Wearing my Old School Turtle 6309 7040 from January 1980 right now. All original parts. Never been serviced. Works like a gem and keeps time like a Mayan!!!
The Seiko 6309 is actually the original “turtle”, not the srp777. The srp777 is the Seiko reissue of the 6309. The reissue is generally the same case size but a little bigger. I have both models and both great watches. I’m just glad that the reissue wasn’t an over-priced limited edition like most of their reissues.
You are so right. Unfortunately, Seiko no longer makes parts for the 6309 making them very hard to restore or find in original condition. Most of the decent looking ones have may after market parts. Good original ones are going for $500+ on eBay.
I love all Turtles. The new and the vintage ones. Have owned several of them since 2001, but after getting a King Turtle 3 years ago, it has been on my wrist every day. My favorite watch ever.
I still have my 6309-7049 bought new back in 1983 in my freshman yr in high school. Originally came with the hard rubber strap but even on the last hole it was still slightly too big & moved around a lot so I didn’t wear it much. Fast forward to the present I found it in my dresser drawer, bought a Seiko branded jubilee bracelet and after shaking it a bit it fired up and been on my wrist ever since.
Love these. Good ones seem to be hard to find and go for higher (at least they used to). I searched for one from 1984 as a birth year watch. Thanks for sharing Rob!
I have the 6309-7049 from March 1984, all original, including the strap. I also own the SRP777 Made in Japan. I agree Rob, I like the 6309 more. Thanks for doing the video!
Wow! Are you on the original strap? I too, am an original owner of a 6309-7049….purchased in 1983 at a Navy Exchange. But with all of the adventures that we’ve been through together….I just ordered my 6th OEM Z22 strap…..guess looking back, I’m averaging between 5-7 years per strap! Take care, brother!
I recently bought two of these. One with all original parts and one with a sapphire crystal and a hand replacement, for wearing while working or doing rigorous activity. Absolutely love the 6309s, so well made.
I have a good number of vintage Seiko watches. I love the character of the vintage pieces. So much more interesting to me. And they double as both sport and dress style watches.
For your issue with the crown ‘unthreading’ from the stem, remove the stem from the movement, then clean carefully the threads on both the stem and crown to ensure the grooves are clear of any debris. Then place the stem into a pin-vice if you have one, apply your thread locker (I use blue medium strength) and then carefully thread the crown back on so it ‘bites’ (ensure it is straight also). I have had this issue a few times, and in my experience have found that the issue is nearly always due to issues with the threads on either the stem or crown. Good luck !
I love my 6309 and 6105 and have a 6306 on the way. Incredible quality. I have many modern Seiko divers but they can’t compare to the look and feel of ones built in the 60’s and 70’s
This was a favorite back in the days when the forums were the definitive hub for watch collectors. Gen 1 Seiko monster era, could find those and 7002s for well below $100! The 6105 could be had readily for around $500... also before Invicta went clown sized!
The bezel on these is amazing. As long as you have a new gasket in there. They had a version of this bidirectional bezel on the 7002 and it disappeared in 1996 with the SKX. The second hand is not original. Should be a lollipop.
Have one, love it, this is a third Seiko diver with nickname Abyss and its one of The most sought after vintage Seiko in a collector's World. Now its time to show 6105-8110 kpt Willard 😍. All the best in 2020 Robert.
I have a 6309, 729. It has more of the modern case back design. You should be able to tell the manufacture date by the serial number, month and year. Mine was rebuilt once. Runs good, tough as nails. Wish it had a new NH36 mvnt. Maybe I could send you a new Seiko 5 Fake-ks, send it to you for a swap out.
I would not consider a Franken as a Fake. It just means someone has rebuilt it. Yes , 100% original is always best. But what matters most to me is that the watch contains the correct 6309 parts.
I have a 6306, it Hacks and has 4 additional jewels totalling 21. My understanding is the 6306 was produced briefly prior to the 6309, around 1976 and 777.
Adrian Morris They use a 6309a movement. Great solid movements ! Same as found in the 6309-729X slim-case variants and many other 6309-xxxx references.
Wearing mine today - the 6309 is really a workhorse of a watch. Do your homework before buying one - like Rob said, they are often frankenwatches or have reproduction parts.
i v just got a seiko 6309 - 729A F1 . first diver, i hated seiko diver, they feel so bulky n they r so much allover. i d nver glbought one nonetheless, this seiko diver 150m 6309- 729A F1 wears so good on my rather small wrist, i decided to buy it. my question is ... i dont know how to wind it. can , some one , please show me how to wind it. ??
Regarding the loctite I have found that cleaning of course and then after tightening it up to leave it for 24 hours before purring any pressure on it will probably solve the problem.
I've got 3 - 6309's and I think they will start to increase in value as more legit copies are harder to find. The 6105 -8110 (Apocalypse Now ) watches are now commanding big bucks for decent ones, so I'm thinking the 6309's will be the affordable collectable vintage diver from Seiko.
I wish Seiko would put more emphasis on their quality control and make watches like they used to, I bought an SKX007 which had a loose chapter ring, dust under the crystal and the finishing on the cased looked, well... unfinished :(
Be careful when looking to buy one of these. This watch has definitely been polished (top of the lugs should have a brushed finish) and the hands have been replaced (they should glow the same as the dial and the original second hand has lollipop at the tip and a steel finish, not black with the lollipop at the base). You can still find these in all original condition but do your research first.
@@Fatherandsonatarms See if you could source spare set of 7002 hands to replace current "SKX" set. There's still good amount of those ones in the wild unmolested and in a good shape, and they are identical to the 6309 hands for the fact they are 'flat' not rounded three dimensional like the later ones. And yes, they feature correct lollipop second hand. Failing that, SKX173 (plentiful in US) hand set should suffice. Cheers.
Hey Rob. You should get your hands on a Seiko 7548. They’re fantastic vintage watches with an incredible history that can still be had at a decent price.
yeah, first you say to be careful as there are a LOT of fake and franken watches, then you say you've changed the hands (also with a set with a wrong seconds hand.. hence the hours and minutes shouldn't be correct as well, even if they look pretty similar), then again at 7:05 you say that it's all original.. lol. The lume pip has been relumed and you didn't mention anything about how the case was completely ruined by a bad polishing job by someone who had never seen a 6309 before. I wouldn't call a mess like this completely original and in pretty good condition.. poor watch.
Why do they make every reissue or homage so big. They should keep the 40-42 in sight. Even if my 777 is absolutely wearable the original size would be perfect. The 51 and 61s are also unnecessary big, especially lug tu lug.
That second hand has bern nodded, not 100 per cent original, me either, why Seiko didnt just copy the 6309 to the T is beyond me, the new Seiko turtles are ok, but nothing beats an all original.
