The Seiko Turtle is an iconic diver’s watch made famous by the Apocalypse Now movie. From the ever popular range of Seiko dive watches this is the one with the smooth, cushion like case.
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The history of Seiko Diver’s Watches goes back to 1965 with their very first model. From then on Seiko have lead the way in innovation, design technology, materials and style.
Seiko 6306-7001 – the original Turtle
In 1976 Seiko released the first of their “cushion cased” or “turtle shell” style diver’s watches. This popular range of dive watch is known as the “Turtle” because of it’s smooth rounded “turtle shell” cushion like case design. Initially released in 1976, the original Turtle (Seiko 6306 & 6309) was in production from 1976 until 1988. At that time both models were driven by an automatic (mechanical self wind) movement. Luckily for us – Seiko appreciated the potential popularity of the model and brought it back with a new 24 jewel Calibre 4R36 movement as shown below.
An original vintage 6306 Dive Watch sold on eBay
If you know what you’re looking for you can still get lucky on the auction sites. This lovely example of a used but running Seiko 6306 7001 – the original Turtle – was found on eBay by ChronoDivers. A watch like this with a solid provenance (possibly the original receipt / box / papers etc) could easily command £500 – £1,000. If you can find a model with the Scubapro logo on the dial expect to pay even more (but be careful to determine if it’s an original 7001 model or a later 6309-7040 version)
Scubapro 450 examples
Two examples of Seiko Turtle SCUBAPRO 450 found on eBay. The first is the original 6306-7001 model (probably circa 1976-78). This watch was, in our opinion, over-priced at £2,700 … at the time of publishing we are still watching it – no buyers. The other model is the later (early 1980’s) 6309-7040 version. For £500 you get an authentic vintage diver’s watch – this model was regulated and waterproof tested.
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Old Turtle versus New Turtle
The main differences between the new Seiko Turtle watches and those from 1978 to 1988 (6306 / 6309) are as follows:
- The case depth was increased from 13 mm to 14 mm
- Addition of a softer silicone dive watch strap (previously it was a harder rubber)
- The “lollipop” on the seconds hand was moved from the head to the tail of the hand
- Seiko 6309 – 17 jewel automatic movement – non-winding non-hacking changed to Calibre 4R36 with 24 jewels with hand wind and seconds stop function.
What should you pay for a pre-owned Turtle
With their soft cushion shaped case these watches also featured a recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position and day / date indicators. The vintage 6306-7001 have increased significantly in value recently. A good clean, working, all original 6306 variant will sell for between £900 and £1,200. The very similar, still vintage in our opinion, Seiko 6309-7040 can be bought for between £400 and £750. A nice example of a modern pre-owned Save the Ocean SRPD21 can be bought for under £240
A FULL SET Seiko “Save the Ocean Turtle” as sold on eBay
The example below is a modern era Seiko Prospex Turtle “Save the Ocean“. This one has a “wave effect” embossed on the sea blue dial. Other versions can be found with a “Manta Ray” shadow sweeping the watch’s dial. The model here was sold £300 – not bad for a modern, accurate, 200m water resistant automatic self winding dive watch.
How about a Steeldive tribute to the Turtle
Customers who admire the general aesthetics of the Seiko Turtle dive watch may also like the Captain Willard homage watch by Steeldive UK. Not a fake – but a respectful and affordable tribute to a 1970’s classic diver’s watch as featured in the Apocalypse Now movie worn by Captain Willard (actor Martin Sheen). It was Martin Sheen’s character wearing the Seiko Turtle that has helped make it such an iconic divers watch.
A Steeldive Captain Willard Turtle tribute as found on eBay
These Turtle watches are just a few from a huge range of Seiko Divers watches – other popular models include the Seiko SKX007, the Seiko Tuna and the Seiko SKX009 Pepsi
LIVE listings – Seiko Turtle watch sales
A selection of Seiko Turtle dive watches listed for sale in the last 48 hours.
Let our 🐙 OCTOBOT 🐙 do the hard work for you. Click the blue button to browse the latest dive watches discovered by Octobot. This unstoppable detector is finding new timepieces every 60 seconds!
Flags ( 🇬🇧 & 🇺🇸 ) are used at the start of each listing to identify the country the seller is willing to SHIP TO. If the same watch appears several times – this indicates the seller is able to ship to multiple countries.
