Seiko has been around for decades, originating in 1881 as a Japanese watch manufacturer. Over the years Seiko has attracted a cult like following to the brand, and rightfully so as Seiko is seen as a budget friendly watch brand that is well respected among watch enthusiasts. Within the Seiko brand there isn’t a more iconic lineup than the Prospex watch lineup. This lineup dates all the way back to it’s inception in 1965 with the original 150M divers watch, a testament of Japanese reliability and an answer to the needs of the time. Throughout the years Seiko has innovated to support the functional requirements of divers, creating pieces such as the 600m WR watch, the 1000m WR watch, computerized dive watches, quartz dive watches, thermometer/depth gage watches, and many more innovative pieces.

Among the various innovations, Seiko has built the Prospex lineup as the backbone of their brand and centered themselves around the world of diving. In order to solidify this link Seiko would pair with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) in 2016, creating various special edition watches with the PADI insignia on them. While PADI has no history of watchmaking they are formally the single largest diver training organization, with over 6,300 dive centers and nearly 136,000 trained PADI professionals worldwide. This syndicate would prove to be a perfect fit between reputations that both PADI and Seiko had collectively built in the world of diving.

What Makes it a PADI Watch?

In actuality there is not much that differentiates a PADI watch from a standard Seiko Prospex watch in regards to the movement or specifications of the watch. Rather, a PADI edition watch features aesthetic differences in the color schemes used and insignia around the watch. All PADI watches are of course branded with the PADI stamp, positioned just south of center, taking the place of the Prospex symbol seen on standard offerings in the lineup. In order to maintain continuity, the Prospex symbol is moved just below the “Seiko” insignia on a PADI watches. The other piece of inscription that is unique on a PADI watch is on the case back, an engraving stating “Special Edition” which contours the case back medallion.

In conjunction with the difference in inscription, majority of the PADI pieces will have slightly different aesthetic details such as a different dial textures and finishes or different color schemes when compared to the standard Prospex watch. Majority of the PADI watches feature a red and blue dial scheme similar to that used within the Professional Association of Diving Instructors logo. However, that is not always the case you will see with a few examples in the current lineup.

To give you a point of reference, below is a comparison of a standard offering from Seiko to it’s PADI variant; below are the SRPE27 versus the SRPD27. Both of these pieces are similarly a Seiko Monster, however one is a PADI edition and the other is not. As can be seen in the image below, aesthetically the watches are very similar and you would be correct in assuming that because the specifications on the watch are identical. The main distinction with the PADI edition is the iconic “PADI” insignia south of center, the “Special Edition” on the case-back, an d of course the red and blue color scheme synonymous with PADI’s logo colors.

Aside from these main differences it has been said that the quality on a PADI piece is slightly better, with a few people reporting no hand to indices misalignment as Seiko’s are typically known for. However, this is just speculation.

Aside form their aesthetic differences with the color scheme, hand colors, and dial insignia, the two pieces are nearly identical in respect to design and internal specifications. Below are the technical specifications for comparison of the two pieces above:

Current PADI Watches:

The current Seiko Prospex PADI lineup has an assortment of offerings that span across various styles of Seiko’s dive watches. Below are the current Seiko PADI offerings:

The Sumo

The Sumo is one of Seiko’s iconic shapes, with two of the Seiko Sumo’s in the current lineup being PADI special editions. The first one is featured in an all black dial with aqua blue hands and aqua blue bezel indices from 0 to 20. Additionally this piece features a 3D raised globe texture on the dial, a sapphire crystal with a bubble day/date window, and a ceramic bezel. The second edition is a bit more traditional PADI, featuring the iconic blue and red colors spread between the dial, the bezel surface, and the red outlined minute hand. This piece, unlike the SRPG19 does not feature a bubble day/date window, has hardlex glass, and comes with a steel bezel rather than ceramic. The specifications for these pieces are shown below:

The Monster:

Within the current lineup there is one offering for the Seiko Monster that has a PADI stamp on the dial. This piece features a black dial and utilizes the blue and red color scheme a bit more subtly between the bezel and the hands of the watch. This piece come standard with a hardlex crystal w/magnified day/date window and a steel bezel. The specifications for the Seiko Monster is shown below:

The Samurai:

The Seiko Samurai is another icon within the lineup, this particular piece has the aqua blue hands paired with the aqua blue bezel indices from 0 to 15. Similar to the Seiko Sumo offering above is the black dial featuring its protruding 3D globe pattern, the black ceramic bezel, and the sapphire glass with a date magnifier. The specifications for this watch are shown below:

The Arnie:

The Arnie is a bit of a non-traditional offering from Seiko with it’s solar based movement, mixing mechanical and digital elements on the dial. The watch also has many other features thanks to the solar movement; these include: an alarm function, a full-auto calendar to 2100, LED illumination, and a power save function. The specifications for this watch are shown below:

Solar

The last two pieces within the current PADI lineup are both solar pieces, one being a smaller 38.5mm and the other being a larger 43.5mm diameter. The smaller piece shares a similar design as a couple of the other automatic pieces with the aqua blue hands, aqua blue bezel indices between 0 and 15, 3D globe design on the dial, and a sapphire crystal. The only glaring difference is of course the size and the fact that this piece is a solar watch, having corresponding insignia stating “Solar” rather than “Automatic” just below the PADI symbol. The second variant is somewhat of a more traditional PADI offering, featuring a dark blue dial and bezel corresponding with red accents on the chapter ring indicators, minute hand, second hand, and crown. The specifications for both of these pieces is shown below:

While the PADI watches are not immensely different from their standard Seiko counterparts, they do offer an enhanced sense of collectorship within the Prospex lineup. As you have seen above, the uniqueness typically comes in the form of differing color schemes, PADI insignia on the dial, and the special edition marked case back.

What do you think of the Seiko PADI lineup? Would you opt for a standard Seiko Prospex or something within the PADI lineup? Let us know in the comments.