Seiko SPB149 Review: The Blue Dial Diver (And What To Do If You Can't Find One)

An outsized part of Seiko’s history is within its dive watch heritage, going all the way back to 1965 with the company's first dedicated diver, the 150-meter 62MAS, released as the 6217-8000, and later, its larger-crowned sibling, the 6217-8001. It was the beginning of a lineage that went on to include legendary references like the Willard, the Turtle, the Marinemaster, the Tuna, and the SKX, just to name a small assortment of them. Today, Seiko’s broad dive-watch lineup is well-known for its rugged dependability: from the entry-level Prospex models to the elevated Luxe variants like the Seiko SPB149, there’s a Seiko diver for every enthusiast.

Seiko has paid tribute to the 62MAS design in the past with limited editions, but in the 2020s, the brand has seen a slew of regular-production, and short-lived models – like the SPB143, 239, and 149, which stand as the most faithful renderings of the 62MAS, characterized by the brand as the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch. Although this model family came with different dial variants at its 40.5mm case size, today, we’re going to showcase the discontinued SPB149 before looking at the current production SPB143 and other modern day options which continue the 62MAS legacy. We will go through the standard points of its case, wear, dial, and movement, and then share concluding remarks about its overall legacy in 2025. 

Seiko SPB149 Context

In Spring of 2020, Seiko dropped a quartet of watches — the SPB143, SPB145, SPB147, And SPB149 – each of which represented a variation on the throwback theme paying homage to the aforementioned 62MAS. The SPB143 was the undisputed winner in the clubhouse, with looks that mirrored that of the 62MAS taking on that recognizable dial hue in full monochromatic glory. The SPB145 took a conservative approach to vintage-inspired, with patina-forward dial, and the SPB147 escalated things considerably, turning the vintage vibes up to 11.

But then there was the curiously blue-and-yellow fourth option, the SPB149, which strayed from the pack by leaning into a more lighthearted and decidedly more fun color palette. It boasted a an aqua-meets-navy-meets – ok it stops meeting, but its a blue that really changes in the light and one that is contrasted by the yellow accents of the seconds hand and other dial text.

These watches took the horological world by storm and Seiko fans clamored to get their hands on one of these watches because they represented a modern approach to a watch format fans loved without going into the direction of full re-creation. Since the SPB149 is such an odd bird in relation to the other releases in 2020, we thought the roughly five-year anniversary of its release was the proper time to revisit it in all its glory. Bear in mind that, outside of the dial, everything we speak to here will be equally applicable to the other three models mentioned.

Seiko SPB149 Case & Wearability

The SPB149 nails the traditional skin-diver vibe with its case profile, and checks in at a very wrist-friendly 40.5mm in diameter, with a lug-to-lug of 47.6mm quoted by Seiko (with my calipers reporting 47.2mm), and the lugs gently curving to hug the wrist. While bigger than a typical vintage skin diver, these dimensions are rather trim within the context of modern dive watches, and that sweeping downturn offers a great fit, as opposed to a classic skin diver’s flatter lugs. The case height is also proportional, with a 13.4mm thickness at the center of the domed antireflective sapphire crystal. The unsigned, unguarded screw-down crown at 3 o'clock maintains the retro look for vintage fans, and offers solid enough grip with its pronounced ribbing. The solid caseback likewise screws in, and showcases Seiko’s "typhoon wave" design in embossed relief. Water resistance is rated at 200 meters, and the SPB149 is ISO-compliant for those looking to test the waters diving with it. 

The unidirectional, 120-click elapsed-time bezel has a step up in its action compared to the entry point of Seiko’s Prospex offering, despite having some minor backplay. The black-treated stainless steel insert is fully demarcated in white, with engraved numerals and a lumed pip at 12 for increased visibility. Another upscale touch comes from the case finishing, which is crisp and clean, showing dive-watch-appropriate circular brushing across the front of the case and squared-off lugs, with brightly polished bevels traveling the entire length of the case. A linear brush finish is used along the case sides, and it’s here that you’ll notice the drilled lugs, a detail always appreciated by professional divers and frequent strap swappers alike. Another point to note is the use of Seiko’s own “Super Hard Coating” on the case and bracelet, which offers additional protection against superficial scratching, perhaps not to the extent offered by materials like ceramic or tungsten carbide, or even steel hardening treatments found in brands like Sinn, but still, it’s a nice bonus, more than doubling the hardness of untreated stainless steel. 

Speaking of the bracelet, it has a simple, utilitarian, brushed three-link design fitted with standard Seiko pins, and the look fits the purpose of the watch well, with a 20mm width at the lugs that tapers to 18mm. Links are solid, including the end links, which increases the practical length of the lug-to-lug measurement by a small margin. Fortunately, the 20mm width means nearly endless strap options. While the SPB143 looks fantastic on a variety of different straps, the 149 might have some limitations just given the colors used. The three-fold clasp uses a combination of a milled inner and stamped outer, with the outer part getting a brushed and beveled finish, dual push-buttons and a foldover lock for added security. There’s also a diver’s extension located opposite where you’d normally find it, and is admittedly a bit strange-looking. To operate, you just need to pull on the underneath side of the extension lock and it will expand out. Further, the bracelet offers four points of micro-adjustment that can be utilized with the help of a spring bar tool.  It is a bit large compared to some clasps, which detracts from the vintage feel, yet overall, the bracelet’s execution is a cut above what’s typically found on more entry-level models from Seiko. 

