The sub-series Alpinist has been one of my favourites. In the collection, I have the first modern Alpinist, the SARB017, the digital model SBEB013, the modernized SPB117 and a special re-creation, SJE085.
For the 110th anniversary of Seiko's first wristwatch, the company launched limited edition timepieces in a number of sub-lines. One of the sub-lines is the Alpinist. This new variant comes with an added twist - a GMT movement while still retaining the DNA that makes the Alpinist famous.
Seiko has been vary prolific in 2023 when it comes to GMT functionality. A number of new models with their new GMT movement was launched throughout the year with a lot of positive feedback. The Alpinist was also given the GMT option.
I decided to get the silver dialed version which is a limited edition design with has a total circulation limit of 3,000 units. I got it from AWG Mid Valley
The Story Behind the 110th Anniversary
Although the history of Seiko began in 1881, it was only in 1913 did the company produced Japan’s first wristwatch, the Laurel. Below is the watch that started the Seiko brand.
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| The 1913 Laurel |
To commemorate this milestone, Seiko decided to create limited edition timepieces for the
Presage, Prospex, Astron, and 5 Sports lines. On 9 September 2023, Seiko announced the list of limited editions for this important milestone, the 110th anniversary of Seiko's first wristwatch. Three timepieces under the Presage line, two under the Prospex line and one each under the Astron and 5 Sports lines. Below is the list of the timepieces and some of their specifications for reference.
Presage, Prospex, Astron, and 5 Sports lines. On 9 September 2023, Seiko announced the list of limited editions for this important milestone, the 110th anniversary of Seiko's first wristwatch. Three timepieces under the Presage line, two under the Prospex line and one each under the Astron and 5 Sports lines. Below is the list of the timepieces and some of their specifications for reference.
 | Seiko Presage Craftsmanship Series: SPB401 Caliber 6R27 Frequency: 28,800 BPH Power reserve: 45 hours Number of jewels: 29 Specifications Stainless steel case with super-hard coating Enamel dial Dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface See-through screw case back Diameter: 40.2 mm, Thickness: 12.8 mm Water resistance: 10 bar Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m Leather strap with three-fold clasp with push button release Recommended retail price in Europe: €1,400 Limited edition of 1,500 |
 | Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series: SPB413 Caliber 6R55 Frequency: 21,600 BPH Power reserve: 72 hours (3 days) Number of jewels: 24 Specifications Stainless steel case with super-hard coating Dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface See-through screw case back Diameter: 40.2 mm, Thickness: 13.0 mm Water resistance: 10 bar Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m Leather strap with three-fold clasp with push button release Recommended retail price in Europe: €1,150 Limited edition of 2,000 |
 | Seiko Presage Style60’s: SSK015 Caliber 4R34 Frequency: 21,600 BPH Power reserve: 41 hours Number of jewels: 24 GMT function / Independent 24-hour hand adjustment function Specifications Stainless steel case Box-shaped Hardlex crystal See-through screw case back Diameter: 40.8 mm, Thickness: 13.0 mm Water resistance: 5 bar Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m Leather strap with buckle Recommended retail price in Europe: €670 Limited edition of 3,500 |
 | Seiko Prospex Speedtimer 1/100 sec Solar Chronograph: SFJ009 Caliber 8A50 Solar Chronograph Chronograph with 1/100th second counter at two o’clock, 1/10th second counter at 10 o’clock and seconds counter at 12 o’clock 60-minute counter at six o’clock during chronograph operation Specifications Stainless steel case and bracelet with three-fold clasp with push button release Curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface Diameter: 42.0 mm, Thickness: 12.9 mm Water resistance: 10 bar Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m Additional leather strap with three-fold clasp with push button release Recommended retail price in Europe: €1,100 Limited edition of 3,500 |
 | Seiko Prospex Alpinist: SPB409 Caliber 6R54 Driving system: Automatic Frequency: 21,600 BPH Power reserve: 72 hours Number of jewels: 24 GMT function / Independent 24-hour hand adjustment function Specifications Stainless steel case and bracelet with super-hard coating, three-fold clasp with push button release. Curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface Screw-down crown, see-through screw case back Diameter: 39.5 mm, Thickness: 13.6 mm Water resistance: 20 bar Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m Additional leather strap with three-fold clasp with push button release Recommended retail price in Europe: €1,500 Limited Edition of 3,000 |
 | Seiko Astron GPS Solar: SSJ019 Caliber 3X62 GPS-controlled time and time zone adjustment Perpetual calendar correct to the year 2100 High Speed Time Zone Adjustment Signal reception result indication Power save function Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month (without receiving a GPS signal and at temperatures between 5°C and 35°C) Specifications Titanium case with super-hard coating Sapphire crystal with super-clear coating Diameter: 41.2 mm, Thickness: 12.0 mm Water resistance: 10 bar Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m Leather strap with three-fold clasp with push button release Recommended retail price in Europe: €2,000 Limited edition of 800 |
 | Seiko 5 Sports: SRPK41 Caliber 4R36 Vibrations: 21,600 BPH Power reserve: 41 hours Number of jewels: 24 Specifications Stainless steel case and bracelet with three-fold clasp with secure lock & push button release Curved Hardlex crystal See-through screw case back Diameter: 39.4 mm, Thickness: 13.1 mm Water resistance: 10 bar Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m Additional leather strap with three-fold clasp with push button release Recommended retail price in Europe: €460 Limited edition of 6,000 |
The Series
Under the Alpinist GMT series, there are three models available. These are:
 SPB377J1 |  SPB379J1 |  SPB409J1 |
| Blue sunburst dial Blue leather strap Standard production MSRP RM5,800 | Black dial Black leather strap Standard production MSRP RM5,800 | Silver sunburst dial Stainless steel bracelet Limited Edition 3000 units MSRP RM7,200 |
I like the blue but the silver dial version is more flexible with the addition of the standard bracelet in the package.
