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Seiko Gave Its Most Important Dive Watch An Overdue Refresh
The Marinemaster name carries a lot of weight in the Seiko world, and it’s had an interesting few years. After resurfacing in 2023 with a set of compact skin divers that caught people off guard, the line returned to proper 300m dive watch territory in 2024 with the SLA077 and SLA079. Now, Seiko is refining that formula again with two new references: the Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver HBF001 and the JAMSTEC Limited Edition HBF002. Both draw from the same 1968 Hi-Beat 300m Diver (ref. 6159-7001) blueprint we’ve seen before, but the upgrades here are meaningful enough to consider.
Oris Aquis New York Harbor II Review: A Dive Watch With Real Character
I’ll be honest. I didn’t realize how much I missed having an Oris Aquis around until this one showed up. A few years back, I spent some time with an older Regulator, and that watch stuck with me more than I expected. The case shape, the way it sat on the wrist, the Oris rubber strap. It all came together in a way that just worked for daily wear. Since then, I’ve kept a loose eye on the line. Oris has been steadily evolving the Aquis through dial variations and limited editions, trying to give the platform more personality without changing the core formula. Some of those releases worked for me. A lot of them didn’t.
Eco-Drive Turns 50 and Citizen Is Celebrating With a Wild Titanium Watch
I’ll admit, I purposely sat on this one for a couple of days. Citizen announced the Eco-Drive Photon earlier this week to mark the 50th anniversary of its Eco-Drive technology, and the online response has been, well, split. People seem to either love it or want nothing to do with it. Count me in the camp that thinks Citizen might be onto something here. There’s a vibe to this watch that reminds me of pieces from H. Moser & Cie. or MING, and the fact that we’re talking about a $1,000-ish Citizen makes that comparison all the more fun.
Squale Just Launched a No-Nonsense 37mm Dive Watch
I’ve gone back and forth on Squale way too often. Every few months, something on Gnomon Watches catches my eye, I start configuring one in my head, and then I move on. I got close to pulling the trigger on one of the brand’s GMT models once, like Kaz did but it never happened. So when the Squale Sub-37 Legend showed up this week, I’ll admit the timing felt right. A compact, no-date diver at 37mm with a strong vintage design language? Hard to ignore.
Citizen Celebrates 50 Years of Eco-Drive with a Hand-Dyed Washi Dial
I’ve come close to pulling the trigger on a few of Citizen’s higher-end Eco-Drive watches over the years, and each time I talked myself out of it. Not because the watches weren’t impressive, but because the right one never quite lined up with the moment. Now, Citizen is making the decision a little harder. The brand has just announced “The Citizen” Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition (ref. AQ4091-56W), marking five decades since it introduced the first solar-powered analogue watch back in 1976.
