There are many vintage Seiko divers popular with Seiko enthusiasts, and the 7548 and 6458 series – the big brothers of the 1984 Seiko 2A23-0120 womens diver here, on its original Seiko HL34A rubber dive strap – stand out among these.
The design of the 2A23 quartz diver, like the 7548 and 6458, is classic and simple, and borrows heavily from the instantly recognizable earlier Seiko 7002 automatic diver.
The quartz movement is tough and reliable – during its heyday, it was also 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.
Per Fratello’s resident Seiko guru Michael Stockton regarding Seiko's SilverWave line of divers, “...the mid 1960’s were a time of tremendous transition. It seemed to be a period of transition away from the feel good, somewhat old-fashioned 1950’s into a more modern, but realistic period. Literature, music, art, and technology were all undergoing these same patterns of metamorphoses…California and its surfing culture went mainstream and people became highly interested in all things water or ocean related.”
“Heck, the Beach Boys carved out an everlasting legacy due to the trend. Second, and taking a page from California’s hot rod culture, Detroit was on the cusp of ushering in one of the auto industry’s most significant movements: the muscle car era.”
Seiko’s “sport divers” would become a long-running theme in their watch design that continues to this day. Its SilverWave line...was not designed for deep sea / Jacque Cousteau-like dives. At the time, the only really hardcore dive watches were Rolex, Omega, Blancpain, and some limited others. But as noted, water sports during this era became mainstream, [it] was designed for snorkeling, swimming, surfing, and other light water sports.
Dive watch fans - military and non-military alike - understandably desire easily legible and dependable watches, and the 2A23 easily continues this tradition.
This vintage Seiko diver comes with its original Seiko-signed rubber dive strap, nylon strap, rugged travel case, and springbar tool.
1984 Seiko SilverWave 2A23-0120 Womens Diver, w/Original Rubber Dive Strap
DIAL: Crisp white Seiko-signed dial, no imperfections; day and date functions - with Kanji Japanese/English day variants - at the 3 o'clock position work correctly as designed. Lume shines brightly.
BEZEL: Bi-directional glides smoothly; red and dark blue "Pepsi" bezel insert has no wear, a relative rarity.
CASE: Stainless-steel case measures 29mm x 31.5mm, with matching caseback.
CRYSTAL: Hardlex crystal, no scratches or cracks.
BAND: This Seiko diver comes on its original Seiko HL34A rubber strap; it also comes with a dark blue and white nylon strap.
MOVEMENT: 2A23 calibre Seiko quartz movement, manufactured in April 1984.
CROWN: Unsigned stainless-steel crown.