The Seiko Prospex SPB213 is the 5th watch I bought when I started getting sucked into the rabbit hole of horology. Not all of us have deep pockets to buy everything we take interest in. So, as to not overspend, I created this rule: For watches that I buy, I will be climbing price points slowly (this is relative) at $1k intervals. At every price point, the challenge is to find the best watch that will fit nicely into my collection.

By Early to Mid 2021, I was looking around for watches with a $1K-$2K price tag. In June I pulled the trigger when Seiko released the SPB213 as one of the few watches to celebrate their 140th anniversary. FOMO kicked in before I realized that it’s a not-so-limited 6,000 pieces production.

Now, we need not talk about the Seiko Prospex SPB213 list of specifications as a lot of other articles have already done that for us. I mostly will talk about how and why the watch has worked for me.

WHY IT WORKED FOR ME

Case Size

I never understood the appeal of watches below 42mm before. Truth be told, I was underwhelmed by 40mm Submariners on other people’s wrists (pardon my ignorance). What attracted me at that point was big watches. Think of it this way, pro athletes wear watches that evoke a certain type of masculinity. Recently, I saw Tom Brady in a video wearing a Big Pilot and it looked great on him.

The Seiko Prospex SPB213, with its dimensions, was a chance for me to experience a type of watch with a case size that is one level below what I normally prefer. The preference of enthusiasts for smaller case sizes started to take shape and I felt compelled to understand why this is so. I learned from Mark Cho that the only way for you experience a watch in its entirety is if own it, even for a little while. I took it to heart and applied it to my journey. A few months of owning the SPB213 has taught me to appreciate the appeal of a refined look when a watch size looks just right on your wrist.

Looks

In any situation, the watch that I want in my collection must be a handsome one. A few months back, I came across a good friend that owns a 41mm Tudor Black Bay in the original colorway with gilt accents. This watch is quite handsome in person and many photos do not do it justice. What I love about the Seiko Prospex SPB213 is that it can hold its ground beside the Black Bay. I had it side by side and it didn’t seem that they were a couple of thousand dollars apart. Of course, when you compare them more closely, you will start to see the difference.

If you follow the watch community closely, you may notice that there are watch people who pay a bit more attention to fashion. I am not one of those guys but I stick to the basics in terms of my attire. I’m in my mid-30s and my boss (meaning my wife) encourages me (meaning forces me) to dress appropriately for my age. She converted all the colors of my clothes to neutral ones and that’s where the Seiko Prospex SPB213 with white dial and inky blue bezel perfectly fits with what I have in my wardrobe.

Travel

When we think about a travel watch, the community always mentions GMTs and whatnot. We romanticize anything that can be used to indicate more than one time zone. As an enthusiast, I would love to experience that. But in reality, I just want to be able to wear a watch that doesn’t make me a target wherever I go.

FINAL THOUGHTS

At the $1k-$2k price point, I’m convinced that I have chosen well.

There is something about Seiko watches. If you look around, a lot of enthusiasts and collectors even started with them. I don’t exactly remember why I wasn’t enamored with it when I was younger but the more I learned, the more I leaned towards appreciating the quality of watches from this brand.

I was telling myself, “How can I be a watch guy if I don’t even own a Seiko?”.