One of my favourite places in the world is Iceland. I’ve been there several times now, and it’s a country that never fails to impress me. There’s just a never-ending list of sights to see; there’s the famous Blue Lagoon, exploding geysers, Europe’s largest waterfall and the world’s only place you can snorkel between two continents. The latter is called Silfra and surprisingly, it’s the latest natural marvel that Seiko is choosing to commemorate in their latest European exclusive limited edition.
Seiko SRPK77K1 - Credit Seiko
If you have any intention of visiting Iceland, I urge you to hire a car and drive the Golden Circle route. From Reykjavik, you can drive a perfect circle to three of South Iceland’s biggest sights. These include Gullfoss waterfall, the Great Geysir and finally Thingvellir National Park. The last location is Iceland’s first National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site so you can expect plenty of breathtaking scenery and nature. It’s also the meeting point between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates which you can both walk through, and snorkel through.
Named the Silfra fissure, this snorkelling location is the only place in the world you can dive between two continents. It also has some of the clearest water in the entire world and according to Seiko’s good friend PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), they believe it to be in the top 5 diving places on the globe. Anyway, I digress. Back to watches!
Seiko SPB431J1 - Credit Seiko
The two new releases from Seiko are suitably named the Seiko Prospex Silfra watches and include a beefy Sumo model under reference SPB431J1 and a circular Tortorise watch under reference SRPK77K1.
The former model is a clear representation of Silfra with beautiful blue and teal-green colouring to embody the fissure’s clear water. The Prospex Silfra Tortoise watch feels a little less tropical, but with its mossy green hues better embodies the moss-covered terrain that surrounds the water.
Seiko SPB431J1 - Credit Seiko
Let’s start with the Seiko Prospex Silfra Sumo watch, simply because it reflects the Icelandic sight best in my opinion. The large-sized Sumo case measures to a hefty 45mm wide and 12.9mm thick with the classic 4 o’clock screw in crown, sapphire crystal glass and a three-link metal bracelet. It has a 200-metre water resistance and a uni-directional rotating bezel with a beautiful blue and green gradient insert.
To match, the dial of the Seiko Prospex Silfra Sumo European Exclusive Limited Edition has a very clever deep blue gradient and textured finish. The blue darkens at the left and right, replicating the view you’d see diving in Silfra with the two continents on either side of you. On top, you have the mawashi-inspired 12 o’clock marker, rounded indexes and sword-shaped hands with Lumibrite, a neon green seconds hand and a date window at 3 o’clock. The Seiko Prospex Silfra Sumo watch is powered by the 6R35 automatic movement with a 70-hour power reserve and -15/+25 seconds per day accuracy.
Seiko SRPK77K1 - Credit Seiko
Meanwhile, the Seiko Prospex Silfra Tortoise watch has an entirely different aesthetic, one definitely better suited to land than water. The overly round, tortoise shell-inspired case is engineered from steel and sits at 42.4mm wide and 11.7mm tall. It has its own gradient rotating bezel, but this time one printed with a compass scale in dark green and grey. To match, the dial is done in a very dark green, almost grey colour with a concrete like texture to evoke the landscape surrounding Silfra.
It has the same 200 metre water resistance, sapphire crystal glass and plenty of Lumibrite across the dial. The second hand isn’t luminous but instead coloured in contrasting orange, and the date window sits between the 4 and 5 o’clock markers. Like its blue-coloured counterpart, it comes on a stainless steel bracelet and is delivered with an additional rubber strap. Finally, it is powered by the Calibre 4R35 automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve and -35/+45 seconds per day accuracy.
Seiko SPB431J1 - Credit Seiko
Annoyingly, I much prefer the architecture and sizing of the Tortoise model but I like the teal-green colouring of the Sumo best, simply because it better reflects the body of water it is inspired by. If that combination was there, I’d seriously consider snapping one of these limited editions up purely so I can wear it to my trip to Iceland next year. But what do you guys think?