The Watch
The story of the Alpinist has been covered extensive in this blog (see SARB017,SBEB013, SPB117 and SJE085). Suffice to say that the SPB409J1 is the first mechanical GMT to grace the line (there were others before but powered by quartz movements). Made out of stainless steel with super-hard coating, the watch has a diameter of 39.5 mm with a length of 46.4 mm and a thickness of 13.6 mm. The Alpinist DNA is unmistakable, with a well-protected screw-down crown and a secondary crown at 4:00. As an extra, due to the addition of a GMT hand, a fixed bezel with a 24-hour scale is also provided.
The SPB409J1 has a silver-toned brushed dial with blue-coloured hands. The hands are still shaped in a cathedral style. All four hands are coated with LumiBrite and a date complication can be seen via a round aperture located at 4:30. This choice of location for the date aperture is good as it eliminates the need to sacrifice a hour marker. Another positive is that Seiko dispensed the need for a magnifier which can be divisive to a lot of fans.
An important element of the Alpinist, is the inner rotating bezel with a compass scale. Controlled with the secondary crown, the inner bezel is bidirectional. The angled surface of the inner bezel is cream in colour and the markers are printed in black in a combination of lines, numbers and letters except for the letter 'N' which is painted red.
There are two sets of scales on the watch. The primary hour scale has a combination of applied Arabic numerals and triangular markers in a golden tone. The secondary scale is a sub-second style with combination of lines as well as LumiBrite dots set in a track at the end of the dial.
There are six lines of texts and logo on the dial. The brand is applied while the Prospex logo is painted on the dial. Both are located in the upper quadrant of the dial. The rest of the texts, such as 'GMT', 'AUTOMATIC 3 DAYS' and '20 BAR' can be clearly seen at the bottom quadrant. Meanwhile, the last and smallest texts with the words 'JAPAN 6R54 -OOAO R 3" can be found near the train-track scale at 6:00.
Protecting the dial is a slab of curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface. The crystal is surrounded by a fixed bezel that has that explorer-style 24 hour markings which has been cut into the surface and painted black. On closer inspection, the edge of the crystal is beveled.
The primary crown is a screw-down but minus any symbols. This is a pity. The SARB17 has a nice 'S' on the top of the crown but when Seiko launched the SPB117 it became sterile. A lot of fans commented and complained about this. I though Seiko would acknowledge the requests of fans and bring back a marking on the crown (even the Prospex logo is acceptable) but unfortunately, the brand has decided otherwise. Meanwhile, the secondary crown is similar except for one aspect: the top of the secondary crown has a dimple unlike the primary crown. I suppose this is to give a tactile feel to differentiate between the two.
The primary crown is a screw-down but minus any symbols. This is a pity. The SARB17 has a nice 'S' on the top of the crown but when Seiko launched the SPB117 it became sterile. A lot of fans commented and complained about this. I though Seiko would acknowledge the requests of fans and bring back a marking on the crown (even the Prospex logo is acceptable) but unfortunately, the brand has decided otherwise. Meanwhile, the secondary crown is similar except for one aspect: the top of the secondary crown has a dimple unlike the primary crown. I suppose this is to give a tactile feel to differentiate between the two.
The curved lugs do not have pass-through lug holes to facilitate ease of strap replacement. It is 20.0 mm wide. The bracelet tapers slightly to 18.00 at the clasp. The signed clasp is a simple push button release with two micro-adjustment points provided. The bridge that joins both sides of the bracelet is machined instead of stamped metal. This enhances the overall quality of the watch.
Do note that as part of the limited edition offering for this watch, an additional brown leather strap with clasp is provided in the packaging.
