Spotting a Fake Seiko Turtle: A Guide for Watch Buyers

Seiko entered the diving watch market in the mid-1960s with functional, reasonably priced watches featuring bold dials and luminous chapters. A decade later, they introduced a new model with a 45mm x 38mm case, screw-down crown, and super-tough glass. This model, featuring the 639 automatic mechanical movement, was affectionately known as the Seiko Turtle due to its unique shape. These watches were produced for over a decade before being discontinued.

A few years ago, Seiko decided to re-release the Seiko Turtle in several variants, including the special edition Turtle Prospex PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) with a blue and red "Pepsi" rotating bezel, model SRPA21K. As a fan, I was interested in owning this model but noticed some being sold at suspiciously low prices, typically around $70 compared to the usual $400-$500 USD retail price. This raised concerns about authenticity, but I decided to purchase one for comparison, alongside a genuine one ordered directly from Seiko Thailand for $533.

This article aims to highlight the differences between a genuine Seiko Turtle and a counterfeit, helping you avoid scams. Although seasoned collectors might easily spot a fake, casual buyers could benefit from these insights.

The genuine Seiko came well-packaged, including a Seiko-branded face mask, a properly filled and stamped certificate, a polishing cloth, and specific instruction booklets. In contrast, the fake watch arrived in a low-quality box with a plastic bag containing a replica certificate and a tester of cologne.

The genuine Seiko Turtle boasts a striking blue dial with a slight sunburst effect and six lines of text, including the model number 4R36. The fake model's dial had visible imperfections under magnification, and the text "NH36" indicated a different movement. The genuine watch's lume is significantly brighter, and the bezel's luminescent spot is flush, unlike the pronounced spot on the fake.

The bezel on the genuine Seiko feels premium, with smooth, tactile clicks at half-minute intervals, while the fake's bezel feels clunky, clicking at one-minute intervals with noticeable slop. The genuine crown unscrews smoothly with clean threads, whereas the fake crown's threads appear rough and prone to stripping.

The genuine strap features a wetsuit extension, model number stamping, and high-quality spring bars. The fake strap lacks these details and is generally poorer in finish, with rough clasp mechanics and missing model numbers.

The genuine case back has a cleanly engraved Tsunami logo and well-finished text. The fake has a poorly etched logo and mismatched case and dial numbers. The genuine watch is also slightly thicker due to higher quality components.

Opening the watches revealed stark differences. The genuine Seiko features a clean, well-finished 4R36 movement. The fake watch, despite being marked as a 4R36, actually contained an NH36 movement, poorly disguised with a laminated weight and overall inferior construction. The genuine movement showed higher quality materials and finishing.

Key differences between genuine and fake Seiko Turtles include:

- Poorly manufactured packaging and box for the fake.

- Weaker luminescence on the fake.

- Incorrect bezel color and feel.

- Rough crown threads and misaligned dial details on the fake.

- Inferior strap and clasp quality.

- Mismatched case and dial numbers, and overall poor finishing on the fake.

- Inferior internal movement components in the fake.

When purchasing a Seiko Turtle online, ensure the seller has positive feedback or buy from a reputable store. If you've recently purchased one and suspect it's fake, examine the watch under magnification and compare it against these points. Always be wary of deals that seem too good to be true.