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What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear “Pepsi” and “watches” in the same sentence? For millions of watch fans worldwide, the answer used to be obvious. Until now. Because, up to this point, Pepsi was tied – entirely unofficially – to a certain famous GMT model from a legendary Swiss brand. There was never an official handshake. Enthusiasts just affectionately nicknamed the Rolex GMT-Master with the red-and-blue bezel “Pepsi,” turning it into one of the most iconic and recognizable watches in history. Rolex, of course, never officially adopted that nickname. Still, the original GMT-Master – along with plenty of more-or-less inspired imitators over the years – earned the “Pepsi” label simply by adopting Pepsi Cola’s color scheme. And then, out of nowhere, another watchmaking giant from the other side of the world – Japan’s Seiko – comes along, flips the script, and does the unthinkable. It teams up with Pepsi itself, launching two stylish sports models, one automatic, one GMT, that not only wear the famous red and blue but proudly spell out “Pepsi” on the dial. Brilliant move, if you ask me. Both are part of the ultra-affordable Seiko 5 Sports line, meaning they deliver top value for money, and you can pick one up for under €600!
The first automatic model, with three hands, day and date, pays a nostalgic tribute to 1990s Pepsi cans. This means it uses exactly the same shades of red and light blue combined with white, and also adopts the brand’s logo from that era. It is placed at the bottom of the dial, just below the central axis of the hands.
Flip it over, and the see-through caseback made from Hardlex crystal carries the vibrant Pepsi emblem of the ’90s. The watch comes with a three-link stainless steel bracelet and is limited to 7,000 worldwide.
In contrast to the retro design cues of the simple automatic watch, the GMT model embraces Pepsi’s modern branding, in which black dominates. That’s why the steel case is coated in black PVD, perfectly matching the dial and silicone strap. Here the look is clearly more contemporary, with the modern Pepsi logo appearing at the bottom part of the dial.
Unlike the two-tone red-and-blue Pepsi emblem on the back of the automatic model, the GMT’s back features a calm black-and-white contrast, with the modern Pepsi logo on smoked gray Hardlex crystal. This watch, too, is released in 7,000 limited pieces.
At first glance, both watches have blue-and-red bezels. On closer inspection, however, you notice differences. On the automatic SRPL99, two-thirds of the bezel are blue and just one third, corresponding to 20 minutes, is red. It looks more like a diving scale, since the watch’s overall aesthetic recalls a diver’s model. It is water resistant to 100 meters and has large hands and round hour markers that glow in the dark with Lumibrite. By contrast, the SSK047’s bezel is divided equally into two halves, as it is a GMT model and the two-tone design indicates day and night on a 24-hour scale.
Both new models keep the Seiko 5 Sports signature crown at 4 o’clock, a design dating back to the 1963 Sportimatic 5, a watch blending tech and value like nothing else at the time. The “5” stood for its five must-have traits: automatic movement, day/date window, decent water resistance (100 m here), 4 o’clock crown, and a robust stainless-steel case and bracelet. In 1968, the Seiko 5 Sports series was born, adopting all five of these features.
Final touch? Both models’ presentation boxes resemble actual Pepsi cans. They couldn’t have come up with anything more fitting! As for their prices? Expect around €350 for the simple automatic and €520 for the GMT. The new Seiko x Pepsi watches are expected in the market in September and October.
