Introducing The Seiko 5 Sports × Pepsi Limited Editions — Are These The First Watches With Official Pepsi Bezels?
When people mention Pepsi in the watch world, they refer to the red and blue colors on a GMT or dive bezel. Rolex’s GMT-Master was the first watch with such a bezel, but Seiko also made numerous watches with red and blue bezels. In a surprising turn of events, Seiko has now launched two new watches in an official collaboration with Pepsi. The Seiko 5 Sports SRPL99 is a 38mm dive watch with a Pepsi dive bezel, while the Seiko 5 Sports SSK047 is a 42.5mm GMT watch with a Pepsi bezel. Both proudly feature the Pepsi name on the dial and case back, come in a Pepsi-can-inspired box, and are limited to 7,000 pieces.
In 2023, G-Shock launched two watches in collaboration with Coca-Cola. You can also find quite a few Swatch watches with Coca-Cola designs. However, as far as we know, there has never been an official collaboration between a major watch brand and Pepsi.
Seiko’s first watch with a red and blue bezel was likely the 6139 “Pogue” Chronograph from 1969. You can read more about that one in Mike’s article. Another classic in Seiko’s collection with a Pepsi bezel is the SKX009. For many people, like Thomas, the SKX009 was their first mechanical watch. In addition, there are many more older and newer Seiko watches with Pepsi bezels. But again, none of those were made officially in collaboration with Pepsi. Let’s take a quick look at these new officially licensed Pepsi watches.
The Seiko 5 Sports SRPL99 — ’90s Pepsi style
I’ll start with the smaller 38mm stainless steel SRPL99. This version is inspired by Pepsi cans from the ’90s. That’s why the watch with the classic SKX-style case has a silver sunburst dial. Other design tweaks are the blue indexes, hands, and, of course, the ’90s Pepsi logo at six o’clock. A unidirectional Pepsi dive bezel surrounds the dial. The first crucial 20 minutes are red, the rest is blue.
Inside ticks Seiko’s automatic 4R36 movement. That’s the same movement used in the recent re-editions of the “Gene Kranz” 6119-8460 Sports Diver. The movement runs at a frequency of 21,600vph, features 24 jewels, and holds a power reserve of 41 hours. That’s all fairly standard, but its magnetic resistance and Pepsi-animated semi-transparent case back are a nice bonus. The Seiko 5 Sports SRPL99 comes on a stainless steel Oyster-style bracelet and is water resistant to 100 meters. It costs €380 and is limited to 7,000 pieces.
The Seiko 5 Sports SSK047— Zero Sugar Pepsi style
Next up is the Seiko 5 Sports SSK047 with a slightly bigger 42.5mm SKX-style case. This time, the design is inspired by Pepsi’s current line of Zero Sugar options. That’s why the case has a hard black coating all around, and also the dial is black. Like in the previous version, the indexes are blue, but here, only the seconds hand is also blue. The hour and minute hands are silver, and the fourth GMT hand is bright red. That’s also why the bi-directional bezel has a 24-hour insert, and of course, one half is red and the other blue.
The movement inside is Seiko’s 4R34 automatic caller GMT caliber, which is also inside the rest of the current SKX-styled GMT models. It runs at a frequency of 21,600vph, holds a power reserve of 41 hours, and features 24 jewels. Just like the 4R36, it’s anti-magnetic and hidden behind a Pepsi-animated semi-transparent case back. The Seiko 5 Sports SSK047 comes on a Pepsi-branded black silicone strap and is water resistant to 100 meters. It costs €540 and is limited to 7,000 pieces.
Get one while you can
As said, not many people expected this release from Seiko and Pepsi. It’s a pleasant surprise, though, and one that will undoubtedly attract many fans. There are 7,000 pieces of each model, which sounds like a lot, but in Seiko production numbers, that’s actually not that many, especially when you take into account that these watches are available worldwide. So, if you’re interested, contact your local Seiko dealer as soon as possible.
What do you think about Seiko and Pepsi‘s collaboration? Which of the two models is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
