Every watch collector has a brand that first pulled them into the hobby. While my collection has grown considerably over the years, one of the watches that helped ignite my enthusiasm was Seiko’s legendary Orange Monster. It was affordable, rugged, unapologetically fun, and proved that you didn’t have to spend thousands of dollars to own a mechanical watch with real personality.

Fast forward to today, and slipping on the new Rowing Blazers x Wind Vintage x Seiko 5 Sports Rally Diver immediately brought back those memories. Although it’s a very different watch from the Orange Monster, it captures that same spirit that made so many Seiko dive watches favorites among enthusiasts for decades. It’s colorful, distinctive, well-built, and perhaps most importantly, it never takes itself too seriously.

More Than a Fashion Collaboration

At first glance, it’s easy to assume this is simply another fashion-brand collaboration. Thankfully, it’s much more interesting than that.  Rowing Blazers is a New York-based clothing company founded by Jack Carlson in 2017.  The brand draws inspiration from the colorful rowing club blazers worn by British university rowing teams during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  Those jackets often featured bold stripes, bright colors, and unique patterns that identified individual rowing clubs, and that playful approach to classic menswear has become Rowing Blazers’ signature aesthetic.  For this collection, however, Rowing Blazers wasn’t working alone.

The watches were designed through a collaboration between Rowing Blazers, Seiko, and renowned vintage watch expert Eric Wind of Wind Vintage.  That third name is an important part of the story.  Eric Wind is one of the world’s most respected vintage watch authorities, and the original 2021 Rowing Blazers Rally Diver was inspired by his own 1969 Seiko 5 Sports Rally Diver—the very first vintage watch he ever purchased. These new models continue that design story while introducing fresh colors and sizes.

Knowing that history completely changes how I look at this watch. Rather than simply placing a fashion label on an existing Seiko, this collaboration celebrates one of the brand’s vintage designs through the eyes of someone who has spent his career studying and collecting historic timepieces.

This watch is a chunky boy. But I like it.

With it’s chunky case and offset crown, the Seiko 5 Sport based design will be off putting to some.  While I typically go for more conventionally styled watches, I have to admit that vintage charm combined with the gorgeous blue dial and racing inspired checkered bezel pull me in.  Ten years ago I would have said that the 42mm case size would be too big for my 7.5″ wrist.  Then I started wearing a 42mm Omega Seamaster…then I picked up a 41mm Black Bay Chronograph…and suffice to say I’m now well used to watches this size.  The wide bezel actually makes the watch appear smaller than it is – I think it wears closer to 40mm.

The bracelet and clasp are familiar territory for longtime Seiko owners.  The stainless steel bracelet uses the same friction-pin construction Seiko has employed for decades, paired with a stamped clasp featuring four-position micro adjustment.  While much of the watch industry has moved toward elaborate tool-free micro-adjustment systems, Seiko continues to rely on a traditional spring bar that must be carefully repositioned to adjust the fit.  It’s a simple, proven design, but not the most convenient.  Then again, you’re probably not a true Seiko enthusiast until you’ve spent ten minutes on your hands and knees frantically searching the floor for the tiny spring bar that launched itself across the room during a bracelet adjustment.

What’s Included

Unique packaging and a green NATO style strap make this limited edition watch feel special

It’s clear that everyone involved in the collaboration put genuine thought into making this feel like a true special edition.  Inside the presentation box you’ll find the watch mounted on its stainless steel bracelet, along with an additional green nylon NATO-style strap that gives the watch an entirely different personality. Other unique touches include an exhibition caseback featuring Rowing Blazers’ whimsical “Bath Club” motif on the rotor alongside Wind Vintage branding, as well as special co-branded packaging. Each version is individually numbered and limited to just 2,500 pieces worldwide, reinforcing that this isn’t simply another color variation of the standard Seiko 5 Sports lineup.

A Design That Makes You Smile

I’ve reviewed plenty of expensive watches over the years, but every once in a while a watch reminds me that collecting should simply be fun.  This is one of those watches.  The vibrant blue sunburst dial immediately caught my attention. Depending on the light, it shifts between a rich navy and an almost electric sapphire blue, giving the watch considerably more depth than you’d expect at this price point.

