One of the greatest strengths of the modern Seiko 5 Sports line is its versatility. Since its reimagining in late 2019, the brand has taken this entry-level series to new heights by using its SKX diver-style design as a platform for creativity. This familiar base can be anything from a classic diver to a wildly colorful and textured tribute to “Street Fighter” characters without losing its fundamental DNA, allowing the collectible line to fit nearly any taste. Streetwear has been one of the line’s strongest recurring themes, complementing the rotating stable of wilder collaboration designs with a steady stream of fresh, youthful interpretations inspired by urban fashion. Seiko’s latest collaboration returns the 5 Sports to these stylish streetwear roots with a pair of designs created in partnership with world-famous skateboarding apparel brand HUF. With muted earth tone colorways and funky custom touches throughout, the limited edition Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ19 and Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ20 offer two of the most mature and stylish streetwear-inflected entries in the brand’s current line.
Like the rest of the Seiko 5 Sports series, both the Seiko SRPJ19 and the SRPJ20 start with SKX-style 42.5mm cases in stainless steel. While these dimensions appear on the larger side on paper, Seiko’s clever case geometry should make these cases wear far smaller than the numbers suggest. The first reason for this is also the simplest – the lugs are short with a pronounced curving downturn, which leads to a short overall length across the wrist. Secondly, the 5 Sports series’ signature bowl-like polished case undercut gives this case design a far smaller contact patch on the wrist than a more conventional 42.5mm design, while also providing a rounded, organic contrast to the radially brushed surfaces atop the lugs. All of these elements should be familiar to fans of the brand, but both of these new models incorporate new cues into the basic layout. The Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ19 brings a new, earthy colorway to the familiar unidirectional dive bezel, splitting between olive drab and a deep khaki brown tone. For the SRPJ20, the brand takes a bolder stylistic direction, with a full gold tone finish including a radially brushed monochrome gold tone bezel insert. Both models also add a signature HUF touch to their casebacks. Rather than the usual clear Hardlex display window, Seiko tints the display caseback in HUF’s trademark green as a subtle and stylish nod to the brand. Like the standard 5 Sports, both the SRPJ19 and the SRPJ20 are rated for a decent if unspectacular 100 meters of water resistance.
As with the cases, Seiko keeps the dials of the 5 Sports SRPJ19 and SRPJ20 close to the line’s traditional look while adding a few well-considered stylistic adjustments. The SRPJ19’s deep black main dial, distinctive arrow handset, and applied diver indices are all series staples, but Seiko ties this dial into the model’s overall muted verdant theme with measured splashes of color. A contrasting outer chapter ring in sandy beige brings warmth and variety to the layout in images, while the distinctive counterweighted seconds hand adds a shock of yellow-green energy to the equation. The vibrant lime green HUF emblem at 6 o’clock completes the package, bringing an eye-catching highlight to the dial without wholly disrupting the watch’s restrained presentation. The SRPJ20 takes a bolder, richer visual approach, with a deep emerald green sunburst dial surface and a gold tone handset. Seiko complements this dial with a unique custom set of beveled applied indices, moving the SRPJ20 away from its dive watch-inspired visual cues towards something markedly dressier in initial images.
Seiko powers both the 5 Sports SRPJ19 and the SRPJ20 with its in-house 4R36 automatic movement. The 4R36 is the backbone of many of Seiko’s more affordable offerings, and while it lacks some of the sophistication of its more upscale stablemates it still provides a reliable 41 hour power reserve at a 21,600 bph beat rate. As one might expect at this entry-level price point, the 4R36’s finishing is functional and pragmatic, with simple vertically brushed bridges and a matte blasted winding rotor. However, the green tinted display caseback on these models helps to mask some of this visual simplicity in images, giving the movement below a sense of character and depth. Seiko completes the verdant, earthy 5 Sports SRPJ19 with a bezel-matching olive green NATO strap, reinforcing its outdoorsy feel in images. For the SRPJ20, the brand instead turns to a high-impact brushed gold tone three-link stainless steel bracelet.
With refined streetwear looks and clean executions, the limited edition Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ19 and Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ20 reinforce the series’ skate fashion credentials in impressively thoughtful ways. Only 1,000 examples of the Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ19 will be made, while the Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ20 is restricted even further to only 300 units. Both models will be available through select authorized retailers in the United States in May 2022. MSRP for the Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ19 stands at $380 as of press time, while the Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ20 carries a price tag of $420. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
