The Seiko SRP775 hearkens back to the reference 6309 from the late 1970's and 80's as Japan's signature cushion cased dive watch. Colloquially called the “Turtle” due to the case shape, it's updated for the current era and is better than ever. Seiko produces some of the best affordable automatic watches in the industry, and this Turtle re-issue is no exception.
Drilled lugs and grooved bezel
Featuring a 44mm 316L stainless steel case with brushed top layer and mirror polished sloping sides, the Turtle fits nicely on almost any wrist. The re-issue has a caliber 4R36 beating inside at 21,600 vph, featuring hacking and hand-winding, as well as a day and date. The ref. SRP775 has gold accents vs. silver on the SRP777. The dial is matte black with applied plot style indicies and tapered triangular indicies at 6, 9, and 12, with mountains of lume sitting on each one and nice gold boarders. The bezel has 120 clicks, a nice black and gold graduated aluminum insert, and a lume pip at 12.
4 o'clock crown
While 44mm might seem a daunting size for a lot of people, the shape of the case lends itself to a relatively short lug-to-lug length of only 48mm, making it wear similar to a 40-42mm watch. The crown, which measures at 4.5mm x 7mm, is positioned at 4 o'clock reducing crown bite and contributing to it's smaller presence. The crown is recessed into the case, protecting it from any potential hits.
The SRP775 originally came on a very nice steel bracelet with solid end-links, pushbutton clasp with fold-over latch, and a diver's extension for fitting over a wetsuit. It is mostly brushed with polished accents towards the middle of each link, and is held together with Seiko's pin-and-collar pins. I normally wear it on a NATO or 2-piece strap as it makes accessing the bezel much easier at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions.
All in all, I've had this watch on my wrist for just about a year now, and I couldn't be happier with it. Maintaining an accuracy of around -3 to -5 seconds a day, this could be the last watch I ever buy… But we all know that won't be the case. This is a definite candidate for someone looking for the last watch they'll ever need, or an excellent addition to one's collection. With distinctive Japanese styling and superb reliability, the Seiko SRP775 will run you on average $350, and is worth every cent.
The 44mm case on the wrist and the extensive amount of lume