Seiko SPB149 Dial

The SPB149’s dial is its core differentiator from the competition and its clear why. Where the other three 2020 models look to the past, this one looks to the future and to the water. The blue dial is not only evocative of aquatic environs but almost beckons you to get it wet. It’s like a reminder that, “Yes, I am a dive watch.” It has a sunray finish to it that adds to its modern look and feel and which is only exacerbated by the pops of a deep yellow color on the center-seconds hand (as mentioned up top). This is matched to the "Divers 200M" text on the dial – an indication of its ISO-compliant bona fides. 

And that’s really it when it comes to the dial in terms of its contrast to its siblings. But this one component of the watch made it ripe to become the sole limited edition in the bunch.

The Movement

Powering the SPB149 is the automatic 6R35 caliber, Seiko’s upgrade from the 6R15, especially in terms of its extended 70-hour power reserve. The use of the 6R35 family starts to come into play with pieces like the best-selling Alpinist SPB121, and extends up into other collections within the Luxe range. the movement is known for combination of 3 Hertz, or 21,600-vph frequency and its quoted range of accuracy of -15/+25 seconds per day, a conservative figure that is often outperformed, anecdotally speaking.  With the 6R55 coming into the fold, it adds further discussion to the consideration. All this considered, the movement is absolutely fine and is one of the most proven from Seiko. It has 24 jewels, offers both hacking and handwinding, features diashock protection, an Etachron regulator, bidirectional winding with the help of an offset Magic Lever, and magnetic resistance of 4,800 A/m to align with ISO standards. Movement finishing is nothing to write home about, being simple, with some machine striping on the signed rotor.

A Limited Edition Discontinued

Unfortunately, unlike the SPB143, the SPB149 came in with a whirl and out with a whisper. The truth is, the discontinuation wasn’t some sort of unexpected event. We all knew from the jump that the watch was limited. But its 5,500-piece limitation was such that we hoped it would be around a touch longer than it was. This is typically how brands handle LEs, saving the more daring designs for small production runs that end when they're out. Those who were able to pick up the Seiko SPB149 perhaps have something collectible on their hands.

For those that did not, there remain options on the market.

Current Production Options

The first one to look at is the SPB147, which is the sort of a "half-pregnant" vintage-inspired variant from the original release in 2020. It has all of the hallmarks of the 62MAS, with tinges of a patinated hue on the dial and even in the lume pip on the bezel.

But the lion’s share of attention must be given to the Seiko SPB143 which became a cult classic the moment it was announced that half-decade ago. So let’s look at the visual components of that watch which separate it from our SPB149. 

The dial on the SPB143 does a fantastic job of recalling the iconic design aesthetic of the 62MAS, while updating it for the 21st century. The original had a gray tonality and a hint of sunburst, and happily, Seiko has chosen to stick to the formula here. The soft charcoal grey color offers a tasteful alternative to the black so often found on dive watches, and the muted sunburst adds an elegant lift to the proceedings. White linear hash marks make up the minute scale along the dial’s edge, with polished applied rectangles serving as the hour markers. Those indices are filled with Seiko’s proprietary LumiBrite, and indeed, they offer that trademark level of intensity the brand is known for. Like the 149, the baton hands here get a torchlike application of lume, with a center facet splitting the surface finishes from one another, brushing on one side, and polishing on the other. The second hand  is monochromatic here with its lumed rectangular tip, harmonizing well with the hour markers as it travels around the dial. An unadorned date window sits at 3 o'clock, with a black-on-white date disk offering good legibility.

Seiko oddly released a competitor to its own watch in the years since the SPB143 was released and it did not discontinue the former in the process. We are referring to the SPB453 which takes so much of the same inspiration from the 62MAS as the SPB143 (and 149) for that matter but somehow improves on it – just not entirely. This black dial, black bezel diver could be easily confused for the 143 but for the starkness of its dial tone.

The case is 40mm making it a touch smaller (for the better) than that of the 143, and it is also thinner at 13mm due to the use of the 6R55 movement, which also juices the power reserve up to 72 hours. The bracelet remains of the same quality. In fact, the only place it strays from the core design is the date window which shifts from the classic 3 o’clock placement to a more obscure 4:30 scenario in which your mileage may vary.

Perhaps the best current-production alternative to the SPB149 is the blue-dial SPB451, which, truly, is just the blue variant of the 453. It doesn't have contrasting yellow but still provides that pop of color you might be in the market for. 

In the end, there is no replacement for what the heart wants. So as we pour one out for the Seiko SPB149 and look at these other watches presently on offer, we can only hope that another watch comes our way in the near future that picks up where the SPB149 left off. And to all the current SPB149 owners out there, we wish you tons of enjoyment and happy diving adventures with your very cool watch. You can learn more at seikowatches.com.