Seiko Prospex The 1959 Alpinist Re-creation SJE085J1 Limited Edition - Something Fundamental is Missing, A Review (plus Video)

The first Seiko Alpinist I bought was the SARB017 back in 2013 when I had the opportunity to visit Tokyo, Japan. The link to the review can be found here. Although the Alpinist line is synonymous with the forest green dial and internal map bezel, the genesis of the line - The 1959 Seiko Laurel Alpinist - is dissimilar. 
 
In early 2018, Seiko announced the end of the production for the SARB017. As a replacement, in late 2019, Seiko announced a new set of Alpinist with upgraded specifications slated for worldwide delivery starting January 2020. I then took delivery of the SPB117J1 (click here to read the review). By then, Seiko has been issuing a number of limited edition re-creations of their iconic models and I suspect the original Alpinist will be up for a relaunch in the very near future. I just need to wait patiently.

After 62 years, Seiko finally decided to re-introduced the original via The 1959 Alpinist Re-creation with reference number SJE085J1 but under the Prospex line. Seiko decided against resurrecting the original Laurel line. A pity actually especially after Seiko re-introduced the King Seiko line recently (see the review here).  

I was made to understand that my dealer only ordered one. Earlier, I have already instructed my dealer to immediately put in an order when the watch is available for sale. My dealer executed the order perfectly and he was able to immediately confirmed my booking. I waiting for four months before it finally came.

The 1959 Seiko Laurel Alpinist 

It can be said that the 1959 Seiko Laurel Alpinist was the first specialist sports watch created by Seiko. The watch was specially designed for Japanese mountain climbers. There is a misconception that Seiko's first sports watch was the 62MAS for divers. In reality, the diver was only issued in 1965, six years after the Laurel Alpinist. This misconception was partly due to the different marketing strategies used between the two watches. The Laurel Alpinist was directed towards the Japanese market whereas the 62MAS was marketed globally. As such, the mass majority of people saw the 62MAS as Seiko's first sports watch.

Seiko introduced the watch with the intention of it becoming a reliable timepiece for Japanese mountain climbers or "Yama-otoko" and other sports enthusiasts alike. The production of this watch was important because it was the first real attempt at making a sports watch by Seiko.

The 1959 Seiko Laurel Alpinist with reference number J14041 was a simple three-handed watch powered by the Seikosha 17 jewels hand-wound movement. It has a diameter of 35 mm and paired with a sturdy leather bund strap. The crystal was acrylic and the you have a choice of either black or cream coloured dial. The movement beats at 18,000 BPH. The Dauphine style hands and index markers are inserted with luminous paint which aided legibility immensely.

Strictly speaking, the 2021 re-creation timepiece is not a direct copy to the original. It has some differences as seen in the photo above. A major departure is the addition of a date complication which was missing in the original. Also, the Laurel branding is no longer there.

The 2021 Offerings

This year, 2021, Seiko decided to revive the iconic design with the launch of a re-creation which is a limited edition timepiece and a set of three re-interpretation standard models. These watches were officially introduced to the market in February 2021 via a press release. Product delivery is expected to be by August 2021.

SJE085 Limited edition (1959 units) Calf bund strap Caliber 6L35 Diameter: 36.6 mm Thickness: 11.1 mm Water resistance: 10 bar Approx. MSRP Europe: €3,000	SPB241 Standard model Bracelet Caliber 6R35 Diameter: 38.0 mm Thickness: 12.9 mm Water resistance: 20 bar Approx. MSRP Europe: €750
SPB243 Standard model Bracelet Caliber 6R35 Diameter: 38.0 mm Thickness: 12.9 mm Water resistance: 20 bar Approx. MSRP Europe: €750	SPB245 Standard model Horse strap & folding clasp Caliber 6R35 Diameter: 38.0 mm Thickness: 12.9 mm Water resistance: 20 bar Approx. MSRP Europe: €730

Apart from the different coloured dials, the major design differences between the re-creation and the re-interpretation timepieces is the case size, the choice of movement and the location of the date complication.

The Watch

Like the genesis, the SJE085 also has a no-frills design and in a size seldom seen in a modern contemporary sports watch. The DNA of the original design is clearly seen in the shape of the indexes and hands. At 36.6 mm in diameter, the SJE085 is slightly larger than the original but compared to other modern sports watches, it is tiny.

Made out of stainless steel, the watch has polished and brushed surfaces. As mentioned earlier, the watch has a diameter of 36.6 mm and a height of just 11.1 mm despite having a substantial boxed sapphire crystal above the dial. Lug width is 18 mm and the lug-to-lug length is 43.8 mm. 

The watch has a black gloss dial. The large applied hour markers with its unique rectangular and triangular forms are like the original. So is the Dauphine style hands. Meanwhile, the white minute markers form an inner ring on the dial base. As expected of a Seiko sports watch, the indexes and the hours and minutes hands (and partially the tip of the seconds hand) are coated with Lumibrite for illumination.

There are three lines of text on the dial. On the upper quadrant is the brand painted in white paint. On the lower quadrant is the text "Automatic" in cursive form and also painted in white. At the extreme bottom edge of the dial are the texts "JAPAN 6L35 -OOFO R 2" in very small font size. Compared to the original 1959 model, the sub-series brand "LAUREL"  as well as the words "Alpinist" and "DIASHOCK 17J" are no longer there.

