel)
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Luminous
Water resistance: 200 meters
Strap: Black silicon strap with stainless steel buckle
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Solid, engraved, screw-down