The Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB241, might elicit some groans from the watch world – yet another reproduction based on the golden age of the 50’s and 60’s, yet another Seiko, yet another watch for outdoor adventures that won’t actually take place. Valid points, but I think Seiko did a pretty good job with this $750 MSRP watch.

The similarities between the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB241 and the original 1959 Seiko Laurel Alpinist are obvious, it’s less of a Re-interpretation and more of a modernisation. Let’s just go through the watch component by component:

What drew me to this watch are the uniquely-shaped indices. The SPB241’s triangular mountain indices are basically identical to the original but have more depth, which is a fantastic improvement. They are very well polished and really stand out from the dial. The fauxtina isn’t my preference (I would’ve preferred white) but it kinda works on the cream dial, though I think they are a bit too saturated in color. The blue lumibrite is, like many Seikos, bright as f***.

The inner minute track of the Seiko SPB241 is gorgeously improved from the original pad-printed ticks. The dial’s sunburst finish is interrupted by a semi-polished record-groove ring under the minute-markers, adding some depth to the dial and increasing legibility.

The dial text is just ok. I’m fine with the Prospex logo, but I wish they used the old Alpinist text from the original somehow, maybe in place of “automatic.” Or, if they’re so married to the word Automatic, perhaps it could’ve been written in the alpinist font.

Seiko loves a date complication, despite its absence in the original. I like that they left part of the triangle indice at 3 o’clock, much better than just a solo date window. I wonder if they considered a more angled date window (a la the Nodus Retrospect) to maintain the triangle theme.

The handset is fantastic. The hour and minute hands are extremely sharp, with a lovely center bevel, and just-right lengths. The copper-colored second hand is delicately thin and provides a pop of subtle color. I have no interest in mountaineering, so probably the most extreme test for me was snorkeling in the hazy Pacific ocean, and it was very legible — mission accomplished!

The case is my least favourite part of the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB241 – at 12.9mm it’s just too thick. The sapphire crystal is domed and the bezel around it is a bit thicker than normal. However it feels like the midcase is particularly girthy, and it ends up forcing the lugs to be a bit stubby as well. The 6R35 movement (70 hour power reserve, hell yeah Seiko!) isn’t at fault – for example, the 6R35 powered SPB127 comes in at 11.3mm. Perhaps the 200m water resistance necessitated this thickness, but it seems like it was a design decision to me. The 38mm width is great though!

The milled butterfly-clasp bracelet seems particularly comfortable and high-quality for a Seiko. It actually has a cool texture too. The links are brushed except for a small interlink space, which is polished, so it gives it a bit of flash. I don’t wear bracelets much though so it’s not very relevant to me, but given all the bracelet-hate Seiko gets, I think it deserves a shoutout.

I’ve owned the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB241 for 4 months at this point, and it’s been very up and down, which I suppose is fitting for an Alpinist. I’ve visited the peak and been deeply in love, with thoughts of “this could be my only watch.” I’ve also been down to the hellish valley of listing it for sale on Reddit Watchexchange. For now, I’m in between, at basecamp, hoping I’m one perfect strap combo away from rekindling the fire.