By Keith Bombrys
As a leader in dive watches around the world, Seiko has continued to show its ability in making the best, top of the line, technologically sound pieces available. They have been the dive leaders in the industry for the past 50 years now. This Japanese based company has single handed taken over the dive watch market and has been in the driving seat since about the 1960s. The 62Mas Reedition is no exception to this. Having access to the piece is the biggest question for most collectors out there.
This dive watch comes to the industry with a new twist on a seemingly timeless concept. The piece is undoubtedly very fashionable and is sure to be a hit above or below the water. This piece, nicknamed the “62Mas” is short for The Seiko 6217-8000/1. The first release of this piece was originally in 1965. The automatic movement of the original piece was very good for its time, the watch was 150m water resistant, the piece came standard with a large for the time 37mm case shaped as a mono-bloc which was in the best interest in the protection of the piece, the dark grey dial, and a wide variation of illumination all throughout the piece.
Today’s version of the original 1965 62Mas is quite a difference from the original although both were and are at the top of the industry respectively. The case is relatively small in today’s world of wrist watches at 40mm, the bezel is illuminated for the perfect dive experience, the black face of the piece is brought out beautifully by the illuminated hour markers (with 12 o’clock marked with a square as opposed to a rectangle). There’s also window date displayed at three o’clock with glass magnification for easy reading and the upgraded 200m resistance to water. Many of the other features of the pixel are very similar to the original pixel just with an added upgrade. The 3D embossed rectangular indexes marking each house are the same, the hands on the piece are the same as the original even down to the luminous paint, and of course the always reliable black rubber strap which Seiko has made so fittingly with their dive watches.
Along with the similarities to the original piece are the modern changes made to this rendition of Seiko’s latest and greatest dive piece. Seiko stamped the front of the face with the classic Seiko logo, as well as their Seiko diving inscription on the back of the case. Obviously, the biggest change from the original is the movement used in the modern piece. Seiko went with their caliber 8L35, which is specifically designed for dive watches and has been custom made for the high-end Seiko dive watches. For more info, please visit seikowatches.com
