A Field Guide to Seiko Nicknames

The one that started it.

The 62MAS was Seiko's first dive watch and Japan's first, introduced in 1965. The original references were 6217-8000 and 6217-8001, with an automatic movement and 150 meters of water resistance.

Unlike most of the names on this page, 62MAS isn't a nickname somebody made up because the watch looked like an animal. It comes from Seiko's own catalog shorthand for the caliber 62 Seikomatic Selfdater family, and Seiko now routinely calls the watch the 62MAS.

More importantly, it established a case and dial design Seiko has returned to again and again. Modern watches like the SLA017, SJE093, SPB143 and my SBDX041 descend from it. If somebody says a modern Seiko is "62MAS-inspired," this is what they mean.

Original

6217-8000 / 6217-8001

Why the name

Seiko's catalog name for the caliber 62 Seikomatic Selfdater

In my collectionSeiko SBDX041Seiko's first diver, the 1965 62MAS, re-issued in 2020 as a BEAMS Japan exclusive for the Tora-san films. One of 300.See my SBDX041 →

The Apocalypse Now Seiko.

The 6105-8110/8119 arrived in 1970 with the big asymmetrical cushion case and crown at four o'clock that became part of the Seiko diver look.

Its nickname came later. Martin Sheen wore a 6105 as Captain Benjamin Willard in Apocalypse Now, so collectors started calling it the Captain Willard, or usually just the Willard.

Seiko has since made modern interpretations, including the SPB151 and its relatives. In Japan, the same watch is also associated with explorer Naomi Uemura, who wore a 6105 on his expeditions.

Original

6105-8110 / 6105-8119

Why the name

Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now

In my collectionSeiko SPB151Named for a captain who went up a river into the heart of darkness. Mine goes up the elevator to the fourth floor.See my SPB151 →

The one that actually looks like its nickname.

The classic Turtle arrived in the 1970s with the 6306 and 6309 divers. Seen from above, the rounded cushion case looks like a turtle shell. That's pretty much the entire story.

The best-known vintage references are the 6306-7000/7001 and the export-market 6309-7040/7049. Seiko revived the shape in 2016 with watches like the SRP777, and the Turtle has been with us ever since. There are now King Turtles, Save the Ocean Turtles and enough other versions to form a small reptile exhibit.

Classic references

6306-7000/7001, 6309-7040/7049

Modern example

SRP777

Why the name

The turtle-shell-shaped case

In my collectionSeiko Turtle SRPB01The 1976 cushion-case diver, reissued with a green dial and limited to 3,500 pieces in 2016.See my Turtle SRPB01 →

Take a Turtle, shrink the idea, move the crown to three o'clock and you get the Mini Turtle.

The modern series appeared around 2017 with references including the SRPC35, SRPC37, SRPC39 and SRPC41. It's not literally a scaled-down Turtle, but the family resemblance was enough for collectors.

Examples

SRPC35 / SRPC37

Why the name

A smaller, Turtle-like case

A watch named after canned fish. Somehow it works.

In 1968, Seiko received a letter from a professional saturation diver saying existing dive watches weren't good enough for the conditions he worked in. Seiko spent seven years on the problem.

The result was the 1975 Professional Diver's 600m, reference 6159-7010: a titanium monocoque case, a protective outer shroud, an L-shaped gasket, an accordion strap and a design unlike almost anything else.

That round shroud reminded collectors of a tuna can. The name stuck. "Tuna" now describes a whole branch of large, shrouded Seiko professional divers rather than one reference.

Original

6159-7010 Professional Diver's 600m

Why the name

It looks like a tuna can

The original 1975 6159-7010 is often called the Grandfather Tuna because it's the watch that started the whole Tuna family. Not particularly complicated.

Reference

6159-7010

Why the name

The original ancestor of the Tuna line

An all-black Tuna. Collectors looked at a giant black dive watch and decided Darth Vader was the obvious next step.

The name is best known on the blacked-out SBBN011, and it carried over to later black versions like the SBBN013.

Common example

SBBN011

Why the name

Large, black and vaguely Imperial

"Emperor Tuna" is generally used for the top-end mechanical 1000-meter Tunas, such as the SBDX011. It's collector shorthand for a very serious Tuna.

Common example

SBDX011

Why the name

A big mechanical Tuna near the top of the food chain

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Seiko.

