Among the vast assortment of timepieces that collectively form the modern Seiko lineup, “The Black Series” models are specific renditions of Prospex watches that feature largely blacked-out designs paired with bright contrasting luminous accents. Unlike a number of the previous models from “The Black Series” that featured orange design elements and were inspired by night diving, the new 2024 Seiko Prospex “The Black Series” SRPK43 and SSC923 watches are based upon the core foundations of the brand’s “Turtle” diver and solar Speedtimer models, and they feature bright green luminous accents that are inspired by the view through a night vision scope.
The first of the two new watches to join “The Black Series” is the Seiko Prospex SRPK43, which is essentially a blacked-out version of the brand’s fan-favorite “Turtle” diver that has bright green lume on its hands and hour markers. Rather than using the standard version of the model as its foundation, the new Seiko SRPK43 gives “The Black Series” treatment to the more premium “King Turtle” version, and this means that it receives a sapphire crystal (rather than Hardlex), which has anti-reflective treatment on its inner surface and a rectangular magnifier bubble above the dual calendar window at 3 o’clock. Additionally, just like other “King Turtle” models, the new Seiko Prospex SRPK43 from “The Black Series” features a bezel with both a ceramic insert (rather than aluminum) and slightly more aggressive grooves along its outer stainless steel rim.
Dimensions for “The Black Series” Seiko Prospex SRPK43 are the exact same as the regular models at 45mm in diameter by 13.2mm thick, with 22mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 47.7mm, although the blacked-out stainless steel case receives a hardened coating to help provide it with additional scratch resistance. Just like other Seiko “Turtle” models, an unsigned screw-down crown sits recessed into the side of the case at the 4 o’clock location, while a solid screw-down caseback is fitted to the reverse side of the watch and helps ensure its 200 meters of water resistance. Just like the case, the stainless steel bracelet for the “The Black Series” SRPK43 also receives a hardened black coating, and powering the watch is the same Caliber 4R36 automatic movement that can be found inside the rest of the Seiko “Turtle” lineup, which runs at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 41 hours.
The blacked-out design ethos of the collection extends to the dial and bezel insert of “The Black Series” Seiko Prospex SRPK43, with its dial and chapter ring appearing in matte black for maximum legibility, while its ceramic bezel insert is gloss black to complement the various polished elements that exist throughout its case and bracelet. To create the night vision theme of the watch in all lighting conditions, the luminous material applied to the hands and hour markers of “The Black Series” SRPK43 is Seiko’s Green Lumibrite Pro, which both emits a bright green glow in the dark and also appears green in the daylight.
The other new watch joining “The Black Series” lineup is the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC923, which almost looks like a strap-equipped version of the SSC917, although the new SSC923 is actually based upon the larger of the two solar chronographs from the current-production Speedtimer series. Just like the standard-production models, the stainless steel case of “The Black Series” Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC923 measures 41.4mm in diameter by 13mm thick, with 21mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 45.9mm. However, the case components feature the same hardened black coating that can be found on its “Turtle” sibling, and the tachymeter bezel surrounding the curved sapphire crystal (with anti-reflective treatment on its inner surface) features an insert that is made from black ceramic.
Powering “The Black Series” Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC923 is the brand’s Caliber V192 solar quartz movement, which features an accuracy rating of -/+15 seconds per month, along with the added utility of a 60-minute chronograph, date window, 24-hour display, and power reserve indicator. Once fully charged, the Seiko Cal. V192 will allow “The Black Series” Prospex Speedtimer SSC923 to run for approximately six months without any light exposure, and rather than being fitted a matching blacked-out stainless steel bracelet like its “Turtle” dive watch sibling, “The Black Series” Speedtimer SSC923 receives a black nylon strap that is completed by a black-finished stainless steel folding clasp.
Just like the “Turtle” diver that is part of this launch, the dial and hands of “The Black Series” Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC923 also embrace a night vision-inspired black and green colorway. The dial surface is matte black with a slight tone-on-tone aesthetic for its trio of registers, while the angular hands and rectangular hour markers are finished with the same Green Lumibrite Pro that both appears green in the daylight and also emits a bright green colored glow in the dark. Access to the movement is granted by a crown and pair of pushers on the right-hand side of the case, while the reverse side of the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC923 receives a solid screw-down caseback to help ensure its 100 meters of water resistance.
While the green-tinted luminous material that appears on the dials and hands of these latest additions to “The Black Series” is intended to be reminiscent of the view through a night vision scope, I also can’t help but be reminded of the oddly green-colored lume that you often see on a number of haphazardly re-lumed vintage watches. With that in mind, the all-black aesthetic of “The Black Series” models goes a long way toward helping their green-tinted luminous material feel more like an intentional design choice and less like someone simply re-lumed a regular Seiko. Additionally, this black and green aesthetic is hardly a new concept for the Seiko Prospex lineup, and a number of other models that are part of “The Black Series” also feature this same night vision-themed colorway.
Given that these latest two additions to “The Black Series” are powered by some of Seiko’s entry-level movements, both are positioned significantly below the thousand-dollar mark. However, both models are ultimately premium executions of the standard-production models that serve as their foundation, and this means that they are a bit more expensive, with “The Black Series” Seiko Prospex SRPK43 diver priced at $725 USD, while the “The Black Series” Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC923 has an official retail price of $700 USD. Additionally, while previous Seiko models from “The Black Series” that embraced similar black and green colorways were produced as limited-editions, these latest two models appear to be joining the collection as standard collection offerings, where production will not be capped at a specific number of examples. For more information on the Seiko Prospex “The Black Series” SRPK43 and SSC923 watches, please visit the brand’s website.
