HALL OF FAME - 'Seiko Diver'

'SEIKO DIVER' Ask any enthusiast about the 'Seiko Diver' and I guarantee a majority will know exactly the model your talking about. The truth is there have been many different incarnations of the 'Seiko Diver' but the model most will be familiar with, visually, is the SKX007 (below). For quite a few of us it would have been one of the first, if not the first, 'proper' watch we owned. This was a watch to be worn with pride, a watch that was really worth considerably more than most of us paid for it (thanks to eBay and the Asian grey market). You would find a 'Seiko Diver' on the wrist of both men and women, on people whose other watches were Daytonas or Speedmasters and of course, at one point or another, on the wrist of many of you reading this right now.

The 'Diver' monocle pretty much covered all Seiko models that were water resistant to depths of 150m or 200m. The 150m models ran from 1965 to the late 1980s when they were replaced with a 200m depth rating. Aesthetically nothing changed much during this time, the odd bulge here and a sharper line there, the watches were always loyal to the original design. In recent times Seiko have released some pretenders to the 'Diver' name such as the 'Monster' (below) and the 'Samurai' and although they have their own charms none can beat the pure simplicity and classic presence of the original.

In the last five years or so these watches have seen a massive increase in popularity. Although Seiko still sell an updated range of Divers it is not in fact these that are driving up popularity. It is the older models collectors and enthusiasts are scrambling to get their hands on. Models such as the 6105-8110 and the 6309-7040 'Cushion Case', both from the 1970s and early 1980s, are increasingly becoming hard to track down as their popularity snowballs.

The popularity is largerly due to the recent phenomenon that is 'Diver' modifying (an example of this can be seen below). In simple terms, you buy a clapped out 'Seiko Diver', strip it down, replace pretty much every single part that you can remove and what you're left with is a 'Diver Mod', a highly sought after unique 'Seiko Diver' designed to your exacting taste and specification. You want a bright yellow dial, green 'Submariner-style' hands and a red bezel insert? It is all available at the click of a button. In most cases, if you have steady hands and are prepared to study numerous online how-to guides, you can fit all these after market parts yourself.

To alot of Seiko purists, taking a classic like the 6309-7040 'Cushion Case' and stripping it down is sacrilege. This is why you'll find the prices for these Divers becoming increasingly inflated as you have two sides of the 'Diver' enthusiast spectrum, the modders and the purists, fighting over the same watch for very different reasons.

In five years time it will be the 50 anniversary of the original 'Seiko Diver', the 6217-8000. My guess it that by the time this landmark comes around, in 2015, the 'Seiko Diver' will never have been so popular.

Further reference:

Make Do Studio (Kevin Chan) : http://www.makedostudio.com/watches/seiko-divers/

Seiko & Citizen Watch Forum (SCWF): http://www.thewatchsite.com/index.php

Noah Fuller webstore : http://www.10watches.com/