Seiko has announced the Prospex HBB002, a limited edition dive watch that commemorates two milestones at once: PADI’s 60th anniversary in 2026 and a decade of collaboration between the watchmaker and the world’s largest recreational diving training organization. It’s a straightforward premise for a limited edition, and Seiko has executed it on the King Turtle platform, which remains one of the more dependable dive watch formats in the brand’s lineup.
The dial is where most of the commemorative work happens. Taking direct cues from PADI’s 60th anniversary logo, it combines blue and red accents with a globe motif that spans the surface. A red central seconds hand and matching red “Diver’s 200m” text above six o’clock reinforce the color story. Applied hour markers and broad hands carry Lumibrite lume, and a day-date display at three o’clock sits behind a cyclops integrated into the sapphire crystal. Whether the globe motif reads as elegant or busy will depend entirely on how you feel about branded anniversary dials, and that’s probably the first honest question to sit with here.
The King Turtle case underneath is unchanged, which is either a selling point or a non-starter depending on your wrist and your tolerance for 45mm dive watches. The stainless steel cushion case runs 13.20mm thick, with the screw-down crown at four o’clock, alternating brushed and polished surfaces, and 200 meters of water resistance. The blue ceramic bezel insert adds some durability credentials to what is otherwise a familiar package. Seiko isn’t reinventing anything here, and it isn’t trying to.
Power comes from the Calibre 4R36, an automatic running at 21,600 vph with roughly 41 hours of power reserve, hand-winding, and hacking seconds. The watch ships on a stainless steel bracelet with a diver’s extension, and Seiko also includes a black silicone strap printed with the full “Professional Association of Diving Instructors” name, which is a nice practical addition for anyone who actually plans to get this wet.
Production is capped at 8,000 pieces worldwide, with availability starting in July 2026 at $750. At that price point, it sits in competitive territory for a branded King Turtle variant, and the question most collectors will weigh is how much the anniversary context adds to the value case for them personally. The underlying watch is sound. The dial will do most of the deciding.
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Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.