The H558 was an early analog-digital dive watch from the 1980s, with a shrouded case, analog hands and a digital display. Schwarzenegger wore it on screen during his 1980s action-movie run, including Commando and Predator. Collectors did the rest.

Seiko revived the idea with solar models such as the SNJ025.

Original family

H558

Modern example

SNJ025

Why the name

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The first-generation Monster appeared around 2000, most famously as the black SKX779 and orange SKX781.

The huge luminous markers, aggressive hands and deeply scalloped bezel made it look like something with teeth. Seiko's own designers have said the bezel and minute markers can look like a monster opening its mouth.

There have been several generations since, plus Black Monsters, Orange Monsters and assorted limited versions.

Original examples

SKX779 / SKX781

Why the name

The aggressive bezel, markers and generally monstrous look

The Samurai appeared in the mid-2000s and is one of the easiest Seiko divers to recognize, thanks to its angular case.

There are several stories about where the nickname came from. The sword-like hands get mentioned. So do the sharply cut case surfaces and their resemblance to Japanese armor. Even Seiko's own discussion of the name treats it as interpretation rather than documented fact.

Which is another way of saying nobody really knows who first called it a Samurai. But everybody does now.

Early family

SBDA series

Modern example

SRPB51

Why the name

Probably the angular, blade-like Japanese design cues

The Sumo debuted in 2007, with the SBDC001 as the classic black example. It's a large watch with a muscular case, so "Sumo" isn't much of a stretch.

Seiko has offered two explanations: the stout, powerful shape looks like a sumo wrestler, and the large marker at 12 o'clock looks like a wrestler's topknot. Nobody seems to know which came first.

Original example

SBDC001

Why the name

The big, muscular case, possibly helped by the 12 o'clock marker

The Shogun is another big Prospex diver, but with a much more angular case than the Sumo, and it has traditionally been made of titanium. Early examples include the SBDC007 and SBDC009.

Seiko says the sharp indexes, bezel and metal surfaces reminded fans of a shogun's armor.

Early examples

SBDC007 / SBDC009

Why the name

An angular, metallic design that recalls Japanese armor

Here's where things get confusing. MarineMaster is a real Seiko name.

The best-known modern example is the SBDX001, a serious 300-meter mechanical diver with an 8L35 movement and a one-piece case. Its successor, the SBDX017, is the one I own. Collectors shorten MarineMaster 300 to MM300.

Seiko has changed how it uses the MarineMaster name over the years, so don't assume every watch somebody calls a "MarineMaster" belongs to exactly the same family.

Classic example

SBDX001

Why the name

A Seiko product name; MM300 is collector shorthand

In my collectionSeiko MarineMaster 300Seiko's professional 300 m diver. A one-piece steel case with no caseback, and the 8L35 movement inside.See my MarineMaster 300 →

Now we're back in nickname territory.

In 2018 Seiko released a family of 200-meter divers including the SBDC061/SPB077. They borrowed enough from Seiko's higher-end professional divers that collectors started calling them the Baby MarineMaster, or MarineMaster 200, or MM200.

Seiko didn't put Baby MarineMaster on the dial. Collectors did that. The name is also a little messy, because people don't always agree on which later references belong under the MM200 umbrella.

Early example

SBDC061 / SPB077

Why the name

It looks like the more expensive MarineMaster, at 200 meters

One from my own collection.

The SPB083J1, sold in Japan as the SBDC065, is the blue member of the early MM200, or Baby MarineMaster, family. It's commonly known as the Great Blue Hole, after its dramatic blue gradient dial.

Mine has so far explored the terrifying depths of my pool.

Reference

SPB083J1 / SBDC065

Family

MM200 / Baby MarineMaster

Why the name

The blue gradient dial and the Great Blue Hole off Belize

In my collectionSeiko SPB083The Baby MarineMaster with a blue gradient dial named for the Great Blue Hole off Belize.See my SPB083 →

One of the better Seiko stories.

NASA astronaut Colonel William Pogue bought a Seiko 6139 automatic chronograph and used it while training for the Skylab 4 mission. Then he took it to space.

The yellow-dial 6139-600x associated with Pogue became known simply as the Pogue. It wasn't NASA-issued; his official mission watch was an Omega Speedmaster. The Seiko was his own, which arguably makes the story better.

