There are many vintage Seiko divers popular with Seiko enthusiasts, and for good reason - Seiko found an original, great looking formula for its divers, and stuck with it.
And this 1985 Seiko 2A22-0170 womens diver, with its original rubber Seiko-signed dive strap and original Seiko 2A22 instructions manual, is a great example of this successful formula.
The dial design is superb, with embossed hour markers and beautiful hands, reminiscent of the Seiko's legendary 6159 divers of the 1960’s and to a lesser extent of the dials on its 6105 dive watches.
The Seiko quartz diver, like the automatic designs that preceeded it, is classic and simple, borrowing heavily from the instantly recognizable earlier Seiko 7002 automatic diver before it and the SKX after.
Women's divers produced by Seiko in the 1970’s and 80’s are beautiful watches with some exquisite details - and less expensive than their larger counterparts for men - but new crystals and bezel inserts can be difficult to find (thankfully not a problem here!)
The quartz movements Seiko designed are tough and reliable – during its heyday, these were popular with armed forces for this same reason. It is a widely held assumption that military personnel wear only military watches.
However, many - including U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf - certainly didn't. While the Commander of the Operation Desert Storm, the general was wearing a Seiko 7548 when he led at that time the strongest combined military force the world had ever witnessed to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991.
This vintage Seiko diver comes on a high-quality vintage stainless-steel bracelet, and with rugged travel case and springbar tool.
1985 Seiko 2A22-0170 Womens Diver, w/Original Instructions
DIAL: Crisp black Seiko-signed dial, no imperfections; date function at the 3 o'clock position work correctly as designed. Lume shines brightly.
BEZEL: Bi-directional and firmly ratchets with a satisfying click; black bezel insert has slight wear, a relative rarity. Seiko font is crisp and lume pip at 12 o’clock position glows.
CASE: Stainless-steel case measures 33mm (37mm including crown) x 38mm, with matching caseback; 17mm lug width.
CRYSTAL: Hardlex crystal, no cracks or deep scratches.
BAND: This black dial Seiko 2A22 comes on a quality vintage Japanese Bambi stainless-steel bracelet, which will fit up to an approx. 7.5 inch wrist.
MOVEMENT: Seiko 2A22 calibre hacking quartz movement, manufactured in November 1985.
CROWN: Screw-down unsigned stainless-steel crown.