The skinny Turtle: thinner, smarter and better in every way than the big one
Not many negatives, bros
Daylight for a change, bros, and it suits him. The SPB317J1, the Slim Turtle, a reinterpretation of the 1968 6105-8000. I'll start off by saying it's really very, very nice in many ways. Not many negatives to this one. Three variants came out in 2022: the white SPB313, the gold SPB315, which isn't my favourite, and this one, probably the pick of the bunch and the only one on rubber.
£810 new. My good friend Mr Jun found this one used for £550. Look at it. Just look at it.
Thin is in
This is officially Seiko's thinnest ever automatic dive watch. 12.3 mm thick, 41 mm across, 46.9 lug-to-lug. A real sweet spot watch. They got it that thin by recessing the tsunami on the caseback instead of having it sit proud. Clever. Diashield coating darkens the steel a touch and does a decent job against minor scratches, and the sapphire looks flat until you catch the internal doming. For the beach.
The case has that lovely Seiko banana curve, fully brushed on top. The brushing's not the best, but it's pretty good. Next to the big SRP Turtle it's a lot smaller, much more refined and considerably thinner. A better watch in every way. Much more attractive than the big Turtle and the Willard too.
Seiko slop, the good kind
120 clicks, coin edge, and this bezel is for the beach. Very smooth, just the right amount of resistance, with that slightly sloppy Seiko feel. I prefer that to the hard clicking of my Helson or my Doxa. But don't be tricked: it's an anodised aluminium insert, and next to the steel one on the SPB143 it looks considerably cheaper. The action's more buttery though. More pleasurable to me.
Matte black dial, old school, no fancy pants. Pure tool aesthetics. Big rectangular indices, a red-tipped traffic-light seconds hand, brushed-and-polished broadsword hands, and consistently excellent Seiko lume. We can complain about Seiko's transgressions all day long, but not the lume. The 4:30 date? In the review I said it's miniature and illegible in double digits; in the 143 video I said I liked it, because it almost looks like a no-date. Both true. Bezel alignment's not quite right at 12. Good enough.
Rubber, bracelets and the 6R35
They've done a really nice job with the rubber strap, tyre-tread style with a bevelled keeper, and it's very comfortable. Want a bracelet? Buy a different watch, because Seiko gives every dial variant a different strap. Mr Jun paid £70 for an SPB313 bracelet, with the usual non-ratcheting diver's extension I can't even open.
The 6R35 is a lottery: plus 25 to minus 15. This one ran plus 10 to plus 11 in the review and plus 14 in the 143 test. When Seiko does an 8L version I might be tempted. Not with this movement.
Verdict
More workmanlike than the 143, which wins, but only by one or two percent. Great piece. Buy it used for £500 to £650 and you won't be disappointed. For the beach.
