Today, we come to the end of the current trio of PADI special edition watches we had come in from Seiko. They’re all dive watches, of course, but they approach things quite differently. We had the purpose-driven mechanical and the solar-powered dressier option. That then leaves us with the Seiko Prospex SUN065, which is unlike both of those that preceded it on our pages.
At first blush, you would say, no, the Seiko Prospex SUN065 is a purpose-built dive watch, meant for, and designed for, that task of diving. And I’ve no doubt that it could serve in that task. But then you notice there’s a fourth hand on the dial, and hey, look at that – a GMT complication has entered the mix! So, not just a dive watch, but a dive watch you can jet around the world in pursuit of sunken treasure or tropical fish, or whatever it is recreational divers go diving for.
Jamming a bit more into the dial of the Seiko Prospex SUN065 is ok by me, as it has plenty of real estate for it with the 47.5mm diameter case. A good portion of that is due to the angled shroud that partially protects the diving bezel, and since my eye gets drawn to the bezel, this seems to wear smaller than the specs suggest (though not as tightly to the wrist as the Monster Tuna). I also like what Seiko did with the sides of the case, giving cutouts to show some texture and color from the “inner” case. When you’ve got a tall case profile, you might as well put some fun architecture in there, in my book.
A closer look at the dial reveals a lot of similarities to the SNE435 that we just reviewed, with a similar handset and applied indices, and of course the same blue dial we’ve seen on all of these PADI models. Aside from design cues, there is one big thing that separates the Seiko Prospex SUN065 from the other two we reviewed – it’s movement. Here, we’ve got the 5M85, which means it’s a kinetic movement.
On one hand, a kinetic movement is familiar – you move the wrist or shake the watch, and you hear a rotor spinning away. Here, though, the rotor is not winding a mainspring. Instead, we’re building up the juice to power the movement. If things run low, you get the stutter-step in the seconds hand. And if you want to know where your power reserve is, well, that’s what the screw-down pusher at 2 o’clock is to help you do (for me, this was a curiosity to play with at first, then quickly ignored). So, while the Seiko Prospex SUN065 is not an automatic, in a pure sense, it is a watch you could put on the winder to keep it running if you’re not wearing it frequently.
This is the Seiko the me of, say, 6+ years ago would have gone for. It’s a larger dive watch, plenty of blue to it, and the movement offers up something different than anything else I likely owned (then or now). Current-day me also digs the GMT movement (though not the case proportions). This is very much a casual watch, given it’s sizing and styling. Sure, it’s a diver, but it doesn’t seem as “in your face” about it as the Monster Tuna does, at least to my way of thinking. It’s just a few mm smaller, but that angled shroud sort of takes things down a notch, while giving it a hint of a vintage vibe.
For me, the smaller size of the Seiko Prospex SUN065 also helped the silicone strap (this time in black, but still with a metal keeper) to not have as much of a tongue hanging out to get caught on things – something worth considering if you’ve got smaller wrists. Then again, if you’re considering the $750 Seiko Prospex SUN065 – and comparing it against the SRPA83, you’ve got your decision-making work cut out. Pricing is similar, and capabilities are as well – styling is different, of course, and the movements are radically different as well. Variety is the spice of life, no?
While I did not have anything against the Seiko Prospex SUN065 during my time with it, I ended up feeling it was, well, just too big for my own tastes as a desk diver. I like the more compact Seiko divers, like my first-gen Monster, I suppose. And of the three that I reviewed here recently, it’s the SNE435 that I’d opt for (of the three), it just fits my own tastes and use cases. For the divers out there, though, I’m sure you have a totally different set of criteria, and I’m sure you could do well with either of them. Here, with the Seiko Prospex SUN065, you get that Kinetic movement which sort of bridges the gap between mechanical and quartz movements, if you’re looking for something a bit different in your next diver. seikousa.com
Review Summary
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Brand & Model: Seiko Prospex SUN065
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Price: $750
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Who’s it for? You like the tactile feel of a mechanical rotor winding, but relish the accuracy a quartz brings to the table
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Would I wear it? No, this is not the Seiko diver I am looking for
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What I would change: Shrink it on down
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The best thing about it: The kinetic movement
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PADI Special Edition
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Powered by movement
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Power reserve indicator function
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GMT indicator
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6-month power reserve
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Date calendar
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One-way rotating elapsed timing bezel
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LumiBrite hands and markers
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Screwdown crown and see-through caseback
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Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
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47.5mm diameter
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Water Resistance: Diver’s Watch to 200 meters (660 feet). Meets ISO standards and is suitable for scuba diving.
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Caliber 5M85
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Silicone strap
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