Seiko Prospex LX SNR049J Spring Drive GMT
New Release

Seiko Prospex LX SNR049J Spring Drive GMT

By cazalea · Oct 20, 2020 · 7 replies
cazalea
WPS member · Seiko forum
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Cazalea introduces the Seiko Prospex LX SNR049J, a limited-edition timepiece that represents the pinnacle of Seiko's sports watch collection. This article explores the watch's design inspiration, technical specifications, and its connection to Seiko's heritage in high-performance timekeeping. Cazalea highlights how the LX line, with its Spring Drive movement, aims to balance modern aesthetics with robust practicality.

Neither GS nor Presage, the Prospex line is a Seiko brand, and the LX is the top of that group of sport watches. 


Here's the latest offering:



The LX line of Prospex is the pinnacle of Seiko sports watches. 

The name “LX”, hints at the Latin word for light and is a subtle nod to the way that light is reflected in the broad, flat surfaces of each case. It is a premium sports watch collection that strikes the perfect balance of modern aesthetic sense with high practicality.

This new LX line is equipped with Seiko's unique "Spring Drive" movement, which demonstrated its durability, strength, and capabilities through its use in outer space in 2008. The limited edition expresses the beauty of the earth's atmosphere seen at the edge of outer space. 

This is a special model in which the mystical scenery of earth, as seen from space, is brought to life by a graded dial and two-tone colored sapphire glass bezel. The stratosphere’s change in color from black to blue is expressed in the graded dial and the two-tone color bezel. The beautiful finish of the watch shows various expressions that differ depending on the angle of light and is reminiscent of the beauty of the earth illuminated by the sun.

Evolution in design reflected in the watch case

The watch’s design is based on the historic 1968 Diver’s, Seiko’s first diver’s watch that had 300m water resistance and a high-beat movement. A Prospex re-creation of the 1968 Diver’s was honored the Sports Watch Prize in 2018 at the world’s most prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The LX line inherits the original case design of the 1968 Hi-beat Diver’s. The Zaratsu-polished distortion-free mirror surface of the case exterior and lowered center of gravity creates a modern look and greater comfort on the wrist.







It is equipped with Caliber 5R66, a Spring Drive movement with a GMT function that proved its performance in space. Spring Drive’s natural glide motion of the seconds hand around the watch dial evokes the scene of a spaceship navigating in the silence of outer space. The case back is marked with the letters "LIMITED EDITION" and a serial number between 001/400 and 400/400 as a certificate of limited quantity.





SNR049J

Caliber 
Number: 5R66
Movement: Spring Drive
Accuracy:  Â±1 second per day / ±15 seconds per month (average)
Duration:  Approx. 72 hours(3 days)

Exterior

Sapphire crystal
Super-clear crystal coating
Lumibrite on hands and indexes
Three-fold clasp with push button release

Other Details

Water Resistance 10 bar
Case Size
Thickness: 14.7 ㎜
Diameter: 44.8 ㎜
Length: 50.9 ㎜
Weight: 146.0 g

Other Specifications

Titanium case and bracelet, coated against an allergic reaction to metal

Clasp with Smart Adjuster function

LIMITED EDITION on the case back

Rotating bezel

Screw case back

Screw-down crown

Serial number engraved on the case back

Other Features

24-hour hand (dual time display function)

30 jewels

Calendar-linked time difference adjustment function

Date display

Power reserve display

Stop second hand function

LIMITED to 400 units / Available Nov 2020 / Price approx $6000 US








Key Points from the Discussion

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The Discussion
AL
als1678
Oct 20, 2020

Choice overload is a real thing. I found the LX line intriguing when it was released, a strange seiko only kind of grand seiko, but the strong design made up for it. Flooding a new line with limited editions seems like a totally wrong direction in my opinion. The corporate strategy team at Saiko has exactly one idea perhaps?

CA
cazalea
Oct 20, 2020

If you saw everything that I get, you would see the breadth of the Seiko imagination. But it might not help raise their image in the eyes of WatchProSite enthusiasts, who tend to play at a higher level ... If interested, you can go here, but I think xxCesar is the most accomplished "watch customizer" who stands a chance of getting his customization turned into a production watch!   Cazalea

AL
als1678
Oct 20, 2020

Yes, the design team certainly has ideas! It is great but I think the LX line needs to establish a clear identity, not play in the "pure fun" zone which really works for entry level pieces.

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