The screw-down case-back has a display window made of sapphire. This is the second variant to have a display case-back. Through it, one can see the new Seiko 6R54 automatic GMT movement (this caliber was launched in March 2023). This movement has 24 jewels and operates at 21,600 BPH and delivers 72 hours of power reserve. It also has a magnetic resistance up to 4,800 A/m and has an accuracy precision of between +25 seconds/day to -15 seconds/day. The 6R54 allows one to set the 24-hour GMT hand independently. This makes the movement an office GMT rather than the more elegant traveler’s GMT. In this case, one should read the local time on a 24-hour scale when traveling.
Despite this watch being part of the 110th Anniversary of Seiko's first wristwatch limited edition offerings, the only notation on this matter was the words 'LIMITED EDITION' printed in black at the center of the display case-back. There is no other information with regards to the unit number of my model relative to the other 3,000 units. Very strange. The reference number for the watch is also generic: 371562, which conforms to the numbering methodology of Seiko i.e. the watch was made in 2023 in the month of July and is the 1,562 lot produced. Does anyone knows why Seiko decided not to number this limited edition piece? If you do, please note it in the comment section below. In any case, I am going to provide a feedback to Seiko to remedy this in future limited edition offerings.
Comparison Between The Various Alpinist In The Collection
As highlighted earlier, before the SPB409J1, I have already collected the SARB017, SBEB013, SPB117 and SJE085. For a more meaningful comparison, I will exclude the SBEB013 as it is a digital quartz timepiece and not strictly comparable the the other Alpinists.
SPB409J1 Limited edition of 3,000 units Bracelet + leather strap 3 hands, GMT hand + Date Cathedral-style hands Internal compass bezel Display case-back Curved sapphire Caliber 6R54 W.R. 200 meters |  SARB017J1 Standard production Leather strap 3 hands + date Cathedral-style hands Internal compass bezel Non-display case-back Flat sapphire Caliber 6R15 W.R. 200 meters |
 SPB117J1 Standard production Bracelet 3 hands, date + magnifier Cathedral-style hands Internal compass bezel Display case-back Flat sapphire Caliber 6R35 W.R. 200 meters |  Limited edition of 1,959 units Bund leather strap 3 hands + date Dauphine-style hands No compass bezel Non-display case-back Boxed sapphire Caliber 6L35 W.R. 100 meters |
Personally, I cannot appreciate watches with magnifying cyclops on the crystal. When compared to the original Alpinist which is represented by the SJE085J1 and the modern Alpinist represented by the SARB017J1, my money is with the modern interpretation. It has all the hallmarks of a watch fit for a mountaineer. The original Alpinist design is rather generic. Fitting the additional GMT functionality in the SPB409J1 is truly the icing on the cake.
The Wearing Experience
Having the watch with a sub-40 mm wide casing makes it a comfortable timepiece to wear for long periods of time. To be able to use as intended, the strap should be leather or cloth. For the SPB409J1, Seiko did provide a leather alternative to the bracelet.
Below is a video of the watch on my wrist.
I find the watch to be extremely useful. Although the price is rather on the high side (although Seiko may find it justifiable to increase the price-point of their watches due quality improvement and brand franchise, it effectively alienates a good proportion of their current fan base which are cost conscious) I still feel that this watch is value-for-money. As a wearer, the watch can be used is all occasions, may it be formal, up a mountain slope or snorkelling in the sea.
My suggestions for future iterations are as follows:
- Quick-release lug bars for bracelet & straps
- Pass-through lug holes for ease of strap replacement
Final thoughts, the SPB409J1 is a great candidate for the ‘best general purpose watch’ at the moment.
The manual for the 6R54 is provided below.
Specifications
Thickness: 13.6 mm
Diameter: 39.5 mm
Lug-to-lug: 46.4 mm
Diameter: 39.5 mm
Lug-to-lug: 46.4 mm
Lug Width: 20.0 mm
Crystal: Curved sapphire
Dial: Sunray-brushed silver paintedCrystal Coating: Anti-reflective coating on inner surface
Luminous Paint: LumiBrite on hands and index(es)
Bracelet: Three-fold clasp with push button release
Additional Strap: Brown leather strap with three-fold clasp with push button releaseCaliber: 6R54
Movement Type: Automatic with manual winding
Precision: +25 to -15 seconds per day
Frequency: 21,600 BPH
Power Reserve: Approximately 72 hours (3 days)
Jewels: 24
Functions: 24-hour hand (dual time display function), stop second hand mechanism, date
Magnetic Resistance: 4,800 A/mWater Resistance: 20 bar
Weight: 156.0 gm
Features: Screw-down crown, see-through case back, internal compass bezel
Purchase Date: 20 October 2023
MSRP: RM7,200; EUR1,500
Launch Date: 6 September 2023 to celebrate 110 anniversary of Seiko's first wristwatch
Availability: Limited edition of 3,000 units, October 2023
Purchase Price: RM5,300
Dealer: AWG Mid Valley
Warranty: One (1) year
Serial Number: 371562
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