Fifty years of the cushion case
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
The original 6309 Turtle came out in 1976, and the shape is the reason anyone still cares. A wide cushion case that looks enormous at 45 mm on paper, then sits down on the wrist like a stone in a garden, because the lugs are short and turned under.
The SRPE93 is the modern Prospex version: black dial, rubber strap, 4R36 with day and date, 41 hours, Hardlex, 200 m, solid caseback, 13.3 mm thick. Rubber at 22 mm is the right choice, as the Turtle is a tool before it is jewellery.
What I would change. The Hardlex crystal at 495 to 525 dollars feels stingy, because the King Turtle with sapphire is only a little more. The day wheel shows English and another language, which some like and I find slightly cluttered. And the rubber strap is a bit stiff when the weather is cold, though that is rarely the problem in Osaka.
For people who want a classic Japanese diver with real history and are comfortable with a bigger case, it is still one of my favourite recommendations.