Seiko has recently updated its family of expensive divers with a new limited-edition model. Created together with the local Shogakukan publishing company, the new Seiko Prospex Marinemaster “Golgo 13” (Ref. SBBN023) pays homage to the iconic series of manga comic books, which is centered around the eponymous character who happens to be a professional assassin.
Although the character prefers to do his job with a scoped M-16 automatic rifle (a strange choice of weapon for a professional killer, but at least it looks nice in pictures), there is always room for a diving suit and a good old speargun.
Presented in a huge stainless steel body that measures whole 47 millimeters in diameter and is decorated with a layer of black PVD coating, the 2012 Marinemaster Golgo 13 sports the well-known Seiko caliber 7C46 magnetically shielded quartz movement.
Although lacking the thermo-compensating technology that the high-end ETA quartz calibers are known for, the Japanese mechanism is still formidable in terms of both reliability and accuracy. According to official specs, its monthly loss/gain is fewer than 15 seconds (with actual timekeepers often losing or gaining no more than a second or two per week judging by customer reviews I have seen on a number of popular message boards).
Built on 7 jewels and featuring a battery life of about five years, the movement features a standard end-of-life indicator with the central seconds hand starting to jump in two seconds intervals when the battery needs to be swapped for a new one.
As usual for this collection, the watch sports a legible, highly contrast dial layout. The hour markers are huge and the hands are wide enough for the thick patches of luminous compound to light up a small room. Even the seconds hand has a large luminous dot on its counterweight so that you can always be sure that the watch keeps ticking, even when deep underwater.
Although the line of quartz-powered models is sometimes referred to as a ‘poor man’s Marinemaster‘, the watch is not particularly cheap with some specimens available for pre-order on eBay for an impressive $1450 USD.
Although the price may scare away plenty of cash-strapped enthusiasts, the Marinemaster Golgo 13 still offers a good value for money ratio since, in return, you not only receive a nicely executed limited-edition model (Seiko plans to limit the production to just 500 pieces) but also get a chance to enjoy the legendary JDM quality even in your part of the world.
See also: Solar-Powered Citizen Scuba Fin Eco Drive 200M
Photos: Seiko
Seiko Prospex Marinemaster Golgo 13 SBBN023 specification
Price: Approx. $1450 USD
Movement: Quartz, Seiko caliber 7C46, in-house, Made in Japan
Number of jewels: 7
Power reserve: Approximately 5 years
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, diving scale
Case: Stainless steel, black PVD-coated
Shape: Round
Size: 47.00 mm
Dial: Black
Numerals: Arabic (on the bezel)
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Steel, luminous
Water resistance: 300 meters
Strap: Black rubber band
Crystal: Hardlex (hardened mineral glass)
Back: Solid