Seiko Celebrates Its 145th Anniversary With The Prospex HBC005 And HBB001 Limited Editions

To celebrate Seiko’s 145th anniversary, the Japanese brand has created a series of watches featuring a nice combination of blue and white. The series pays tribute to Seiko Blue, resulting in some surprisingly fresh creations. The new Seiko Prospex HBC005 and HBB001 limited editions proudly sport a crisp white dial with a vibrant blue bezel. Let’s find out more about these commemorative Seiko divers.

It’s time for a confession. At first glance, the combination of white and blue is not necessarily something I naturally gravitate toward. Especially when it comes to dive watches, I prefer darker options, like black, dark blue, or dark green. Over the past couple of years, though, I have slowly changed my view on lighter dials, especially crisp white ones. It’s remarkable to realize how tastes change over time. It’s a fun and welcome phenomenon, but I could not have predicted it a couple of years ago.

The two new Seiko 145th-anniversary Prospex models

With that widening of preferences, I was immediately intrigued by this new duo of 145th-anniversary watches. The first of the two is the HBC005, an addition to the 1965 Heritage Diver lineup. As some of you might have noticed, Seiko changed its reference system on March 1st, 2026, so it might be confusing to see the new references, as they differ completely from previous ones. This first model belongs to the latest series of the 1965 Heritage Divers that previously had SPB references. This series succeeded the popular Prospex SPB143 and its peers.

The second model, HBB001, follows the design of the latest SRPL “Samurai” line, which I reviewed in 2024. This popular series introduced a smaller and updated design for the affordable “Samurai.” Just like the 1965 Heritage Diver, the watch also features a crisp white dial and a vibrant blue bezel. As a result of this striking new color combination, the two new models immediately stand out in their respective series.

The Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver HBC005

Let’s zoom in on the Seiko Prospex HBC005 first. Just like the other 1965 Heritage Divers, it features a 40mm stainless steel case with a 13mm thickness, a 46.4mm length, and a 300m depth rating.

The unidirectional bezel dons a vibrant blue aluminum insert with a 60-minute scale. It is paired with a textured, crisp white dial featuring applied markers filled with Seiko’s Lumibrite in light blue for the occasion. At the 4:30 position, you will find the date window neatly integrated into the design.

Hovering over the dial are pencil-style hour and minute hands filled with Lumibrite and a blue seconds hand with a rectangular Lumibrite portion near its tip. Finishing the look is the comfortable three-link bracelet featuring Seiko’s proprietary hard coating, just like the case.

Furthermore, it comes equipped with a folding clasp with a wetsuit extension and a slide adjuster for perfect sizing. Hidden behind the screwed case back is Seiko’s in-house caliber 6R55.

This modern automatic movement operates at 21,600 vph and offers a 72-hour power reserve. Seiko officially rates the 6R55’s accuracy at -15/+25 seconds per day. The brand will produce 4,000 pieces of this 145th-anniversary limited edition, each retailing for €1,500.

Seiko Prospex “Samurai” HBB001

The second of the two 145th-anniversary models is the Seiko Prospex HBB001. The watch has a 41.7mm stainless steel case with a 12.3mm profile, a 49.5mm from lug to lug, and a 200m depth rating. Just like the HBOC005, the watch features an unidirectional bezel with a vibrant blue aluminum insert. But the Seiko designers decided to make the first 15 minutes of the bezel a light gray to mix things up.

The case is paired with a crisp white dial similar to that of the HBC005. The distinctly shaped hour markers are filled with light blue Lumibrite, and hovering over the dial are the signature dagger-style hands, also filled with similarly colored lume. At the 4:30 position, you will again find a nicely integrated date window. The watch comes with a 20mm stainless steel three-row bracelet with push-button clasp featuring a dive extension and safety lock.

Powering the new HBB001 is Seiko’s in-house caliber 4R35. This automatic movement runs at 21,600 vph and provides a 41-hour power reserve. This entry-level caliber comes with an official accuracy of -35/+45 seconds per day. While the numbers are not necessarily impressive, the caliber has become a favorite for its reliability and ease of service. Seiko will produce 9,999 pieces of this limited edition, which will retail for €650.

Wearing the Seiko Prospex 145th-anniversary models

I had a chance to try out both models, and it was fun to see how different the two watches are. First, the more expensive HBC005 feels super solid. It had been a while since I put a 1965 Heritage Diver on my wrist, but I was reminded of the great build quality.

Additionally, the bracelet and clasp feel super solid and ensure the watch is comfortable to wear. The 62MAS-inspired aesthetic looks so nice, and the combination of blue and white gives the watch a welcome crispness.

On top of that, the HBC005 feels quite a bit slimmer than its 13mm profile might suggest. This is the result of a slender case mid-case that sits well on the wrist. The added thickness comes from the bezel and crystal. Overall, I was impressed by this new release. Although it is just a new colorway rather than a new model, it was good to be reminded why this series is so popular with watch fans.

Final thoughts on the new Seiko Prospex 145th-anniversary divers

When I switched to the HBB001, the first thing I noticed was the size difference. While the “Samurai” is only 1.7mm bigger than the 1965 Heritage Diver, you can instantly feel that difference. That said, the watch still fits my 18.5cm wrist nicely and wears well. On top of that, it has that “Samurai” charm that many Seiko fans love. While I prefer the 62MAS aesthetic, I do understand why fans love this look.

With a watch retailing for less than half of the HBC005’s price also comes a different quality. Particularly, the bracelet and clasp are somewhat different in execution. But for €650, you still get a solid dive watch with a lot of character.

On top of that, the blue-and-white colorway nicely differentiates both of these 145th-anniversary editions from the currently available regular models. That’s exactly what you want from a series of commemorative watches, and I expect these to find their way to Seiko enthusiasts quickly.