Seiko’s “Turtle,” “Samurai” and several other models are so popular and beloved that the watch-buying public has given them these fond nicknames. Another such watch line that the brand is wise to expand upon is the “Monster,” which at some point quietly joined the Prospex family and moved up in pricing, in line with the entire brand’s generally more upmarket positioning. With its distinctive case “shroud” and funky bezel, the new Monster is black ion-plated for a serious look and still offers a lot of bang for the buck.
Shall we call it the “Black Monster?” That moniker might have been claimed by an earlier model, as this isn’t the first Monster to feature a black-coated case. This version reverts to the some of the design elements of the original Seiko Monster before it later got a makeover in the SRP series, which featured triangular indices like monstrous teeth. The new SRPD29 has blocky indices, naturally covered in Seiko’s brightly glowing LumiBrite luminescence.
All-black but maintaining strong legibility, the new Seiko Prospex SRPD29 has a serious presence that makes it look like the kind of tough tool watch you’d want to actually take outside and beat up. It measures a bold but reasonable 42.4mm wide, is water resistant to 200m, and is powered by the Seiko 4R36 automatic movement with around 41 hours of power reserve.
The Seiko Prospex SRPD29 is an online exclusive from Seiko USA with a price in line with other Prospex dive watches of $550.
Gear PatrolThe best way to catch up on the day’s most important product releases and stories. Read the Story