A Look at the Seiko Prospex Black Series Solar Divers SNE587P1 Watch

Limited to 6000 pieces, the new Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1 is a dive watch that puts underwater night vision at the forefront of its design with a deep grey-black dial and unique blue-green luminous coated hands and hour markers for superior legibility.

If It’s one thing that Seiko does best, it’s reinterpreting and reinventing some of its most practical and robust dive watches. From the brand’s very first dive watch, created back in 1965 – the 62MAS – Seiko has maintained its position at the forefront of the industry, developing solid, reliable and reasonably priced dive watches. This year, the Japanese company has released three new Seiko Prospex Black Series watches. They follow on from the Seiko Prospex 1965, 1968 and 1970 Mechanical Diver’s Modern Reinterpretation watches, released for 2022, which we covered in a little more detail in this article here. All three are limited edition models exclusive to just 5,500 pieces worldwide and come fitted on a black polyester band along with an additional silicone strap. One other model - the SLA061J1 watch - released alongside these three new Black Series watches is equipped with a black hard-coated stainless steel bracelet and is limited to just 1000 pieces worldwide.

Adding to this ubiquitous line of dive watches are another three watches under the Black Series name. All three are based on the key principles of the Prospex line within Seiko’s dive watch sector. As with all reinterpreted watches from Seiko’s past, they come equipped with better readability thanks to brighter and longer-lasting luminescent material, a better all-round construction and a more reliable movement. The Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1, which we’re going to be looking at in more detail today, is a solar-powered version that sits alongside its two siblings, the “Samurai” SRPH97K1 and the “Tortoise” SRPH99K1.

It’s all about the lume

The Black Series watches from Seiko are all about legibility in dark underwater conditions and to accommodate this specification, these watches are all endowed with easy-to-read dials. Seiko does this in several ways. Looking back at military watches released after the Second World War, brands began equipping their timepieces with matte dials, often with contrasting coloured (normally white) numerals that had been coated in luminescent material, and the handsets were spacious, simple and designed for clarity. In this same way, Seiko Black Series watches like the new Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1 watch is designed for legibility in all lighting conditions. Here, the minute hand and its relation to the bezel markings are the main elements of the design and thus are both designed to reflect this.

As seen in the other four newly released Black Series watches by Seiko, the focus was put on the orange-coloured minute hand and the first 15 minutes of dive time, clearly marked out on the bezel. Orange is a colour that is known to stand out with starkness in the depths of the deep blue ocean. In the design of the Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1, the eye is instantly drawn to the shade of this unusual blue-green luminescent coating on the hands and hour markers. The hue of the material gives the watch an overall sense of coolness and practicality, contrasting beautifully against the grey shade of the dial itself. It’s an unusual colour choice for Seiko, but one that is sure to prove popular, and instantly stands out amongst the Black Series line of Seiko watches for that reason alone.

The advantages of Seiko solar power

There are some key advantages to owning a solar-powered watch from Seiko. If you are unsure of these and are in the throes of debating whether to invest in one as opposed to a mechanical or simple quartz-powered watch, you can educate yourself on the pros here. Seiko solar-powered watches, first and foremost, don’t require battery replacements. That in itself is one of the best advantages to owning a solar watch, let alone a dive tool. With no risk of your watch “giving up the ghost” and no reason to have its battery urgently replaced, Seiko Solar watches are virtually maintenance-free. In this same way, of course, you can feel confident in doing your bit for the environment too!

Due to Seiko’s advanced solar-powered technology, these watches don’t need transparent dials either. The Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1 watch maintains a very classic dive watch aesthetic on the wrist for this very reason. Although sunlight will charge a Seiko Solar watch the quickest, any form of light will keep your watch running, whether you’re wearing it or not – another advantage of course!

The new Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1 dive watch

To start with, the new Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1 is a dive watch that wears very comfortably and smartly on the wrist, thanks to its black hard-coated stainless steel bracelet that secures around the wrist with an equally comfortable and ergonomically designed folding clasp. The finish on the bracelet matches the hard high-grade coating of the stainless steel case, which is integrated with a 200-meter water-resistant capability for plenty of underwater exploration. As with all Black Series watches from Seiko’s innovative Prospex collection, the watch is inspired by the mysterious world of night vision.

Replacing the vivid orange accents are green luminous accents that can be seen on the luminous pip at 12 o’clock on the bezel. This black-coated bezel is marked with a 60-minute dive scale and moves only in one direction to reduce the risk of accidentally extending dive time whilst underwater. The bezel can be seamlessly aligned with the minute hand under the fingertips for perfect measuring of elapsed time. This bezel also acts as a frame around a very deep grey-almost-black coloured display. Here, you get to enjoy the full use of Seiko’s eye-catching green luminous hour markers and hands. A date window is positioned at 3 o’clock and the entire dial is protected underneath an anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass front. The new Seiko Prospex Black Series SNE587P1 is completed on a black hard-coated stainless steel bracelet. For more information on the new model, you can check out the spec details here online, or call and speak to a member of our sales team at Jura Watches on 01335 453453