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One of the most popular and beloved affordable Seiko watches in modern times is the Seiko 5 SNZH, introduced in the 2000s as a diver-style watch with attractive styling reminiscent of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms thanks to its similar bezel design and sword hands.
The SNZH became extremely popular with modders, who routinely transformed it into a more direct Blancpain homage dubbed the “Fifty Five Fathoms,” a nickname that has stuck with the SNZH.
Seiko discontinued the SNZH around 2018, eventually replacing it with an updated version under the Seiko 5 Sports SKX Series line two years ago. The new version, like the similarly revived 5 Sports SKX models, boasts improved specs and a similar design to its predecessor.
Now, Seiko has introduced a pair of striking new colorways to the reborn “Fifty Five Fathoms,” offering up more options for what is arguably the brand’s best-looking affordable diver-style watch.
The new colors are “Formal White” and “Tweed Green.” Like the most classic discontinued “Fifty Five Fathoms,” the SNZH57, both of these new references feature a plethora of gilt accents on the hands, applied indices, day-date frame and bezel markings.
The Formal White, ref. HDB004, features a white sunburst dial paired with a black bezel, creating some nice contrast. Perhaps even more beautiful is the Tweed Green, ref. HDB005, which color matches its green sunburst dial with a rich green bezel. It’s quite a luxe look for a sub-$500 watch.
Outside of the new colorways, the watches are the same as the current-gen SNZH-inspired divers.
Their specs include a 42.5mm x 14.2mm stainless steel case with a 4:00 crown, a three-row steel bracelet with a twin-trigger deployant clasp, 100m water resistance and the Seiko Calibre 4R36 automatic movement that both hacks and hand-winds/ features that were absent on the original SNZH.
Availability and pricing
Both the HDB004 and HDB005 are slated to become available from Seiko in October. As usual, UK pricing has been announced before U.S. pricing, with the watches having an SRP of £340, which currently converts to about $460.
However, the existing black version of the watch, ref. SRPK99, retails for just $400 stateside, which I suspect is closer to what we’ll see when these new colors go live next month.
Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.
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