The Retro-Cool Datsun-Themed Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Limited Edition Collection

What defines something as an icon is generally down to the public’s perspective of its significance. It can be anything, really, as long as it stands for something extraordinary. In watchmaking, we have a fair few of them that we regularly celebrate. Think of watches like the Seiko Speedtimer 6139, which was among the very first automatic chronograph watches. Born in 1969, it lives on today in the Prospex Speedtimer collection. And now, crossing over into automotive celebrations, the collection expands with not one, but three themed limited edition Seikos honouring another Japanese icon of the same year; the mighty Datsun 240Z rally car!

The Seiko-Datsun connection

The connection between Seiko and Datsun, the Japanese car manufacturer, isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem. Both are Japanese, of course, but there’s more to it than that. The name Datsun was introduced by the DAT Motorcar Company in 1931 to indicate smaller production vehicles. By 1986, the name was phased out by its parent company Nissan, to form a global single-name brand. One of the most iconic cars by Datsun is the 240Z, in production from 1969 to 1978, which was very popular in Japan and the US for its striking good looks, mechanical reliability. It was also quite successful in motorsports, both on and off road, as it won the gruelling 6,200km-long East Africa Safari Rally in 1971.

At that time, Seiko actively supported Datsun/Nissan in their racing and rallying programs, and as such, the winning No. 11 car bore the famous Seiko name when it finished first in said rally. That very achievement is now honoured in a fittingly themed series of watches, that also introduces a completely new model to the Prospec Speedtimer range, as well as updating its sporty Speedtimer Chronograph in the process! But before we go into details on the permanently available models, we kick off the celebrations of that iconic car-and-watch connection, with the Datsun 240Z inspired SPB517 (time-and-date), SRQ057 (mechanical chronograph) and SSC957 (solar chronograph) trilogy!

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical Datsun 240Z L.E. SPB517

New to the Prospex Speedtimer collection is a time-and-date model, which makes its debut as part of this Datsun-themed trilogy, but also as a stand-alone reference in the permanent collection (more on that later today!). It keeps in check with the overall Speedtimer aesthetics, but presents itself as a simpler, cleaner version of the sporty timekeeper. This Datsun 240Z Limited Edition SPB517 kicks things off with a rather stylish stainless steel case measuring a pleasant 39.5mm across and 12.0mm in height. On the right, the crown is joined by a secondary one to operate the inner rotating bezel that serves as a countdown timer.

The dial is fittingly finished in black, with the classical Datsun logo proudly visible in the bottom half of it. The large markers and hands make telling time quite easy, and each one gets a touch of LumiBrite for extra night-time legibility. On the outer edge, the rotating inner bezel has a scale divided into red and grey quarters, with vintage font numerals to countdown the start to a race (or any other event of your choosing). Between the 4 and 5 o’clock marker, you can see the date poking through, with a horizontally aligned digit.

Covered by a solid stainless steel caseback emblazoned with the Datsun logo, is Seiko’s Calibre 6R55. This in-house automatic ticks at a frequency of 21,600vph and has a generous power reserve of 72 hours. It’s fitted to a perforated black leather strap with a red backing and lining, and a folding clasp. Limited to 2,500 pieces, this special Datsun 240Z edition will cost you EUR 1,250.

Quick Facts – 39.5mm x 12.0mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – superhard coating – dual crowns (setting & winding, inner countdown bezel) – curved sapphire crystal with AR-coating – solid caseback with Datsun logo – black dial – applied markers & hands with LumiBrite – vintage Datsun logo – rotating countdown bezel with vintage font & quartered sections – Calirbe 6R55, in-house automatic – 21,600ph – 72h power reserve – perforated black leather strap with red backing & lining – folding clasp – limited to 2,500 pieces – EUR 1,250

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical Chronograph Datsun 240Z L.E. SRQ057

Next in line is an adaptation of the Prospex Speedtimer as we know it. Although it’s quite similar to the SRQ047 through SRQ053 that came before it, a few details set it apart from the rest. The most obvious change, apart from the black coated stainless steel case, is the fixed external tachymeter bezel. This used to be an internal one, but has now been moved to the outside for that classical racing chronograph look. While the case dimensions are similar, at 42mm in width and 14.6mm in height, it looks a bit smaller thanks to its black finish (black is slimming, as they say!). The bezel itself is fitted with a black insert that presents its scale in white and red, in correlation to the Datsun 240Z that inspired the series.

The dial is, unsurprisingly, I guess, black! This strongly contrasts with the large, steel coloured markers and faceted hour and minute hands, white printed scales and numerals on the sloped inner flange, the minute track, the subdials and so on. The chronograph indications all get a touch of red on the hands, while the running seconds hand has received a blue stripe. A bevelled window at 04:30 reveals the date, and LumiBrite on the markers and hands glow in the dark. The finishing touch is the cursive ‘Datsun’ script below the logo at noon.

Beating away under the hood is Seiko’s 8R48 automatic column-wheel chronograph movement. This has a ‘rev limit’ (pardon the pun, I mean frequency of course!) of 28,800vph and can hold up to 45 hours of power. The column-wheel and vertical clutch ensure a smooth start, stop and reset action of the stopwatch function, which is done through the pump-style pushers on either side of the crown.

Worn on a black calfskin leather strap with a three-fold stainless steel clasp, the SRQ057 is limited to 500 pieces only! The price is set at EUR 3,500, slightly more than its permanently available steel-and-black sibling also launching today (which we’ll cover later today!)

Quick Facts – 42.0mm x 14.6mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – black hardcoating – black crown & pushers – black fixed tachymeter scale with white & red scale – curved sapphire crystal with AR-coating – solid caseback with Datsun logo – applied markers & hands with LumiBrite – red-tipped chronograph hands – blue-tipped runnig seconds hand – bevelled date window – Calibre 8R48, in-house – automatic chronograph – 28,800vph – 48h power reserve – column-wheel & vertical clutch – black leather strap with three-fold steel clasp – limited to 500 pieces – EUR 3,500

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph Datsun 240Z L.E. SSC957

The third model in the series is a Solar-powered version of the Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph. This follows along the same path as the others, with references to the iconic red colour of the 240Z rally cars on the dial, hands and bezel. The stainless steel case comes in at 41.4mm by 13.0mm, which means it’s slightly more compact than its mechanical counterpart, which should be noticeable on the wrist. It uses the Calibre V192, which charges through a solar cell over the dial and can store up to 6 months of power in its battery. The subdial at 6′ doubles as a power reserve indicator, which is convenient. Worn on a stainless steel bracelet with black mid-links, it’s limited to 4,000 pieces and retails for EUR 1,050.

Quick Facts – 41.4mm x 13.0mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – black pushers & crown – fixed black tachymeter bezel with white & red scale – curved sapphire crystal with AR-coating – solid caseback with Datsun 240Z silhouette – 100m water-resistant – black dial – applied markers & hands with LumiBrite – subdials for small seconds at 9′, 24-hours at 3′, and chronograph 60-minutes with power reserve at 6′ – Calibre V192, solar-powered – 6-month maximum charge – over-charging protection – stainless steel bracelet with black mid-links & folding clasp – limited to 4,000 pieces – EUR 1,050

For more information, please visit Seiko-Watches.com.