In the 1960s, just about every watch brand was getting into the GMT game. After Rolex launched the original GMT-Master in 1954 as the first watch to combine a rotating 24-hour bezel with a 24-hour fourth hand on a twelve-hour dial, the floodgates opened, and by the next decade a number of brands had put forth their own unique spin on the jet-setting new genre.
Heuer released the Autavia GMT, Accutron debuted the Astronaut, Zodiac put out the Aerospace and in 1968, Seiko launched the Navigator Timer GMT. The watch was the first from the Japanese manufacturer to combine a GMT function with a rotating bezel (its first GMT was the Seiko World Time, released four years earlier sans rotating bezel). Vintage Navigator Timers have since become hot commodities among enthusiasts and now, finally, Seiko is bringing back this classic with a faithful reissue.
The Original Explorer-Style GMT
Seiko would go on to make a number of different styles of the Navigator Timer, but the original design would have the most lasting impact. It featured an anthracite dial, a red arrow GMT hand and a stainless steel bezel with black 24-hour markings. Seeing the watch today, many would notice a striking resemblance to the original Rolex Explorer II, colloquially known as the "Steve McQueen" despite a lack of evidence the King of Cool ever wore one.
While Rolex has had an outsized influence on watch design across the industry, this is not another case of a brand emulating Rolex. In fact, it may be the opposite, as Rolex didn't release the first Explorer II until 1971 — three years after the Seiko Navigator Timer landed on wrists around the globe. (It's worth mentioning the Glycine Airman to cover all of our bases here, as it debuted with a stainless steel 24-hour bezel way back in 1953 — but it lacked a fourth hand and instead used a 24-hour format on the dial.)
The Seiko Prospex Land Mechanical GMT Limited Edition
This brings us to Seiko's modern reincarnation of the Navigator Timer. The name has changed — Seiko is calling the new watch the Prospex Land Mechanical GMT Limited Edition ref. SPB411 — but make no mistake, this is the spiritual successor to the original Navigator Timer, with Seiko noting in a press release that the new watch is "as faithful as possible to the classic sports design and compact dimensions that characterized the late-'60s Navigator Timer."
What that faithfulness translates to is a compact 38.5mm size for its distinctive C-shaped case, just barely bigger than the original, and a true-to-vintage 45mm lug-to-lug measurement. The five-link stainless steel bracelet is fitted between 19mm lugs, like on the vintage model, and Seiko has carried over the original's horseshoe design on the caseback. Modern upgrades include sapphire for the box-shaped crystal rather than acrylic, 100m of water resistance (as opposed to 70m on the original) and a super hard coating applied to the case and bracelet.
The movement is also different of course, with the new watch being powered by Seiko's automatic 6R54 GMT caliber. Debuting in 2023, the movement is an upgrade over the 4R34 seen in the popular Seiko 5 Sports GMT that debuted in 2022 and features an independently adjustable fourth hand, a quickset date and an impressive 72-hour power reserve.
The New Navigator Timer is limited, so be prepared to act fast
Seiko is only making 4,000 examples of the SPB411, which seems like a lot at first blush. But given the scarcity and popularity of the original models, I expect these to sell pretty quickly. Seiko definitely isn't giving the watches away, however. As part of Seiko's higher-end Prospex line, they're priced accordingly at $1,500 — per Monochrome Watches — and will go on sale in November.