Be careful with listings: sellers sometimes call almost any yellow 6139 a Pogue, and reference details vary by market.

Family

Yellow-dial 6139-600x

Why the name

Astronaut William Pogue

Look at it from the top and this one makes sense immediately. On the 6138-004x chronographs, the crown and pushers sit at the top of the case rather than the side. They look like horns. Bullhead.

References

6138-004x

Why the name

Top-mounted pushers that look like a bull's horns

The 6138-001x is a big, rounded, nearly lugless 1970s chronograph. Collectors thought it looked like a flying saucer, hence UFO.

You'll also see Yachtsman, a name from period American marketing. Same watch, two names, because apparently one wasn't enough.

References

6138-001x

Why UFO

The saucer-shaped case

Why Yachtsman

A period distributor and marketing name

Another 6138 chronograph. The 6138-003x has two distinctive squarish registers, and "kakume" is Japanese for square eyes. Once you've seen the dial, you can't argue with it.

References

6138-003x

Why the name

The square chronograph registers

Not uniquely a Seiko nickname at all. A Panda chronograph has a light dial with dark subdials, like a panda's face.

Seiko's famous version is the 6138-8020, and Seiko itself has used "Panda" when talking about it.

Classic Seiko Panda

6138-8020

Why the name

A white or silver dial with contrasting black subdials

One of Seiko's strangest watches, which is saying something.

The asymmetrical 7A28-7000 quartz chronograph was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and worn by Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Aliens. Collectors call it the Ripley. Seiko later revisited the design with limited-edition reissues.

Original

7A28-7000

Why the name

Ellen Ripley in Aliens

Ripley wasn't the only one in Aliens wearing a Giugiaro Seiko. The android Bishop, played by Lance Henriksen, wore the related 7A28-6000. So naturally that one became the Bishop.

Original

7A28-6000

Why the name

Bishop in Aliens

The Sea Urchin usually means Seiko 5 Sports models such as the SNZF17. It's not a true ISO dive watch, despite looking very much like one. The name is generally put down to the many projecting markers and bezel details, which look vaguely spiny.

Common example

SNZF17

Why the name

A spiny-looking dial and bezel

Two nicknames for the same Seiko 5 Sports family, best known as the SKZ211.

It has an inner rotating compass scale controlled by a second crown, which helps explain Atlas. Landshark plays on its mix of land-adventure styling and 200 meters of water resistance.

Common example

SKZ211

Why the names

The compass theme, and its land-and-sea ability

Yes, Spork.

The SRP043 combines a dive-watch case with a very legible, pilot-style dial. That led to the spoon-plus-fork explanation: part diver, part pilot.

There's another explanation that's at least as convincing: SRP043K looks suspiciously like SPORK if you've spent too long staring at Seiko reference numbers. Either way, Spork won.

Reference

SRP043

Why the name

A diver-pilot mashup, or a joke based on the reference number

The Stargate family gets its name from its unusual bezel, which collectors thought looked like the circular portal from Stargate. It makes more sense once you see the watch and the movie prop side by side.

Example

SKZ323

Why the name

The bezel looks like the Stargate portal

Another one you can identify without much research. The SKZ28x family has a bezel with large projecting sections that look like the arms of a starfish. Some collectors call it the Shuriken.

Example

SKZ283

Why the name

The pointed, star-shaped bezel

The Seiko 5 Sports Bottle Cap has a tall, heavily notched round bezel. From the side, it looks like the crimped edge of a bottle cap. Sometimes Seiko collectors really do just call things what they look like.

Example

SRPC61

Why the name

The bottle-cap-shaped bezel

This one gets lumped in with the nicknames, but Alpinist is a real Seiko name.

The original Laurel Alpinist dates to 1959 and was made with mountain use in mind. Today people most often picture the green SARB017 and its compass-ring descendants, like my 2021 European edition, the SPB201. So if somebody calls a SARB017 an Alpinist, that's not an internet nickname. Seiko beat them to it.

Famous modern example

SARB017

Why the name

Seiko named the line for mountaineering

In my collectionSeiko Alpinist SPB201The mountaineer's Seiko, in a grey-dial edition of 2,021 made for Europe. Internal compass bezel, cathedral hands.See my Alpinist SPB201 →