Sweet drinks and watches have more of a connection than you might think. It originated with Rolex collectors, who nickname watches with bezel colors that correspond to soda branding. For example, a GMT Master with a red and black bezel is known as a "Coke." Brands like Timex and seconde / seconde teamed up to play with this concept, but it's not until recently that I've seen licensed collaborations with soda brands. Jack Mason was the first brand that I know of, with the popular Dr. Pepper watch, and now Seiko has jumped on the bandwagon with two Pepsi watches: the SRPL99 and the SSK047 GMT.
Seiko is producing 7,000 of each, and both watches are part of the Seiko 5 Sports collection, which Seiko is now referring to as the SKX Series. If you'd like an intro to the modern Seiko 5 Sports, start with our review of the SRPJ45 Sonar.
Seiko 5 Sports Pepsi First Impressions
Both watches arrived inside metal boxes shaped like cases of Pepsi. The cans are different styles, which made me notice that the watches feature different iterations of the Pepsi logo. The watch dials also correspond with the can colors.
The cans also feature watch specs in place of nutritional information.
Seiko 5 Sports Pepsi Details
The three-hand SRPL99 features a silver dial with a sunburst finish. I didn't notice in the photos that the hands and markers are finished in blue. The shapes of the hands and markers are unchanged from standard 5 Sports models.
The chapter ring also features blue markers.
While the 3-hand model features a brushed and polished steel case, the GMT's case has a black coating.
The hour markers are still finished in blue, but the hour and minute hands on the GMT are silver. The second hand is blue like the standard model, and the GMT hand is painted bright red. There is also a date magnifier.
The black chapter ring on the display shows a 24-hour scale, allowing the watch to indicate a total of 3 time zones.
The Seiko logos on both watches are applied, with the stylistic five printed below.
Wearing the Seiko 5 Sports Pepsi
At 38mm in diameter, the SRPL99 is my first exposure to the "midsize" 5 Sports models. While I never had a problem with the full-size ones, I do like this size. The date window fills out the edge of the dial, and it is 1.5mm thinner.
The blue edges of the hands and hour markers improve legibility against the silver dial, but it's not the best of all Seikos. The GMT model is slightly easier to read at a glance.
Seiko 5 Sports Peps Bracelet, Strap, and Replacement Straps
The smaller three-hand version includes an oyster-style stainless steel bracelet and has a 20mm lug width. The silver metal complements the dial nicely. It lacks a dive extension or quick-adjust clasp, but it does have a few micro-adjust holes, allowing wearers to fine-tune the fit with a springbar tool.
The GMT model features a black silicone strap and a 22mm lug width. It has a matching black buckle, silicone keeper (which I find more comfortable than the metal keepers on many Prospex models), and a matching black buckle. The silicone is soft and comfortable, but it attracts dust.
The bezel colors lend to a lot of fun strap combinations. A red or blue standard Ridge Rubber or Extra Long version looks great on it. I'd recommend adding a Custom Color Keeper in the opposite color to complete the look.
Here is a list of some more straps that would look great with both Pepsi watches. You can also view our Guide to Choosing a Watch Strap.
-Deployant Rubber
-Deployant Sailcloth
-Ridge FKM Rubber
-Extra Long Ridge Rubber
-Tropical Rubber
-Premium Sailcloth
-Smooth Rubber
-Rubber and Sailcloth Hybrid Straps
-Vented Rubber
-Slim Ridge Rubber
-Waffle Rubber
-Elastic
Seiko 5 Sports Pepsi Movements
SRPL99 uses Seiko's 4R36 movement, as do other recent 5 Sports models. It features a date display, automatic winding, as well as hand-winding and hacking (stop-second) functions.
The 4R34 in SSK047 uses the same architecture, but adds a "caller" GMT function. A fourth hand rotates once every 24 hours, indicating the time in an additional time zone. Turning the crown in one direction advances the date, and in the other direction, jumps the 24-hour hand by one hour (taking the place of the day of the week function on the three-hand model).
Like other Seiko 5 watches, these models also feature transparent casebacks. The standard model has a clear caseback with a color Pepsi logo printed on it, while the GMT has a smoked crystal with a white logo. Each shows the sequence number out of 7,000 watches.
Seiko 5 Sports Pepsi Conclusion
I'm not particularly a fan of the Pepsi brand, but these watches will be highly collectible. They are currently not in stock at many places, and the original Jack Mason Dr. Pepper watches are selling for thousands of dollars used. Additionally, the so-called Pepsi bezel colorway is iconic and lends itself well to the designs of these watches. The Pepsi branding is also small, making them desirable watches to wear every day.
Seiko 5 Sports Pepsi Specifications
Name: Seiko 5 Sports SKX Series Pepsi
Reference Number: SRPL99 / SSK047
MSRP: $395 / $550
Diameter: 38mm / 42.5mm
Height: 44.2mm / 46mm
Thickness: 12.1mm / 13.6mm
Lug Width: 20mm / 22mm
Weight: 142g / 106g
Movement: 4R36 / 4R34
Power Reserve: 41 hours
Water Resistance: 100m
Crystal: Hardlex
Crown: Push-pull
Bezel: Unidirectional, 120 clicks / Friction
Bracelet/Strap: Stainless Steel / Silicone Rubber
Shop replacement straps for the Seiko 5 Sports Pepsi
Ridge FKM Rubber
Deployant FKM Rubber
Deployant Sailcloth
Hook and Loop Elastic
