Seiko Celebrate 55th Anniversary of the 5 Sports with Limited Edition and Retro Colourway Collection

Seiko loves to celebrate important milestones and with a backlog as extensive as theirs, it turns out that most years are the anniversary of something. The last major anniversary they celebrated was the brand’s 140^th in 2021 and now in 2023 it’s the 55^th anniversary of the 5 Sports collection. As such, Seiko have released the new 5 Sports 60s collection inspired by some of the earliest models. The watches that make up the collection are the Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary Limited Edition SRPK17, the Double Hurricane SRPK11, Rally Diver SRPK09 and lastly the Regatta Timer SRPK13.

The watches are essentially split into two groups, the limited edition as a standalone and then the retro colour trio, which take iconic colourways from the past and recontextualise them in a modern watch.

Let’s take a look at the limited edition first. It’s a modern recreation of the 61-5D, which was the first ever 5 Sports collection. The 39.5mm steel case has a smooth, curved shape – reminding me of the Prospex Turtle – with a deeply recessed crown at 4 o’clock giving it a crownless appearance. The rotating bezel features a knurled edge for plenty of grip and is equipped with a 60-minute scale.

In keeping with the retro case design, the dial is also an homage to the 60s. It uses the old style of the 5 Sports logo and includes the SPORTS inscription below the central hand stack. It’s a cool looking display with a prominent hour and minute scale and large day-date window at 3 o’clock. Tying the piece together as a sports watch is the bright red seconds hand, which makes it easy to record times even if it isn’t a chronograph stopwatch.

SRPK17 (55th Anniversary Edition)

While the design harks back to the 60s, the movement housed inside is modern. It’s the 4R36, an automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve, an absolute staple of accessible Seiko watches. And the 55th Anniversary Limited Edition SRPK17K1 is very accessible at £350 in a limited edition of 15,555 pieces.

Next, we have the retro colour watches, which are essentially alternative colourways for the existing 5 Sports SKX. Structurally and mechanically they’re identical to the SKX 42.5mm model with a steel case, 4 o’clock crown and rotating bezel. They even house the same 4R36 movement. What makes them special are those vintage inspired colourways.

The Double Hurricane SRPK11 takes its inspiration from the 1969 Double Hurricane 5126-6030. It has an instantly recognisable orange dial with a black bar across the centre and a minute scale split between black and orange sections. It’s super vibrant and as a fan of the colour orange, I love it.

Second in the retro colour collection is the Rally Diver SRPK09. This one has a silver dial, orange hand and a striking silver and black bezel. The specific pattern of alternating colours is designed to be evocative of a racing checkered flag, hence the name Rally.

Last up is the Regatta Timer SRPK13 based on the original colourway of the 6119-6050. Typically I think of a regatta timer as a chronograph but this is the second regatta timer in the span of a fortnight that’s a time and date model, the other being the Tissot Sideral. I think this Seiko has more utility though because the markings on its rotating timer bezel make it easier to read quickly.

SRPK09 (Rally Driver)

SRPK11 (Double Hurricane)

SRPK13 (Regatta Timer)

All three of the retro colourway models are priced at £300, the same price as the standard SKX model. Since all four watches here, including the 55^th anniversary limited edition, house the same movement and have broadly similar cases, really the only decision you have to make is which style you prefer. For me, it’s a toss-up between the Double Hurricane and the anniversary model, but at £300 and £350 respectively, why not both?