Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091 Review & Complete Guide

Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091 Review & Complete Guide

The Seiko Alpinist is one of the most popular and historically important timepieces for the brand.

Originally launched in 1961, the Alpinist was introduced specifically for Japanese mountain climbers, also known as Yama-Otoko, which is Japanese for mountain men, and other sportsmen. This watch is also important due to the fact that it is Seiko’s first sports watch specifically made for a given purpose.

The Japanese mountain needed a tough and durable timepiece that would help them keep track of the time, but also to be robust and durable enough to handle harsh conditions. With that said, all the way since the beginning, the Alpinist is built to be tough and able to handle rugged terrain and which the wearer can rely on to be accurate.

Since 1961, Seiko has built on the huge popularity of the Alpinist, which has proven to be a great success, and developed new iterations. The first new iteration was released in 2006 under the reference SARB017. Fast forward and we have been spoiled with the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091. This is the Seiko that we are going to review and look closer at in this article.

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Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091 Review

The Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091 is known as the Alpinist Green reference SBDC091. This watch has been equipped with a revised design but most importantly, a new and upgraded movement. In many ways, it stays true to the original Alpinist design, but many things have of course been upgraded and revised.

Without further ado, let’s look closer at the SBDC091 and what it has to offer.

Case

The Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091 is presented with a stainless steel case with a diameter of 39.5mm excluding the crown and 41mm including it. The lug-to-lug is 48mm and the thickness is 13.2mm.

With that said, it is a relatively reasonable case size for a sports watch which also helps make it more versatile. This is a watch that will work excellently on both formal and casual occasions, but it will also perform excellently when out in the field.

Seiko has also done a great job with finishing the case and finding a good balance between sportiness and elegance. It has a fixed polished bezel for that clean look, and the upper side of the lugs is brushed. Both the inner and outer sides of the lugs have polished beveled edges which really enhance the watch’s impression of quality. The sides of the case are polished too.

Positioned at 3 o’clock, it has a screw-down crown that sits protected between a crown guard. Right beneath the crown and next to the crown guard at 4 o’clock, it has an additional crown, and this is used for operating the compass which is placed around the dial in a sloped design. The compass is a signature trait of the Alpinist, and therefore, the internal rotating bezel is a must. Naturally, the compass is truly helpful for mountain climbers and explorers which helps navigate out in the field.

On top of the case, Seiko has opted for a sapphire crystal with a magnifying cyclops placed on top of the date window which helps with legibility. The cyclops is a great addition to this watch since the date ”pops” and makes it very easy to read at any time.

The water resistance of this watch is 200m/660 feet which is actually really good for a watch that isn’t a dive watch. Its water-resistance means it is suitable for both swimming and diving, shall you ever be in a situation in the mountains where you need to submerge it underwater, or in reality for most people, when you are at the beach and want to take a swim (truthfully, most people won’t wear this watch when hiking the mountains).

The watch is presented on a brown alligator embossed leather strap with matching brown stitching. The leather straps add to the elegance of this watch and help make it less sporty. All in all, the strap goes really well with the green dial and adds to its overall appearance.

Dial

Moving on to the dial, the SBDC091 is presented with a beautiful forest green dial with yellow-gold contrasting markers and hands which pair exceptionally well with the green.

The sunburst brushed finish reflects the light beautifully and makes the watch change its appearance depending on how the light hits it. The dial has applied polished yellow gold markers, with every other marker being Arabic, and every other being a triangle. As mentioned, it also has a date window at the 3 o’clock position.

On the dial, you can see that Seiko has added the Prospex ”X” emblem. Prospex stands for ”professional specifications” and simply means that the watch is built according to the wants and needs of professionals.

The hands are presented with polished gold frames to match the hour markers and have applied Lumibrite on them which helps improve the legibility in low-lit conditions. Not only do the hands look great but they also provide excellent legibility and add to the overall style of the watch.

Movement

With this new Alpinist, the biggest upgrade is the movement, which is now the in-house Automatic caliber 6R35. This is a great upgrade from the previous 6R15. The movement operates at 21600 BPH and has a power reserve of 70 hours, compared to the previous 50 hours. The movement has both hacking and manual-winding capabilities. The movement incorporates 24 jewels.

All in all, the 6R35 is a tried and true workhorse that has proven to be able to handle all kinds of harsh conditions and to be able to continue to tick for years with little to no maintenance. This is a trusted companion that makes for a perfect fit in the SBDC091.

Oh, and as a bonus, the watch has a see-through case back which allows you to appreciate the mechanical movement inside. A great feature that watch enthusiasts in particular will enjoy.

Specifications

• Movement: Automatic Seiko in-house caliber 6R35
• Diameter: 39.4mm
• Thickness: 13.2mm
• Water Resistance: 200m/660 feet
• Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
• Crown: screw-down
• Accuracy: +25/-15 sec per day
• Lug width: 20mm
• Lug-to-lug: 13.2mm

Conclusion

To conclude this article, the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091 is a watch that offers great value for money. In the watch world, it is a true icon, and it is easy to see why it has acquired such legendary status and cult following. The watch has a beautiful and classic design with a combination of sportiness and elegance. At the same time, this watch is built to be tough and durable, able to handle all kinds of harsh conditions.

For the price, this watch offers excellent value for money in many different aspects. It has great finishing, beautiful attention to detail on the dial, and of course a robust and reliable construction.

The Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBDC091 is available to order on Amazon.