If you haven’t noticed already, we’ve been perusing the online aisles of Kibble Watches recently, picking out some of our favourite models from their vast selections of pre-owned watches. I have already hand-picked five of my favourite pre-owned Rolexes while my colleague Richard proved his love for the Moonwatch by focusing on Omega.
Now for one of my all-time favourite watch brands, Seiko. This Japanese watchmaker is already one of the most affordable luxury watchmakers out there when brought new, but for newbies in the collecting world – me included – buying pre-owned Seiko can really scratch the timepiece itch without emptying the bank account. Here are my top 5 Seiko watches currently available from Kibble Watches…
2007 Seiko Orange Monster 1st Gen SKX781
It’s probably obvious why, but of all the pre-owned Seiko watches on offer at Kibble Watches, this 2007 Seiko Monster caught my eye first. The Seiko Monster is arguably one of the Japanese watchmaker’s most easily identifiable designs, recognised by its large toothy bezel and thick central hands coated in lume. And when paired with a bright orange dial like this, there’s no chance you can ignore it.
Reference SKX781K is one of the first-generation orange Seiko Monsters and so a popular one with collectors. It has a large 42.5mm case with a thickness of 12.5mm and stainless steel architecture. It’s most iconic feature, the bezel, is deeply knurled for easy grip and presents a large black engraved 60 minute scale. The explosive orange dial also showcases the Monster’s 12 o’clock tooth-shaped marker alongside additional baton indexes and hands set with lume. Inside is the brand’s in-house Calibre 7S26 which promises a frequency of 21,600vph and a power reserve of approximately 41 hours.
2021 Seiko Alpinist 'Ginza' 140th Anniversary SPB259J1
Another watch with a show-stopping dial is this Seiko Alpinist ‘Ginza’ 140th Anniversary watch. I actually remember covering this model when it first launched and enjoying the unusual complexity of the display. The dial is inspired by the Tokyo district of Ginza, the place the brand has called home for over 140 years. It has a striking spiderweb-like decoration that mimics the Western style stone street paving areas of the neighbourhood.
The dial also has well-suited faceted hour markers, including a cathedral-like 12 o’clock marker, and sharp, sword-shaped hands for the hours and minutes. The seconds hand pays tribute to Ginza’s history with Komparu, a traditional Japanese colour named after Komparu Street where Ginza’s nightlife was once centred. The rest of the watch’s specifications pay homage to Seiko’s 1959 Alpinist sports watch with a 38mm wide and 12.9mm tall steel case, domed sapphire crystal glass, 200 metre water resistance and a metal bracelet. The movement inside is the Calibre 6R35 with a 70 hour power reserve.
2018 Seiko Prospex “Ninja Turtle” Black Automatic SRPC49K1
Now we move onto one of Seiko’s well-known diving watches, the Prospex “Ninja Turtle”. It takes its name from its turtle shell-shaped case and its black hard coating. The overall aesthetic is inspired by the world of night diving, promising a stealthy exterior that in the dark bursts to life thanks to plenty of Lumibrite scattered across the uni-directional bezel, hour markers and hands.
The Seiko Prospex “Ninja Turtle” has a definite presence, sitting on the wrist at 45mm wide and 13mm tall. It utilises black hard coating across the entire exterior, including the screw in crown at 4 o’clock and on the pin buckle of the silicone strap. The bezel is two-toned for easy readability and sits beside Hardlex crystal glass for protection of the matte black dial. Powering the watch is the automatic winding Seiko Calibre 4R36 with 24 jewels, a frequency of 21,600vph and a power reserve of appropriately 40 hours.
2023 Seiko Prospex "Baby Marinemaster" SPB077J1
One of those once-in-a-lifetime watches is the Seiko 6158 diver from 1968, but of course it’s very rare and goes for a mint. Thankfully, our favourite Japanese watch brand have created several interpretations of this design over the years including the MM300 Marinemaster and references like this SPB077J which is loosely dubbed the “Baby Marinemaster” for its similar 6159-inspired aesthetic.
It opts for a 43.5mm wide and 12.5mm tall stainless steel case with Seiko’s Diashield technology for extra scratch resistance. It has chamfered polished edges which lead nicely into the three-row link metal bracelet. There’s the iconic 4 o’clock screw down crown and a unidirectional rotating dive bezel with a black insert. Domed sapphire crystal glass protects the matching matte black dial with Lumibrite across the applied indexes and large hour and minute hands. The watch is powered by the Calibre 6R15 automatic movement with 23 jewels, a frequency of 21,600vph and a power reserve of around 50 hours.
2021 Seiko King Seiko 140th Anniversary SJE083J1
Finally, we’ll end on this Seiko King Seiko 140th Anniversary watch. The history of the King Seiko is a long one, but ultimately, it was born out of a rivalry with luxury counterpart Grand Seiko before eventually being discontinued in 1976. Before the collection was relaunched permanently in 2022, the brand did treat us to several limited edition re-interpretations including this limited edition King Seiko 140th Anniversary SJE083J1 which was created for the brand’s 140-year birthday. No need to say, this edition was met with high expectations and thankfully, in our eyes, it passed.
The King Seiko 140th Anniversary SJE083J1 is one of 3,000 pieces and offers a distinctively dressy aesthetic inclusive of a 38mm wide, Zaratsu polished stainless steel case. It also has a comfortable thickness of 11m, super hard coating and a smooth bezel for holding the box-shaped sapphire crystal glass in place. The sunburst silver dial is as equally elegant, boasting its own Zaratsu polished indexes and hands. Powering the time and date function is the automatic Calibre 6L35 with 26 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour and a 45-hour power reserve. It completes its look with a leather strap and a Seiko signed pin buckle.
In just five watches, you can already see the variety of Seiko watches available to view on the Kibble Watches website. If you’re someone on the hunt for a pre-owned Seiko watch, or any pre-owned watch for that matter, we highly recommend taking a gander at the vast selection of timepieces on their website.
