If you are remotely familiar with vintage Seiko, you know exactly what you’re looking at here, so I won’t waste a lot of time with a lengthy description. There’s a story here of dilemma, debate, and in the end, what I’m hoping will be opportunity for a specific audience. This is of course the JDM version of the lauded “Turtle” diver that was produced along side the export variant in Seiko’s Suwa facility in the latter half of the 1970’s. This domestic version gets to look down on the 17j export from it’s 21j pedestal that also features a hack lever (seconds setting), and a Kanji reminder of its superiority in the day/date window. In short, a better version of a perfect tool watch. That, however, is not the “debate” part of this story. This example arrived to me with a spotless matte black dial and hour marker luminous of the creamiest patina. The original hour and minute hands sport a lighter patina (very common), and have held tightly to their original polished finishes with no visible oxidation. The bezel rotates smoothly in either direction with firm “click” and the insert shows almost no visible wear. the case lines are razor sharp, and the original finishes are factory crisp. Turning it over, I was met with the utter letdown of a case back that clearly belonged to a 6309-7049 export. In the words of one internet food critic, my disappointment was immeasurable, and my day was ruined. I couldn’t just let this absolute stunner languish in an identity crisis, and fairly quickly, a long time ally tracked down a correct 6306-7001 case back to complete this piece. The replacement back has some wear, and has clearly been polished, but it is genuine, and screws down securely. I pride myself on offering honest, original pieces that hold up to the sharpest scrutiny, so this one has been a dilemma, wrapped in a debate, and packed in a predicament. In the end, I’ve decided it’s too good otherwise not to be enjoyed, and with full transparency and pricing that might make it more accessible than similar examples, I have no regrets about this listing. It’s fully serviced, keeping time to within a few seconds per day, and all functions operate as they should. I’ve paired it with a genuine Seiko Z-22 flat vent for a fit and finish very close to the original, and it’s ready to offer many more years of tough reliability.

Serviced- 10/26

Diameter- 44mm

Lugs- 22mm