Seiko is expanding their flagship Marinemaster collection this week with the addition of two new references, which include a limited edition collaboration with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), as well as a standard production reference that will serve as a new core design of the collection. The new watches are the latest in a historic lineage of Seiko divers dating back to 1968 and the reference 6159, and sit at the top end of Seiko’s modern Prospex range. With the new reference HBF001, the Marinemaster gets something of a reset.
The Marinemaster as a collection has undergone not quite an identity crisis in recent years, but certainly not far off. This began with the reorganization that saw the consolidation of references within a new hierarchy, from the 5 Sports to the Prospex, and meant the discontinuation of classics like the SKX007 and SKX009. This saw the Marinemaster formally move to the Prospex collection in 2023 with the introduction of the somewhat confused SJE099, SJE101, and SJE097 references. Previous Prospex references, such as the great SLA021, did not use the Marinemaster name on the dial, but technically fall within the same lineage.
As Seiko has fleshed out the Prospex collection, they have slowly been dialing in a modern Marinemaster, most recently with the SLA079 (black) and SLA077 (white), and with the new HBF001, they take a step closer still, picking up with the SBDX017 left off in 2018. The new case sticks close to the formula, with a wide angular lug and a 42.6mm diameter with the crown set at four o’clock. This reference houses the 8L45 automatic caliber with 72 hours of reserve (most recently also seen in the new titanium Vanac collection), which is labeled directly on the dial with ‘Automatic 3 Days’ sitting under the Prospex logo.
Visually, the HBF001 feels closer to the historic design language, with the date window now returned to the three o’clock position, which might sound like a small thing, but makes a big difference at a glance in this particular design. A new ceramic bezel is being used, which remains fully indexed. Due to the new movement being used, it also gains about half a millimeter of thickness overall, now 14.1mm, and keeps its 300 meter depth rating.
In addition to the standard black dial HBF001, Seiko is also releasing a limited edition HBF002 in a nod to JAMSTEC. Just 1,000 examples of this reference will be produced, which features a unique blue faceted dial that transitions to lighter tones at the periphery. Both of the watches use a tool-less quick adjust system in the clasp that slides with a press.
Overall this reference feels like a big step in the right direction, and one that I hope to see Seiko continue to build on. Some of the all-time great modern Seiko dive references bear the Marinemaster name, and there’s plenty of untread ground to cover once they find their footing. The HBF001 is priced at $3,600, while the HBF002 is priced at $3,900. Seiko