🇺🇸 delivery : A Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ35K1 Prospex Turtle Special Edition Tropical Lagoon Automatic. This watch is available now for US$379.99. The seller is located in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. The condition of this watch has been listed as New with tags.…
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🇬🇧 delivery : A Seiko SPB153J1 Prospex Divers Captain Willard Green RRP £1000 Automatic Watch. This watch is available now for £715.00. The seller is located in Mundford, Norfolk, United Kingdom. The condition of this Divers Watch has been listed as…
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🇺🇸 delivery : A Seiko SRPC49J1 “Ninja Turtle”. This watch is available now for US$1,450.00. The seller is located in Springfield, Virginia, United States. The condition of this watch has been listed as Pre-owned. This watch is being sold by a seller…
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🇬🇧 delivery : A Seiko Mini Turtle Padi Prospex Divers Watch SRPC41K1. This watch is available now for £280.00. The seller is located in Greenhithe, United Kingdom. The condition of this Divers Watch has been listed as Used. This watch is being sold …
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🇺🇸 delivery : A Seiko Prospex Captain Willard (Green). This watch is available now for US$790.00. The seller is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The condition of this watch has been listed as Pre-owned. This watch is being sold …
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🇬🇧 delivery : A Vintage Seiko 6105-8110 Apocalypse Now Captain Willard Automatic watch 1976. This watch is available now for £1,404.15. The seller is located in Herzlia, Israel. The condition of this Divers Watch has been listed as Pre-owned. This w…
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🇺🇸 delivery : A SEIKO Watch Prospex Diver’S Turtle Sbdy047 Save The Ocean Self-Winding. This watch is available now for US$735.04. The seller is located in Japan, Japan. The condition of this watch has been listed as New with tags. This watch …
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🇬🇧 delivery : A seiko divers watch Green King Turtle 200m. This watch is available now for £400.00. The seller is located in London, United Kingdom. The condition of this Divers Watch has been listed as New with tags. This watch is being sold by a s…
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🇺🇸 delivery : A SEIKO Watch Limited Model Prospex Divers Orange Turtle Sbdy023 Self-Winding. This watch is available now for US$1,054.04. The seller is located in Japan, Japan. The condition of this watch has been listed as Pre-owned. This watch is …
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🇬🇧 delivery : A seiko divers King Turtle Manta Ray Divers 200m Made In Japan Special Edition. This watch is available now for £435.00. The seller is located in London, United Kingdom. The condition of this Divers Watch has been listed as New with ta…
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🇺🇸 delivery : A Seiko Prospex Black SPB257 SPB257J Japan Captain Willard Automatic Limited Diver. This watch is available now for US$1,232.57. The seller is located in Sydney, Australia. The condition of this watch has been listed as New with tags. …
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🇬🇧 delivery : A Seiko Prospex Heritage Turtle 1968 Re-Interpretation Special Edition watch SP…. This watch is available now for £731.93. The seller is located in Forlì, Italy. The condition of this Divers Watch has been listed as New with tags…
Read MoreMore popular Seiko Diver’s watches
The Seiko Turtle featured above is just one of the best Seiko Diving watches with their own quirky nicknames. Others classic dive watches from Seiko to consider include:
Seiko Monster
The Seiko Monster dive watch is so called because, allegedly, the shape of the bezel was inspired by a shark’s teeth. The Monster has the most aggressive design making it instantly recognizable. First introduced in 2000 in Japan with the Seiko SKX779 (black dial) and Seiko SKX781 (orange dial). More about the Seiko Monster dive watch.
Seiko SKX009 / SKX007
Of all the Seiko dive watches that have ever graced our wrists & oceans – the Seiko SKX007 and Seiko SKX009 are two of the most popular. This short history of the Seiko SKX009 Pepsi and SKX007 tells us they were first introduced in 1996. At the time no one could have predicted their success and longevity. All models incorporated the Seiko 7S26 automatic (self winding) movement. Older models can be identified by their 150m water resistancy, newer ones were certified to a depth of 200m.
Seiko Tuna
Of all the Seiko Diving watches the Tuna is the first choice for many professional divers. It’s ongoing popularity lies in the depth this watch can withstand. The Seiko Tuna range (that’s a nickname – not an official Seiko nomenclature) is a PROFESSIONAL diver’s watch capable of withstanding the pressure from depths of 1000 metres. More about the Seiko Tuna dive watch.