Then there’s the bezel.  The blue-and-white checkered insert is the defining characteristic of the Rally Diver. Inspired by vintage racing motifs and Seiko’s historic Rally Diver models, it’s unlike anything else in Seiko’s current catalog.  It’s bold without becoming loud, playful without feeling gimmicky, and it gives the watch an identity that’s instantly recognizable.

The warm vintage-colored lume, bright red seconds hand, classic Seiko handset, and subtle co-branded details complete a design that feels both nostalgic and modern at the same time.  Simply put, this watch makes me smile every time I look at it.

Specifications

The blue Rally Diver (reference SRPM19) is based on the tried-and-true Seiko 5 Diver:

• 42mm stainless steel case
• Automatic Seiko Caliber 4R36 movement
• 24 jewels
• Approximately 41-hour power reserve
• Manual winding capability
• Hacking seconds
• Hardlex crystal
• Unidirectional rotating bezel
• Day and date display with English and Spanish day wheels
• Warm vintage-style LumiBrite hands and markers
• Exhibition caseback
• Stainless steel bracelet
• Additional green nylon strap
• 20mm lug width
• 100 meters of water resistance
• Limited to 2,500 individually numbered pieces
• MSRP: $495

Note: If blue isn’t your color, Seiko also offers a second version of the Rally Diver featuring a 38mm stainless steel case, a green dial, and a matching green checkered bezel. While mechanically identical, the smaller case size and different color palette give it a noticeably different personality.

While many enthusiasts would undoubtedly prefer sapphire crystal, Hardlex has been part of Seiko’s sports watches for decades and has proven itself more than capable of handling everyday wear.  Like most Seiko sport watches, the hands and dial markers are coated with Seiko’s LumiBrite luminescent coating for dial legibility in low-light conditions:

The LumiBrite is bright, evenly applied, and remains easy to read in a dark room

The 4R36 Movement

Powering the Rally Diver is Seiko’s in-house Caliber 4R36.  Introduced in 2011 as a replacement for the legendary 7S26 movement, it’s an automatic movement that has become one of the most respected workhorses in the affordable mechanical watch market.  The movement beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz), uses 24 jewels, and offers approximately 41 hours of power reserve. It also features manual winding and hacking seconds, allowing you to stop the seconds hand while setting the time for precise synchronization.

The watch features a display back with the Rowing Blazer “Bath Club” emblem.

No one buys a Seiko 5 expecting haute horology, and that’s precisely the point.  The Caliber 4R36 isn’t designed to impress with elaborate finishing or exotic materials. Instead, it’s built to be dependable, durable, and easy to live with. Over the years it has earned an excellent reputation for reliability, making it a movement owners rarely have to think about—which is exactly what you want from an everyday mechanical watch.

Final Thoughts

The Rowing Blazers x Wind Vintage x Seiko 5 Sports Rally Diver isn’t trying to compete with luxury dive watches costing thousands of dollars.  Instead, it reminds us why so many of us became watch enthusiasts in the first place.  It’s colorful.  It’s distinctive.  It’s mechanically sound.  It’s affordable.  And perhaps most importantly, it’s simply enjoyable to wear.

For longtime Seiko collectors, there’s an undeniable sense of nostalgia that recalls some of the brand’s most beloved sport watches, including classics like the Orange Monster that first introduced many enthusiasts—including me—to the world of mechanical watches.  For newcomers, it’s an accessible way to own a thoughtfully designed limited edition backed by one of the most respected names in affordable watchmaking.  And for anyone who believes watches should occasionally be fun rather than overly serious, this collaboration absolutely delivers.

The older I get, the less interested I am in wearing a watch simply because of the logo on the dial. I’m far more interested in wearing something that makes me glance at my wrist and smile.

The Rowing Blazers x Wind Vintage x Seiko 5 Sports Rally Diver does exactly that.