Digital watches have seen a fair resurgence recently. Luxury brands like Girard Perregaux are witnessing huge success with their highly sought-after Casquette reissue, while the well-established and wonderful Autodromo continues to ship its’ newest Group C creation direct to the collections of very notable enthusiasts, worldwide. This new fervour is perhaps due in part to the ongoing celebration of the 1990’s, both in and out of the watch industry, with new discoveries and deep dives from dealers and collectors helping to expand the passion within the neo-vintage-sphere, and yet it may also be due to the refreshing dichotomy a digital display offers, in a traditional mechanical watch collection.

The threat of watch related crime in certain popular destinations detracts significantly from the enjoyment of a fine mechanical watch for many enthusiasts, particularly on vacation. Add in shock, sand, sea and magnetism and this is where the addition of a digital watch makes a particular amount of sense. Usual choices come from Casio; thanks to their simple digital nature Casio G-Shocks are rugged, simple and yet perfectly legitimate in the world of horology, making up a substantial part of the history watches since Kikuo Ibe conceptualised the idea in 1981, and so for many people this is the go to choice in the segment, and has been for the last 30 years. But like mechanical watches, not all digital watches are created equal.

If you look deep enough into the history of digital timepieces you might come across some truly fascinating dive watches from the early 1990’s. One such series of watches is the S800 Scuba Series, from Seiko. These watches probably have the shortest production run of any Seiko dive watch, appearing first in the 1993 Japanese Domestic Market Volume 2 Seiko catalogue and last in the 1994 Volume 2. It is highly likely they were only marketed for 18 months in total, and during that time they showcased some tremendously impressive technology.

Seiko S800 / SBC00X from JDM Seiko Catalogue

200m water resistance, electro-luminescent backlit LCD display, diving chronograph function with 20 log memory, a diving signal alarm (to broadcast attention or distress underwater) were all built into the module alongside a standard set of features such as calendar, alarm and chronograph functions. In 1993, this was nothing short of revolutionary, at a time when Casio had just released the iconic Frogman & were still using single, very dim LED’s to attempt to light their displays. To top it all off, the design of the S800 was beautiful - at first glance its easy to assume the S800’s are plastic cased, but instead everything is impressively made from steel, except the bezel which is sometimes seen in impact resistant and vibrantly coloured polymer, depending on the reference. The module, which is unique to this series, is sandwiched between the Tsunami embossed screw down steel caseback and domed Hardlex crystal, a subtle touch that evoke a sense of submersible watercraft and dive equipment of the era. Is this yet another steel sports watch inspired by the enduring ‘porthole’?

So if occasionally you need a watch for other duties, or fancy a break from the seriousness of the mechanical world, the S800’s are a rare, well made, thoughtfully designed & exotic addition to any collection, with the horological palette cleansing power of a piña colada sorbet and a backlight that rivals the iridescent glow of Shinjuku at midnight… almost.

See the S800’s here.

PEACHY.

Overlooked: Vintage Omega

EXOTIC.