Photo: Two Broke Watch Snobs
Seiko Prospex SBDC051 Review & Complete Guide
If you are looking for an affordable automatic watch, Seiko is definitely a great candidate. In fact, Seiko is considered to make some of the best automatic watches in the world, and they don’t disappoint with the Prospex SBDC051 either, which is the watch we are going to review and look closer at in this article.
Seiko Prospex SBDC051 review
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The two main positive critiques about this watch are that it has a beautiful design and punches well above its weight in relation to price and quality.
Part of Seiko’s Prospex collection, Prospex means ”Professional Specification”, which is used for watches that ” challenge every limit, with a collection of timepieces for sports lovers and adventure seekers whether in the water, in the sky, or on land. Since launching Japan’s first diver’s watch in 1965, Seiko’s innovative technology has changed global standards. We are constantly striving to bring ever greater reliability and safety to both professional and recreational divers.”, in Seiko’s own words.
The SBDC051 has a clean, elegant, yet sporty design. Visually, it is highly regarded as one of the most beautiful Seiko watches out there, and we would agree that this watch, design-wise, is a huge home run. But of course, it’s important to bear in mind that this watch is very much inspired by Seiko’s vintage watches, most specifically the 62MAS. With that said, it is based on an already loved, proven, and appreciated concept. This is ultimately the perfect recipe for a successful watch.
The watch combines vintage design elements with modern technology and build quality to create a watch that meets Seiko’s stringent standards for diver’s watches.
Now, let’s look closer at this watch in detail and what makes it so immensely popular.
Seiko Prospex SBDC051 Case
The Seiko Prospex SBDC051 has a 42.6mm stainless steel case.
The case is beautifully finished, combining brushed and polished elements. Around the case, it has polished bevels which create a nice look that helps make the case look smaller. The case has a special lug design, where the lugs are ”cut” off, creating a sharp edge and ending to the case. With that said, the lugs are relatively short and thus make the watch wear smaller than its 42.6mm on paper. The watch has a lug-to-lug length of 49.5mm. It uses the ”standard” size of 20mm for its lug width.
A popular element is the fact that this watch has lug holes which makes changing straps and removing the bracelet very easy.
With a thickness of 13.8mm, it has a thickness which is quite common for dive watches. The crown is placed at 3 o’clock and is slightly recessed. Of course, screw-down to keep it sealed and resistant to water.
As a dive watch, it has a unidirectional rotating bezel with 120 clicks. The bezel operates very smoothly and accurately. The bezel insert has a glossy finish and is slightly domed, which gives it a greater depth and sense of quality. For legibility, it has a luminous pip at 12 o’clock.
In terms of water resistance, the Seiko Prospex SBDC051 is resistant to 200 meters. This is enough to both dive and swim with, but not ideal for deep dives. The case is treated with Seiko’s DiaShield coating in order to make it more resistant to scratches and corrosion.
The watch has a screw-down case back with a tsunami emblem usually found on the other Seiko divers. It’s of course a shame that you won’t be able to admire the movement, but seeing this is a sporty dive watch, the solid case back adds to its sporty personality.
On top of the case sits a domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. This is an improvement from the Hardlex crystal which Seiko uses for its more affordable watches.
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Seiko Prospex SBDC051 movement
The watch is equipped with the automatic and mechanical Seiko 6R15 movement. Two great features of this movement include hacking seconds and hand-winding, two features that are not present in Seiko’s most affordable automatic watches.
The movement beats at 21,600 BPH and has a 50-hour power reserve. The energy is stored in the Spron 510 mainspring. The movement is tried-and-true and has accuracy, durability, and long-lasting quality. A perfect movement for a sporty dive watch. The movement has 23 jewels.
According to specifications, it has an accuracy of +25/-15 sec per day. Now, it’s not COSC standard, but it also costs a tenth of, for example, a Rolex Submariner.
Seiko Prospex SBDC051 dial
The dial has everything you may ask for from a sporty dive watch. It is clean, elegant, minimalistic, and offers great legibility.
To start with, it has a lovely matte black dial that creates a nice rich texture and also prevents reflections and glare. Around the edge, we have a chapter ring with printed second markers.
Being a slightly vintage-inspired watch, the dial shares a lot of similarities with the original reference 62MAS. Despite this, the dial looks clean, modern, and up-to-date. The watch has a large triangle/rectangle-shaped markers with Lumibrite applied to them. In the dark, the hands and indices glow brightly to allow for great visibility.
At 3 o’clock, we have a date window. White background and black printing. The date window has a white frame printed around it.
The dial printing is rather clean. There’s the Seiko Logo, Prospex logo, depth rating, and an ”Automatic” print.
The hands are wide and easy to read. The hour hand is shaped like a big arrow. The seconds hand is simple and made of metal.
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Bracelet
The bracelet goes well together with the overall personality of this watch.
Something we love about this bracelet is that it truly proves you get what you pay for with Seiko. The biggest complaint people have with Seiko’s most affordable watches is the quality of their bracelets. The bracelet is often what is compromised when it comes to the most affordable watches, but this one is a big improvement.
The bracelet of the SBDC051 is very comfortable on the wrist, and with a lug width of 20mm, it doesn’t feel clumsy on the wrist. The bracelet tapers somewhat, but it could taper more for improved comfort. We like that Seiko has invested some resources into finishing the bracelet with polished sides and brushed on top which continues the theme of the case.
The clasp is milled and feels high quality.
The bracelet really does the job well and is both robust, well-finished, and looks great.
Specifications
- Movement: Caliber 6R15
- Accuracy: +25/-15 sec per day
- Lug width: 20mm
- Water resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 42.6mm in diameter
- Lug-to-lug: 49.50mm lug to lug
- Thickness/Height: 13.8mm
The Seiko Prospex SBDC051 is available to order on Amazon.
I keep reading this watch has a ‘milled clasp’. I own it and it seems stamped, except for the two internal arms. Is that what a milled clasp is meant to be?