No 272, 367 & 468 - Seiko SRP775

Wow! I can really remember the hype of when the rumors about a reissue of the iconic 6309-7040 diver, a.k.a. Turtle, started to surface. Then all of a sudden a blurry photo taken from an upcoming Seiko catalogue leaked out and spread like wildfire among the watch forums. I think this must have been in the late summer or early fall of 2015. There were four different turtles showing in the low resolution photo but you could clearly make out the differences. A classic black, a pepsi, a navy blue and a black version with gold details. I wanted them all of course!

I think the release was scheduled to sometime in the beginning of 2016 but I managed to track down a seller in Asia that either wasn’t aware of this or either they didn’t care but I got my delivery right before New Year’s Eve. By this time no one really knew how many was going to be produced. Was this a limited series? Was it a new line perhaps replacing the SKX? I figured that if any of the four was a limited version it would have been the black with gold details so I decided to get that one first in case it was going to be hard to get later. I of course replaced the bracelet with a DAL1BP rubber, or perhaps it was a Bonetto 284, I don’t remember. It looked really cool anyhow.

#272 - The Seiko SRP775.

The reissue of the Turtle was an absolute success and even if none of the first four that were released were limited there was going to be plenty of variations and limited editions of it and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of them. The design is timeless and to me it is as up-to-date as I guess it must have been forty years ago. I’d say I prefer the modern SRP Turtle compared to the SKX diver. The only thing making the SKX a better entry watch is its less wider case which I think appeals more to the non-watch nerds. I would of course chose the wider cushion case any day!

#367 - Ordered my second one together with a SRP779 to make a golden pepsi version. The project never happened and the watches were forgotten in their boxes and later sold.

This was just my first encounter with the new Turtle and there will be plenty of upcoming posts about the other versions. I was thinking of making one big post with all of them but to me they all have their own story so I decided to present them separately.

#468 - My third that I received as a part trade in mid-December 2018. Bought an original rubber for it since wearing the bracelet wasn't an option. Sold it soon after this photo was taken.

 

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 271 - Seiko SCED035

I know, it’s been ages! ‘What’s going on?’ you might think. ‘Did he quit?’ No, I did not. I just started to work again and it’s been an intense three months and it’s not going to get less intense any time soon. But, I’ve managed to scrape together a few hours and I’ve chosen to use them wisely. That means writing a piece to end this three month drought!

While writing this I’m expecting the delivery of a grail. A Seiko 7A28-6000, a.k.a. Bishop. It’s not only supposed to be in NOS condition but it is also manufactured in May 1984. Say what?! I know, it’s insane! It’s pretty funny then that the next piece I was going to write about was this SCED035, a.k.a. Ripley, which completely opened up my eyes for a whole new segment of Seiko watches that I hadn’t even looked at prior to the announcement that Seiko made of their upcoming reissues of the Giugiaro designed 7A28 chronographs back in 2015. Unfortunately I had already missed out on the re-release of the Bishop, the SCED003, but I managed to get a hold of a Ripley on eBay to a fair price. Growing up in the eighties and loving science fiction of course led to me watching all the Alien movies over and over again. Just like with the Abyss (another favorite movie) the watches the characters wore wasn’t something I reflected over while watching the movies as a kid. So after my purchase was done it was time for a marathon of Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 just to build up a good vibe.

#271 - The Seiko SCED035, a.k.a. Ripley. Reissue of the 7A28-7000.

I received the Ripley in the middle of December 2015. The watch was really super cool and much more comfortable to wear than I had imagined. But seriously, if this watch wouldn’t have been comfortable to wear I don’t know what I would have done. What a goddamn pain it was to size that bracelet! Jeeezzz! Usually you can always find a tutorial on Youtube to solve most matters but at the time there was no information anywhere on how to do this (now there is though!). I knew this was going to be a collector’s item so I didn’t wear it that much and stupid like so many times before I ended up putting it up for sale (WHY?!?!). Some clever dude of course made a good deal and every time now when I try to find a new one, the only thing I find are just increasing prices. Well well what the hell. It was a reissue. Nothing to cry over. And now when I have an incoming original Bishop it would of course be an ideal quest trying to find an original 7A28-7000, in equally good condition, to pair it up with. That would make a sweet duo that I perhaps should consider keeping for some time. 

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 443 - Seiko SBDC063

My first Seiko from the 2018 release and man did this one stun me. What a beauty! I was a little tempted to buy a SBDC051/53 from last year's release but for some reason I never felt they were that good. The SBDC061/63 on the other hand were that good! 

#443 - The Seiko SBDC063.

First of all it looks fantastic. The hands and indexes together with the matte dial makes it super legible. I love it that there's no day, only date. Lume is excellent of course but the best thing about this watch is its case. The lines are beautiful and the size is perfect. It sits just like you want the MM300 to sit on your wrist. Much slimmer and not top heavy at all. The flat sapphire is nice and makes it really easy to take good photos of. The blue bezel can go from crazy strong blue to a deep blue shade, almost black, depending on the light surrounding you and the angle you look at it. I rarely like the Seiko bracelets and if I’d ever pick up the SBDC061 I’d definitely would have bought the rubber strap for it that this one had. I quickly tried out the SBDC063 with a MM300 rubber but it didn’t gave it that cool look I was hoping it would so I switched back. I only kept this watch for a week but I could easily have worn it much much longer. It actually made such an impact on me I had to write down my thoughts about it immediately. There you go!

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.