Last year marked the 60th anniversary of Seiko’s first dive watch, the 62MAS introduced in 1965. As part of their anniversary celebrations, Seiko hosted a competition throughout July 2025 in which Seiko fans around the world could vote for one of four dive watch dials with the most voted for being the one that Seiko would produce. Just over a year later, the result of that competition has come to fruition with the unveiling of the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch Fan-selected Limited Edition HBC011.
The four dials that Seiko fans were presented with in the competition centred on the concept of viewing the ocean at different times of day. Sunrise yellow, Daytime blue, Late Afternoon green, and Sunset red. The winner, as you can likely surmise from the images in this article, is the Daytime blue version. It’s proof that Seiko fans have good taste because with its light blue tone, it feels bright and energetic while also being the most traditional dive watch colour – doubling down on the aquatic aesthetic.
For the dial’s texture, they’ve opted for the wave pattern that was used on the official 60th anniversary models that were launched last year. It helps to tie the new watch into the anniversary celebrations nicely. It also happens to be one of my favourite dial textures Seiko has produced in recent years, bringing dramatic shapes to the fore – it’s like a stylised version of the natural wave pattern used by Grand Seiko on their dive watches such as the Ushio.
The 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch is Seiko’s mid-range dive watch inspired by their oldest diver. It measures 40mm with a 13mm thickness across a relatively flat design with bevelled edges that introduce a polished element alongside the brushed finishing. It has a 300m water resistance rating, living up to the modern perception of a professional dive watch. In order to maintain that tool watch authenticity, it’s fitted with a solid caseback.
Powering the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch Fan-selected Limited Edition HBC011 is the calibre 6R55 automatic with 72-hour power reserve. It operates at a 3Hz frequency with an accuracy of -15/+25 seconds. It’s one of Seiko’s newer movements, introduced back in 2023 as an extension of the higher spec 6R line.
The Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch Fan-selected Limited Edition HBC011 is limited to 4,500 pieces at a price of £1,350. That’s £50 more expensive than the now sold-out anniversary edition from last year with that increase likely being due to the fact that the original was limited to 6,000 pieces rather than 4,500, making the new watch more exclusive. Also don’t fall into the trap of thinking that 4,500 is a lot of watches for a limited edition, Seiko’s massive global appeal means 4,500 won’t stretch as far as you may think. Especially for a watch as playful and bright as this.
Price and Specs:
More details at Seiko.
