As PADI marks six decades of shaping the global diving community, Seiko Prospex is commemorating both the organisation’s 60th anniversary and ten years of partnership with the world’s largest diver training agency through the launch of a special limited-edition diver’s watch.
The announcement celebrates a relationship built on shared values of diver safety, underwater exploration, and ocean conservation.
The connection between the two organisations stretches back to a period that helped define modern recreational diving. Seiko introduced Japan’s first diver’s watch in 1965, while PADI was founded just one year later in 1966 by two American diving enthusiasts seeking to improve training standards and make scuba diving more accessible.
Today, PADI operates in more than 180 countries and territories and has issued more than 30 million diver certifications, making it the largest diving organisation in the world.
The partnership between Seiko and PADI has now reached its tenth year. During that time, both organisations have worked to support diver education, exploration, and environmental stewardship. Over the past five years, Seiko Prospex has also supported the PADI AWARE Foundation through global marine debris initiatives as part of its Save the Ocean programme.
A major focus of those efforts has been Dive Against Debris, PADI’s flagship citizen science programme that empowers divers to remove marine debris from underwater environments while collecting valuable environmental data.
Through thousands of local actions around the world, participating divers have removed millions of pieces of debris from oceans, lakes, rivers, and coastal environments. The programme has also helped build one of the world’s largest underwater debris databases, providing information used by researchers, policymakers, and conservation organisations to better understand and address marine pollution.
Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI, highlighted the significance of the partnership.
“What makes this partnership meaningful is our shared belief that those who explore the ocean must also help protect it. Seiko understands that the future of diving depends on the health of the ocean. That long-term perspective has been the foundation of our partnership for the past decade.”
To mark the milestone, Seiko Prospex has introduced a new limited-edition diver’s watch inspired by PADI’s 60th anniversary branding and the global diving community.
The watch features a vivid blue dial inspired by the colours of PADI’s anniversary logo, complemented by red accents on the seconds hand and at the six o’clock position. A globe motif based on the anniversary logo extends across the dial, symbolising the worldwide reach of the diving community.
A ceramic insert on the unidirectional rotating bezel provides enhanced scratch resistance while matching the dial’s striking blue colour scheme.
The watch is housed in one of Seiko’s most recognisable diver’s watch case designs. Known for its smooth flowing profile and distinctive four o’clock crown position, the design has been trusted by divers for generations and remains one of the brand’s most iconic underwater timepieces.
In addition to a stainless steel bracelet, the watch includes a high-strength silicone strap printed with the words “Professional Association of Diving Instructors.” Its accordion-style construction is designed to provide a comfortable fit whether worn directly on the wrist or over a wetsuit.
The commemorative timepiece will be available worldwide from July 2026 through Seiko Boutiques and selected retail partners. Production will be limited to 8,000 pieces globally.
For collectors, divers, and fans of both brands, the release represents not only a celebration of two important anniversaries but also a reminder of the ongoing connection between exploration and ocean protection.
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