WILL THE MINI-TURTLE REIGN SUPREME?

If indeed Seiko has updated the SKX007 with the Mini-Turtle, then Seiko may have also accomplished what most would agree is a warranted price increase. The Mini-Turtle sells new for around $340.00 US, a rather large price jump from the ~$200.00 SKX007, but that doesn’t mean the Mini-Turtle is unfairly priced as much as it indicates what a ridiculously good deal the SKX007 was for over two decades. The real downside of this progression from the SKX007 to the Mini-Turtle will land on those of us who prefer the SKX007’s style.

At the time of writing, the only mechanical divers in the Prospex range with a traditional 1960s case are the 62MAS spin-offs from 2017 (SPB051/3) and the 6159 spin-offs from 2018 (SPB077/8), which will cost you roughly double what you’d pay for a Mini-Turtle. Otherwise, one must reach above the Prospex line and spend around $5,000 for the limited edition 1960s reissues. None of these watches can touch the value that the SKX007 steadfastly offered for so long.

I don’t mind a price increase, but I wish there were a high-performing, moderately sized, and affordable mechanical Seiko diver with a 1960s-style case—the kind of watch I can recommend to friends and family as breezily as I did the SKX007. Perhaps Seiko will eventually fulfill my wishes, perhaps with an SKX007 reissue or a MKII of some kind, but until then I will take comfort in the knowledge that my fellow watch-heads will continue to flip SKX007s over to those of us who can’t seem to get enough of them.

Notes:

*The nick-name Turtle remains somewhat enigmatic in origin and usage. While some may dispute whether the 6309 ought to be called the ‘Turtle’, I will adhere to common usage of the nickname to refer both to the 6309 and 2016’s reissue of it.

** At the time of writing, the Mini-Turtle has been a Japan-only release, and our listing the price at around $340 reflects street prices at this time. A US release of the Mini-Turtle through Macy’s is expected sometime this year.