Seiko Prospex SRPL53 PADI Special Edition: a in-house dive watch for under $1,000
Zach BlassWhen tool watches were first launched, they were expensive items, but at prices justifiable for professional usage. These days, sports, tool or professional watches have become luxury items, priced far higher than just an account for inflation. So, what is a dive watch that is both high in quality yet lower in price? It may seem like you would be hard-pressed for choice, but at A$975, this new Seiko Prospex SRPL53 PADI Special Edition just might be the one to take a closer look at.
PADI, the world’s largest and most recognised scuba diving training organisation, was founded in 1966, just one year after Seiko introduced the world’s first Japanese dive watch in 1965. So, it is rather fitting that one of the new Seiko Prospex Divers in honour of the 60th anniversary of the first Seiko dive watch is a PADI Special Edition.
The case
The SRPL53 is packaged in a faceted stainless steel case 41.7mm in diameter, 12.3mm thick, and 49.5mm lug-to-lug. Admittedly, for my approximately 6.5-inch wrist, the 49.5mm lug-to-lug is a little longer than I would like, but it’s by no means too long. At 12.3mm thick, it has a reasonable case height. More affordable dive watches tend to be thicker, but 12.3mm is nice and slender for a dive watch. It’s 200 metres water-resistant and screw-down crown-secured – in short, it’s a strong, robust dive watch.
The dial
A dial-matching green bezel insert within the uni-directional knurled steel bezel frames the dial, which sits beneath a Hardlex crystal. I imagine many of you might wish it were sapphire, but Seiko’s Hardlex glass allows the watch to be less expensive while still offering a solid degree of scratch and shatter resistance. Now the dial itself is not a basic green dial, and instead is a smoky green motif dial that creates the picture of looking up at the surface of the water from beneath the ocean. As you all likely know, Seiko and nature go hand in hand when it comes to design language…
A large spear-shaped hours hand, a broad minutes hand, and a triangle-tipped running seconds hand are all filled with an ample Lumibrite coating for visibility in the dark, and the same can be said for its shape, applied hour indexes. You have a full set of applied hour indexes, and a date window placed at the controversial 4:30 position – but Seiko tastefully blends it into the dial with a colour-matched date disc. At 6 o’clock, above where some may have preferred a date window instead, you have PADI branding proudly printed at the position.
The bracelet
According to Seiko, the bracelet has been upgraded from its predecessors (which used press-formed integral links) to a newly shaped solid band with a luxurious feel, boasting cut surfaces on the links that match the linearity of the case. In plain English, it just feels much more solid in hand. It’s a three-link bracelet that begins at 20mm in width and subtly tapers down to its folding clasp with dive-extension and four drilled holes to offer a traditional sense of micro-adjustment.
The movement
Inside, you have an in-house automatic 4R35 movement with 41 hours of power reserve. On the one hand, it is very impressive that Seiko is amongst the very few manufacturers that can offer a watch at this price with a fully in-house calibre. That said, the regulation of the movement, at least on paper, is a bit too strong a reminder of the price bracket you are playing in. The 4R35 is said to have a regulation range of +45 seconds to -35 seconds. This is not to say the movement cannot be regulated to run more accurately, but this is the pledged window. So, unfortunately, you cannot expect COSC-like or COSC-adjacent accuracy out of the box. Fortunately, a routine Google search will reveal that the calibre more often than not performs well within the parameters.
The verdict
For a watch that retails well under US$1,000 and just under A$1,000, I think it is fair to say the SRPL53K, like many Seiko watches, delivers. Not necessarily over-delivers, but delivers. Where Seiko perhaps over-delivers is the sense of in-house pedigree for the price, the rich dial aesthetic, and, in this generation of 4R divers, refined and more wearable case proportions and a high-quality bracelet that feels more solid.
The key distinction is that the fewer quality dive watch options at this price, best case scenario, are a collage of components from suppliers that will ultimately deliver the same movement experience, by and large. Where Seiko has the edge is in its in-house production of the watch inside and out, ensuring a higher quality offering in terms of case and bracelet quality and an in-house designed and manufactured movement. Everything about this watch is proudly made by the maker, branded on the dial – a rare feat at under $1,000.
Seiko Prospex SRPL53 PADI Special Edition pricing and availability
The Seiko Prospex SRPL53 PADI Special Edition will begin shipping around July/August 2025. Price: US$620, A$975
| Brand | Seiko |
| Model | Prospex Sea PADI Special Edition |
| Case Dimensions | 41.7mm (D) x 12.3mm (T) x 49.5mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 200 metres, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Hardlex front |
| Dial | Emerald green, gradation finish |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet, three-fold clasp, secure lock, push button release, extender |
| Movement | 4R35, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, unidirectional diving bezel |
| Availability | From July/August 2025 |
| Price | US$620 A$975 |