Seiko SRP787 Black/Blue "Turtle" Reissue

Seiko dive watch fans in this part of the world are fortunate again in that we have first dibs on new members of the "Turtle" reissue series, a few months before they are scheduled to be made available in other territories. Most Seiko aficionados recall that the initial release of the new series of SRP77x divers paying homage to the iconic Seiko 6306/6309 happened here in Southeast Asia around late November or early December last year, at least a full month before these were made available anywhere else. Now, at least two months before the announced official release date of May 2016, available for purchase from authorized dealers here are two new members of the reissued "Turtle" family, the SRP787, and the SRP789.

In case you're not yet familiar with this particular line of Seiko dive watches, the key details include a case and dial design harking back to the old cushion-style 6306/6309 divers produced from 1976-1988, ISO 6425 dive watch certification, 200m water resistance, use of Seiko's workhorse movement, the 24-jewel hacking/handwinding 4R36 which runs at 21,600 bph with a 41 hour power reserve, and hands reminiscent of the hands used in the iconic SKX007/009 line of divers. Dimensions are 45mm (excluding crown) x 14mm x 48mm, with a lug width of 22mm.

For more details on this particular range, you can refer to my review of the SRP777 Black "Turtle" reissue here, or my reviews of the other earlier released variants, the SRP773, SRP775 and the SRP779.

This post will be focusing on the black/blue variant, a color scheme often referred to as "Batman", based on the color scheme of that particular comic book character. The watch is predominantly black, similar to the SRP777, but with a solid end-link stainless steel bracelet with dive extension same as the SRP773 and SRP775. The bezel is blue up to the 20 minute mark, and black the rest of the way. The minute hand sports a blue outline, making it stand out more visually from the rest of the dial. I would expect these new models to be popular given that the changes would likely appeal to those into modding.

Locally they are priced anywhere from 260-310 USD. I would expect these to be priced a bit higher in other territories when they are made available there.

Some photos:

SRP787, AKA "Batman Turtle".