As an extension to the entry-level Seiko 5 Sports line, for 2020 there are new variations being offered in a smaller case, with a thin fixed steel bezel instead of a wide rotating steel bezel with an aluminum insert.

The Seiko 5 Sports collection was introduced in 2019 and supplanted the longstanding and beloved SKX007 — carrying over a similar look and accessible price point but less robust water-resistance and dive features with more focus on style than function. This change placed more of the functional diving emphasis on high-performance ISO6425 compliant “diver’s watches” available as part of the brand’s elevated Prospex and Prospex Luxe dive watch collections, such as the recently refreshed Prospex Monster and Baby Marine collections.

In a further effort to differentiate the Seiko 5 Sports line from the so-called true “diver’s” watches, they removed the rotating bezel altogether. Other than this, slightly lower pricing, a smaller 40 mm case diameter (42.5 mm on the Seiko 5 Sports models first introduced in 2019), and proportional adjustments to the dial markers and hands and spacing as needed — these are the same as Seiko 5 Sports models offered last year.

Seiko’s 3Hz automatic caliber 4R36 movement with 24 jewels and a 41-hour power reserve drives the hours, minutes, central seconds, day/date and is capable of being wound by hand.

The 2020 Seiko 5 Sports with Steel Bezel is being launched with 11 references (SRPE51, SRPE53, SRPE55, SRPE57, SRPE58, SRPE60, SRPE61, SRPE63, SRPE65, SRPE67, SRPE69) and they’re expected to be available for sale by August 2020.

Retail prices range from $275 to $325.