Seiko Revisits Its Roots In Sports Watches

Seiko revisits its roots in sports watches with the evocative Prospex The 1959 Alpinist Re-creation

- Alvin Wong

Fancy a Seiko pop quiz? How many years do you reckon Seiko took to come up with its first bona fide sports watch? Twenty years? Fifty? Somewhere in between? The answer: 78 years since the company’s founding. It was almost, for some, an entire lifetime. But certainly, just the right amount of time Seiko felt it needed to be ready to enter the sporting arena.

Armed with a high-contrast, time-only dial, screw-down caseback to prevent dirt from messing with the movement inside, and a bund strap for extra fortification, the Seiko Alpinist was introduced in 1959 and pitched as an accompaniment for mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts. Coming on the back of decades of Seiko innovations that included the making of Japan’s first pocket- and wristwatches, as well as shock-resistant devices, the Alpinist would prove to be the catalyst for many of the company’s iconic sports watches that are now offered under the Prospex line, which span land, air, sea and even ‘street’ themed collections.