Got what may be a stupid Seiko question but here it goes:
I bought a used mini-turtle a few weeks ago and love it. My closest friend loved it after showing it to him, so I decided to buy him one for the upcoming holidays. I found another on eBay in nice shape-full kit, and noticed that this one has Made in Japan on the dial and the other one doesn't. Plus the numbers are slightly different. Is there any difference between the made in Japan dialed models?

 

Only visible difference besides the markings that I see is the red triangle in the 12 o'clock position marker, or is that a optical illusion.

 

Yes, they have a factory in Malaysia, as well, and possibly others. For SKXs, the Malaysian-made models are called the 'K" models, and the Japan models are "J" such as SKX007K and SKX007J. At one time, the J models were mostly being sold in Japan and other parts of Asia, so it's possible that the one on the right is JDM, but things like that change often in Seiko-land, so who really knows? There are numerous threads on the quality of K vs. J models, with some disparaging the K models, but most folks I know who really follow Seiko believe they're built to the exact same spec (except for, obviously, what's printed on the dial). Those less expensive Seiko have occasionally had quality control problems, like the much discussed SKX chapter-ring alignment debacle from a few years ago, but from what I can tell, those are temporary problems that get solved, and don't occur more often in one particular factory over another.

 

Blue lagoon added. What's next?

 

"Ninja" SRPC49K1

 

Thanks for the education. And the red spot at 12 is just a reflection off the chrome indices. The dials are identical other than the text at the bottom

 

You need the crown jewel of Turtles: the 6309-7040 Scubapro. Careful though, 99/100 are fake dials

 

how can one know for certain? Trust the seller?

 

This is the best thread I found: https://www.thewatchsite.com/threads/another-fake-scuba-pro.324723/page-2
It's a bit hard to follow, though and hardly conclusive. Yes, trust the seller is a good idea! Turns out there's a 6306 Scubapro too. The 6306 was a JDM-only movement that came out a few months before the 6309 and differs only in that it has hacking seconds.

 

yup. Mine is a 6306. Got it from the seiko sensei of my local watch club.

 

Yeah Scubapro market is a minefield. This is why I went with regular 6309. Even that is a minefield, hard to find one in the good condition with original parts. I was able to find one with help of @R3D9 .

 

My vintage turtle trio

6306-7001 from 1978
6306-7000 from 1976
6309-7040 from 1981

 

Damn, that scubapro though.

 

From April 1970 - so crisp that it must have lived for most of its 50 years in someone’s sock drawer!

 

Honeymoon period



cant figure out color of strap though. Seems to be a mixture of green and brown.

 

Wow, that's no ordinary Seiko! Impressive, Sir

 

I was on the hunt for a 6139 or a few other older seiko models. I was looking on eBay on some similar sites. I started comparing several in the WRUW thread to those for sale, I also used one sold on the uncle seiko site a while back but the pictures still up. I’m not talking about the 6139 with the uncle seiko it was a different vintage seiko but a model I’m interested in. I am noticing a lot of replacement parts on dials or the dials just don’t look right at all. When I say replacement parts I mean hands, bezel or chapter ring. It really cooled me down on my hunt for one. I’m about as far from an expert as one can get but when I can start picking them out it really gives me pause. Many do say something like “replaced” or “new” on the listing. I give those people credit, at least the are acknowledging something is going on. In the end we just can’t always rely on each other to act in a decent manner. A little off topic but I had some trees removed from a property it was a very expensive ordeal and in the end they left me with an incomplete job. The guy who owns the company was playing games, financial games, his workers were great. Between fake watches, new parts on old watches, tree guys playing games, it’s really easy to get bummed out about humanity and how so many people are looking to get over on the next guy but you just be careful, carry on and make sure you don’t become one of them. No one said it was going to be fair right.

 

You're right to be wary of 6139s (especially Pogues, yellow, blue and silver). Most are frankens. If you haven't already, check out http://thewatchsite.com (The Seiko and Citizen Watch Forum). It takes some searching, but there are numerous fake vs. real Pogue threads. I used it as a guide when I bought mine, and it was able to find a winner using the advice on that forum.

Seller pic:


My pic after restoration, including a new crystal:

 

Thank you I will certainly add that site to me repertoire. It’s really the only way to ensure you are purchasing something legit. I just don’t have a lot of time to study watches but I’m also not in a rush to get one. Nice find you made there looks like a very honest example.

 

Only just got around to listening and it was enjoyable - nice quick pace to the story. It definitely coloured in the relationship hierarchy between Daini, Suwa and the Hattori family.