Some people love the jizz of taking a brand new, modern watch and customizing it with their twist, whereby the means of colored coatings (often blacked-out), different dial configurations, or elaborate engravings. And these phenomenon has become a rising trend in the watch industry.
The Seiko Prospex "Save The Ocean" Turtle Blacked Out Edition Ref. SBDY027 is the latest tweak and customized addition by Seiko themselves, based on their precursor- the STO turtle Ref. SBDY021.
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| Seiko Prospex "Save The Ocean" Turtle 200M Automatic Ref. SBDY027 / SRPD11 |
First off, their Prospex line for Seiko means "Professional Specification" that their timepieces in this category are built with very high standards to be used by professionals. One of the most popular releases in recent years is probably the remake of the Seiko 6309 (circa 1976-1988) commonly known as the turtle. The original 6309 divers are pretty rare given its short 12 years production lifespan. Although there are many examples in the market, there are less than a dozen that is original. No wonder the new Prospex SBDY027 are so popular among Seiko and dive watch collectors.
With many requests since we introduced Seiko JDMs, we decided to bring in the MADE IN JAPAN Turtles meant for the Japanese Domestic Market, denoted by the "MADE IN JAPAN" at six on the dial. The Prospex SBDY027 is similar to its sibling the SBDY021, but with a full black-out effect, resulting in becoming more slick and personalized.
Before going into details, the SBDY027 Blacked Out Edition is a JDM model made available only in Japan. Therefore, it comes with a selectable choice of English or Kanji date.
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| JDM with Kanji Date |
As suggested by the name of this special blackout edition, the nautical/oceanic theme is at center stage.
The Seiko Prospex "Save The Ocean" Blacked Out Turtle 200M Automatic Ref. SBDY027 was released in late 2018.
The overall look of the Turtle is one of a kind, quirky and unique given its unusual case silhouette. It is powered by Seiko's automatic caliber, 4R36, operating at 21,600 BPH (3 Hertz) with hacking and hand winding capabilities. It has 24 jewels with a power reserve of 40 hours.
The 200m water resistant stainless steel case with black DLC coating, measure 44.3mm case without the crown but has a lug to lug length of only 47mm, and a height of about 13mm, with a lug width of 22mm. The short lugs to lugs length mean this watch wraps around the wrist on all(small or big) wrist sizes like a glove making it extremely comfortable. The bezel is aluminum and has large printed markings on it. It rotates buttery smooth into 120 positions has little to no free play in a clockwise direction. Sitting atop of the bezel is Seiko’s Hardlex.
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| Gradient dial and bezel with black bezel and crown |
The DLC treatment on the turtle features a mixture of satin brush and Seiko polishing on the sides can be seen on the whole watch, giving it a somewhat premium deep gray/black gun-metal feel. This distinctive feature makes this special edition unique in the turtle collection.
The screw down crown at four o'clock is easy for time setting. Moving on to the back of the watch, the screw down case back allows 200m water resistant and is also brushed, featuring the recognizable tsunami emblem that is a staple on the other Seiko divers. The case does come with lug holes allowing swapping of straps with ease.
Another highlight of the Prospex "Save The Ocean" Turtle Blacked Out Edition Ref. SBDY027 has got to be the dial. It is quite a stunner, featuring the antecedent oceanic traits — the most prominent being the nautically inspired dial. Seiko has created a new dial pattern on this model recalling the wave motion. Combine this with a new gradient blue color, starting from clearwater blue at 12 o'clock to almost abyss-blue/black at 6 o’clock. The same design theme is continued onto the bezel insert, which is colored in mid blue for the first 20 minutes of the scale and abyss blue for the remaining part of the scale, for design synergy.
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| Seiko's LumiBrite |
The indices are primarily the same, as are the classic Seiko hour and minutes hands. The hour markers and hands are both generously coated with Seiko's LumiBrite allowing it to glow brightly in the dark for hours.
The Prospex "Save The Ocean" Turtle Blacked-Out Edition 200M Automatic Ref. SBDY027 comes with a matching DLC coated bracelet that combines high durability and congruence with the whole customized look.
The Seiko Save The Ocean Turtle is easily one of the coolest Turtle models all the Seiko collectors will need to have.
Its unique dial pattern and color is something that is not seen before. And one of the few JDM watches that Seiko has made a total blacked-out of, giving collectors a sense of personalization within Seiko’s dive watch collection. With its excellent price point and good value for money, it is a watch that will probably find itself onto the wrist of most Seiko buyers.
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