Here I like to take a minute to contemplate on the elimination of the word "Alpinist" on the dial of the SJE085J1. I personally does not have an issue with Seiko reclassifying the model under the Prospex line instead of the original Laurel sub-group. However, this watch is supposed to be the genesis of the now-legendary Alpinist series. It is therefore very surprising not to see that particular word on the watch where all Alpinists before this (including the original) had it. Although Seiko may have its reasons, from a market perception, this is a major misstep. Replacing that important notation with the word "Automatic" does not do it justice one single bit.

At 4:30, a small date aperture has been cut into the dial. The addition of a date complication is unique only to the SJE085J1 and not to the original. Nevertheless, using a black disk for the date wheel does blend it nicely with the black dial.

Protecting the dial is a boxed sapphire with anti-reflective coating provided on the inner surface of the crystal. The boxed crystal does add a few additional millimeters to the height of the watch. 

The crown is located at 3:00. The button-shaped crown in sterile with a thin side gear-tooth surface for grip. The crown is a simple push-in/pull-out system with three positions. The first position is for manual winding, the second position to adjust the date and the third position to adjust the time. I find the crown to be a tad too small for me to get a good purchase to manually wind the mainsprings. My fingers are constantly slipping from gripping the crown. Having the bund strap also does not help as it interferes in manipulating the crown properly. More about this later.

The lugs on the SJE083J1 is 18 mm wide. It has passthrough lug holes to facilitate easy strap replacement. The lugs have a classic design to them, thin and long, with a couple of faceted surfaces.

The case-back is a steel screw-down plate clean from any graphics. Apart from a few large texts, the only significant information listed of note are the limited edition serial number as well as the water resistance level of the watch. Seiko warrants a water rating of 10 Bar or 100 meters. This is more than sufficient for this explorer watch in its intended role. 

Underneath the case-back is the 6L35 caliber movement by Seiko. The 6L35, operating at 28,800 BPH or 4 Hertz is an automatic movement with a date complication. It has 26 jewels with a power reserve of 45 hours through a Spron 510 mainspring. Like most modern Seiko movement, it has a seconds hand stopping mechanism when adjusting the time as well as hand-winding capabilities.

This watch is paired with a seldom seen strap design; the bund strap. The bund straps were first issued to German aviators during WWII. The bund is a protective leather backing that comes between the wrist and the watch. So no matter how hot or cold the environment, the wearer would suffer no consequence. A metal watch case could never scald or freeze to a wrist due to that extra backing.

The calf leather for the strap is dark brown in colour while the calf leather for the bund is of a lighter brown or grayish in colour. With a width of 18 mm at the lugs, the strap tapers to 16 mm at the ends. It has thick white zigzag stitching at the sides which provides a friction surface to keep the strap securely in place.

Note the strap guide is fixed but designed in a diagonal alignment to the strap. Also, the buckle has an extended "S" that goes beyond the cross plate. 

Due to the bund, the watch wears high on the wrist. It is good thing that the watch is already thin hence the overall exaggerated height is not too excessive. 

Straight out of the box, the bund is rather stiff and acts like a leaf-spring i.e. you need to hold on to the straps rather firmly when putting it on the wrist as the bund wants to snap back straight which may cause one to lose control and drop the watch. It took me at least a week of constant wearing before the bund naturally follows the curvature of my wrist (more-or-less).

Seiko's famous illumination in the dark is present on this watch. Above is a picture I took of the LumiBrite paint in action.

The Wearing Experience

The bund strap does take time getting used to. Although the watch is only 36.6 mm wide, the bund strap makes it feel much bigger. It also sits higher and more prominent on the wrist. Below is a video of the watch on my wrist.

The SJE085J1 is a very simple watch with contemporary features. It's call-to-fame is the linkage it has with the genesis of the Alpinist line, the Reference J14041. Although Seiko did a fine job in making the linkage, it wasn't perfect. The important component missing is the 'Alpinist' notation that should have been added to the dial. Omitting this very important aspect negates the 're-creation' pitch used when marketing the watch. For me this is very disappointing. The only reason I bought this watch is because the hype and the commitment I gave to my dealer to put in an order even before it was officially available for sale. If I knew how it would look, I doubt I'll buy the watch.

The Packaging

Seiko made a special watch-box for this limited edition timepiece, a beautiful lacquered rectangular wooden box. 

Internally, the box is lined with a beige velvety cloth material.

 

Specifications 

Brand: Seiko 

Model: 1959 Seiko Prospex Alpinist Re-Creation 

Reference Number: SJE085J1 

Diameter: 36.6 mm 

Thickness: 11.1 mm 

Lug Width: 18 mm 

Lug-to-Lug: 43.8 mm 

Weight: 63.5 gm

Case Material: Stainless steel 

Crystal: Boxed sapphire with anti-reflective coating 

Case-Back: Solid screw-down plate 

Dial Color: Black Lume: LumiBrite 

Water Resistance: 100 meters 

Strap/Bracelet: Calf strap with bund 

Caliber: 6L35 

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and stop-second-hand function 

Power Reserve: 45 hours 

Winding: Manual and automatic 

Frequency: 28,800 BPH (4 Hertz) 

Jewels: 26 

Accuracy: +15 to -10 seconds per day 

Magnetic Resistance: 4,800 A/m 

MSRP: USD2,950; EUR3,150; RM13,500 

Availability: August 2021 

Limited Edition: 1,959 pieces 

Date Purchase: 2 September 2021 

Purchase Price: RM11,475 

Serial Number: 1338/1959 

Vendor: AWG Mid Valley Megamall

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