Seiko SRP775 "Gurtle the Gold Turtle"
The latest acquisition, this Turtle build has been a long time coming. With such a rich history that can be traced way back to the 6105 even before the first official 'Turtle' in 1977 (the 6309). The purpose of this timepiece is to replicate the look & feel of the early divers with the reliability of a modern automatic movement, and incorporate some of the glitz and glamour of the gold dress watches of the 1980's. Re-released in 2016 with a few different dial and bezel options, the one that stood out was the SRP775 with gilt tone hands, bezel, chapter ring & lume surrounds.
Throughout this build I have named this watch Gurtle (Gold Turtle) in reference to the copious amount of gold parts I've acquired in pursuit of the vintage aesthetic I wanted.
Here is the watch as delivered in July 2019:
Throughout this build I have named this watch Gurtle (Gold Turtle) in reference to the copious amount of gold parts I've acquired in pursuit of the vintage aesthetic I wanted.
Here is the watch as delivered in July 2019:
Bracelet
The first step was to replace the oyster-style bracelet with something more period-correct. I chose a two-tone Jubilee, with gold tone center links to tie in the gold hands and highlights. Placed next to a microbrand Heritor Morrison from my collection it's not hard to see where they gained their inspiration...!
Crystal Replacement
Whilst the vintage divers all had mineral crystals, one of the concessions made was to upgrade the crystal to a modern scratch-resistant sapphire. I chose a domed sapphire with a blue AR coating.
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More Parts...!
Ceramic vintage bezel insert & gold bezel have arrived. Still on order is a replacement signed "S" gold crown.
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