There are watches that seem to wait for summer to fully reveal their personality. The new Seiko Prospex Diver’s PADI 60th Anniversary Limited Edition belongs to this category. With its intense blue dial, red accents, diving-linked identity and modest price, it ticks every box of the summer watch one can easily picture on the wrist on a sunny terrace as much as over a diving wetsuit.
This new Seiko Prospex PADI is not content with simply being an appealing dive watch, however. It celebrates a dual story: the 60th anniversary of PADI, an organisation that has become a global reference in diver training, and the ten years of partnership between Seiko and this international community devoted to exploration, underwater safety and ocean preservation.
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A shared history with the ocean
At Seiko, diving is not merely an aesthetic territory. The story goes back to 1965, when the first Japanese diver’s watch was created. A year later, in 1966, PADI was born with a clear ambition: to make scuba diving more accessible, better structured and safer.
Six decades later, these two stories come together in a watch that naturally carries the colours of the ocean. This limited edition belongs to the Prospex line, short for “Professional Specifications”, the family of Seiko watches designed to accompany lovers of adventure, sport and the great outdoors.
There is a certain obviousness to this Seiko Prospex PADI. Summer calls for the sea, getaways, swims, long bright days. This watch seems to have been designed for this exact time of year.
A blue dial, radiant and symbolic
The dial is naturally the main point of attraction of this limited edition. Its deep blue is directly inspired by the colours of PADI’s 60th anniversary logo. Touches of red bring energy to the whole, at six o’clock as well as on the seconds hand. The result is immediately legible, vivid, but never excessive.
A globe motif spreads across the entire dial. This detail, taken from the PADI commemorative logo, gives the watch an interesting visual depth. It is not merely decorative: it reminds us that diving is a global culture, shared by millions of enthusiasts, professionals and explorers of the ocean depths.
The unidirectional rotating bezel, for its part, receives a blue ceramic insert. This choice reinforces scratch resistance while extending the watch’s colour identity. Together it makes for a generous dive watch, very summery, yet serious enough to retain the technical DNA expected of a Prospex.
An immediately recognisable Seiko silhouette
The case takes up one of the most identifiable silhouettes in the history of Seiko dive watches. Its rounded lines, fluid profile and crown positioned at four o’clock echo the ergonomics appreciated for several generations by fans of Japanese dive watches.
With its 45 mm diameter and 13.2 mm thickness, this Seiko Prospex PADI asserts a real presence on the wrist. But this presence is consistent with its purpose. A dive watch must be legible, sturdy, easy to handle and reassuring. Here, the indices and hands receive LumiBrite to guarantee good legibility when light becomes scarce, underwater as well as at the end of the day.
The sapphire crystal, fitted with a cyclops lens and an internal anti-reflective treatment, protects the dial. The screw-down case back, screw-down crown and 200 metre Diver’s water resistance confirm that this watch was not simply designed to evoke diving. It was built to accompany it.
Two straps for two lives
The watch is delivered on a stainless steel bracelet, with a secure deployant clasp, push buttons and an adjustment system. This configuration gives it a sturdy, versatile look, perfectly suited to everyday use.
But Seiko has also provided a second strap in high resistance silicone, bearing the inscription “Professional Association of Diving Instructors”. Its accordion type construction allows for comfortable wear, whether directly on the wrist or over a wetsuit. This second strap reinforces the summery character of the piece. It is almost enough on its own to shift the watch from an urban register to that of holidays, the sea and boating outings.
This is precisely where this Seiko Prospex PADI finds its balance. It can be worn as a genuine dive watch, but also as a simple, sturdy, colourful and endearing summer watch.
The calibre 4R36, a reliable and consistent choice
Inside beats the automatic Seiko calibre 4R36. This well known movement offers a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour, a power reserve of approximately 41 hours, a hacking seconds function and a day and date display.
This mechanical choice is consistent with the watch’s positioning. It does not seek to impress through sophistication, but rather to offer a reliable, proven solution suited to regular use. This is also part of the charm of many Prospex models: a direct, functional, honest approach, in service of everyday use.
A limited edition that carries meaning
This Seiko Prospex PADI is limited to 8,000 pieces. It will be available from July 2026 in Seiko boutiques and at authorised retailers, at a recommended retail price of 750 euros.
Beyond the technical specifications, this watch also recalls the commitment shown by Seiko Prospex to the PADI AWARE Foundation, notably through marine debris collection initiatives carried out as part of the Save the Ocean programme. Diving is no longer presented solely as an exploration activity. It is also seen as a way to better know, respect and protect the oceans.
In this respect, this limited edition gets it just right. It speaks to divers, of course, but also to everyone who loves watches capable of telling something beyond the time. With its luminous blue, its evocative dial, its double strap and its identity strongly tied to the ocean, the Seiko Prospex PADI 60th Anniversary looks set to be one of the most naturally summery watches of the season.
Technical specifications
Model: Seiko Prospex Diver’s PADI 60th Anniversary Limited Edition
Reference: HBB002
Movement: automatic Seiko calibre 4R36
Frequency: 21,600 vibrations per hour
Power reserve: approximately 41 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, hacking seconds, day and date
Case: stainless steel
Diameter: 45 mm
Thickness: 13.2 mm
Crystal: sapphire with cyclops lens, internal anti-reflective treatment
Bezel: unidirectional rotating with ceramic insert
Crown: screw-down, positioned at 4 o’clock
Case back: screw-down
Water resistance: 200 metres Diver’s
Luminescence: LumiBrite on hands and indices
Strap: stainless steel with secure deployant clasp
Additional strap: high resistance silicone, accordion type
Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m
Limited edition: 8,000 pieces
Recommended retail price: 750 euros
Availability: July 2026
To find out more about this watch
Frequently asked questions
It is a limited-edition Seiko Prospex diver’s watch celebrating PADI’s 60th anniversary and ten years of the Seiko x PADI partnership, with an intense blue dial, red accents and 200 metre water resistance.
It runs on the automatic Seiko calibre 4R36, a reliable and consistent choice.
It is water resistant to 200 metres, built as a genuine diver’s watch.
It ships with two straps, offering two ways to wear it, from a sunny terrace to a diving wetsuit.
Seiko created the first Japanese diver’s watch in 1965, PADI was founded in 1966, and the two have shared a ten year partnership around diving, safety and ocean preservation.
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