The one for the mountains, and the Midosuji line
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
Seiko's first Alpinist arrived in 1959, a watch for young Japanese climbers who needed something sturdy for the Northern Alps. The SPB121 keeps that story alive with the green sunburst dial, gold cathedral hands, and the inner rotating compass bezel, operated with the second crown at four.
39.5 by 13.2 mm, leather strap, sapphire, 200 m, open caseback, date, and the 6R35 with 70 hours of reserve. That last number is useful in real life: take it off on Friday night and it will usually still run on Monday morning.
Things I love: the size, the green, the history. Things I do not: the inner bezel is mostly decorative for city people like me, and the cyclops over the date is unnecessary on a dial so pretty. And at 725 to 900 dollars on leather, I would want the strap to be better than it is.
If you want one Seiko that shows its personality without being a diver, this is it. Almost anyone with an average wrist who likes green should try one.