Seiko Expands Prospex Speedtimer with Four New Mechanical Watches for 145th Anniversary

Seiko is marking its 145th anniversary by expanding the Prospex Speedtimer collection with four new mechanical watches, each one drawing from the brand's deep history with racing chronographs. The Speedtimer name itself carries weight—it dates back to 1969, when Seiko released one of the first automatic chronograph movements ever made, the calibre 6139, competing directly with Zenith and the Heuer-Hamilton-Breitling partnership to claim a place in watchmaking history. Now, more than half a century later, the brand is reviving that legacy with designs that look back to the 1970s while using modern materials and movements.

The first two releases are mechanical chronographs: the HBD001 and HBD002. Both sit inside 42mm steel cases, 14.6mm thick, with a distinctive helmet-like centre section that echoes the proportions of those early-1970s originals. The case is hard-coated steel, finished with brushed and polished surfaces, and topped with a sapphire crystal. There's no transparent caseback—just solid steel with engravings—and the watches carry 100 meters of water-resistance. Inside beats the calibre 8R48, an in-house automatic movement with a vertical clutch and column wheel that ensure smooth chronograph operation. The movement runs at 4Hz, benefits from MEMS technology in its escapement, and offers 45 hours of power reserve.

What sets these two apart is colour and strap choice. The HBD001 features a sky blue dial with black subdials at 6 and 9 o'clock for the chronograph counters, a lighter-toned small seconds register at 3 o'clock, and a white seconds scale. It comes on a hard-coated steel bracelet and costs EUR 2,780. The HBD002 reverses the palette—a warm silver base with sky blue chronograph counters—and arrives on a grey leather strap at EUR 2,680. Both dials carry vertical engraved lines as a new design detail for 2026.

Alongside the chronographs, Seiko is introducing two time-and-date watches that carry the Speedtimer name without the stopwatch function. The HBC003 and HBC004 are smaller, more wearable propositions: 39.5mm in diameter, 12mm thick, with an internal rotating bezel that adds visual interest without the complexity of a traditional rotating bezel. They're built for 200 meters of water-resistance and house the calibre 6R55, a modern automatic movement running at 21,600 vibrations per hour with 72 hours of power reserve. The case is steel with a sapphire crystal and solid steel back.

The HBC003 introduces a light blue vertically brushed dial with orange accents on the inner bezel flange, paired with a stainless steel bracelet. The HBC004 shares the colour scheme of an earlier bracelet model, the SPB515, with a dark grey dial—nearly black—and the same orange inner flange detail, but this version comes on an embossed leather strap. The HBC003 retails for EUR 1,030; the HBC004 for EUR 1,000. Both join the permanent collection, as do the chronographs, meaning Seiko is betting these designs have staying power beyond a limited run.

The four watches represent a deliberate strategy: Seiko is broadening the Speedtimer range beyond its original chronograph identity to include everyday sports watches that still carry the motorsport DNA. The retro styling is not nostalgia for its own sake—it's a visual language that connects these 2026 models to a specific moment in watch history when racing chronographs were becoming accessible to serious enthusiasts. The colour choices, the dial treatments, the proportions, all point backward while the movements and materials point forward. For collectors and everyday wearers alike, the collection now offers entry points at different price levels and with different complications, all unified by that racing heritage and the promise of Seiko's in-house engineering.