Seiko SPB317 | An Amazing Yet Under-Appreciated Turtle

[@THEMADWATCHCOLLECTOR]

Nice video my friend! Enjoyed it

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for watching 😊.

[@RandallSlick]

You're very forgiving of Seiko's ongoing and unresolved QC problems/obvious dislike of non-JDM customers. Glad you got it fixed eventually. I have both Rectangula and San Martin 'homages' to the 6105-8000 but have hesitated on a Seiko reinterpretation for the reasons you mentioned. Perhaps one day.

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment 😊. I try to be optimistic in general, but trust me, I did go through the 4 stages of grief when I discovered this issue 🥲. Luckily there was a service centre near my area, and the staff there was absolutely delightful, so those factors definitely helped with the overall experience.

[@ccooper8785]

Same here, the selling of JDM-only products REALLY pi55es me off.

[@KTakahara]

@@ccooper8785 wow, god forbid a company favors their home market....get a grip lol

[@JacobLawrenceCanning]

Been having great luck with the accuracy of my SPB313. Running at plus two seconds a day, sometimes less. A pleasant surprise and really appreciating the white dial. No texture, faux lume, or guilt, just an all around great diver.

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment 😄. The SPB313 is definitely a beauty, I was considering going for either that or the SPB317.

[@FurkanCemTurfanda]

It became my favorite watch to wear from the second I took it out of the box. I prefer the white dial bracelet version.

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment 😊. The white dial version is indeed an awesome watch as well.

[@ClevaTreva]

I love mine! So much nicer in the flesh than any video or picture can convey. It's a strap monster too - looks awesome with a tan leather one. Uncle Seiko bracelets for it are cheap too if you want to go that route.

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment and I totally agree. It's a simple, but awesome looking watch.

[@snix7613]

Good to hear that you are ok with that treatment. I wd have gone mad if I had to wait 4 months of "repairing" before I can wear my new watch. 😂

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment. I do have a couple of other watches to wear, so that definitely helped me through this ordeal. I don't think I would've been okay if this had been my first watch buying experience though 😂.

[@CarJacka]

The SPB315 is my favorite watch, mine came with a misaligned bezel and had to be returned to Seiko service twice as the movement was running way below spec. I doubt they even looked st it the first time as it ran -45s when they returned it. Runs about -10s now. It's both gorgeous and gimpy. I love it

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment 😊. It must've been rather annoying to have to send it back twice, but I'm glad to hear that it's been sorted.

[@markonybelgrade]

I bought SPB313 with white dial, and i can say I'm trilled....just one BIG minus from my side ,and that's the diver extension. Now I'm in search for aftermarket clasp.

[@robalexander7348]

I also have this SPB317 ( $1,400.00 Au ) i like this watch with its discrete date window, and it keeps reasonable time. I also have a Capt Willard which is away at Seiko Sydney for warranty work, it also has the same problem, the crown is very difficult to open and wind down, it feels as if the pressure spring has broken ? So far it has been with Seiko Sydney for 5 weeks ! Enjoyed your video, Thank You 👍 Au

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment, mate 😄. Hope you get your Willard back soon 🤞, as that is one awesome watch!

[@01Lic]

I had exactly the same problem with the crown. First, I purchased the white one and had the crown issue (wound not screw back in unless really forced and after several attempts). Had the option for it to be repaired or get a green Willard turtle instead (spb153). I took the turtle option and really pleased with it (e.g. the crown action on the turtle is much better, lume seems a tad better etc). After a while I also purchased one exactly like yours, the black dial version, since it got a very good discount. And this also have issues with the crown but you can work around it with small pressure adjustments. So I kept it. But, that being said, I think there is a certain design issue with the crown of these models (you can visually see it having a different inserting direction than the overall shape of the case, which may be the source of the issues).

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment. Sorry to hear about that. I reckon you should take the watch to a Seiko service center if it's still under warranty. They should provide a fix even if it's a small issue. I took in an entry level Prospex watch with a couple of dirt spots on the lume, and they accepted to fix it without any issues.

[@garycollard1981]

Great looking watch, i really like the design. Out of my price range but ended up with a San Martin lookalike, all black with red markers.

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment. San Martin is definitely a good choice 👍.

[@AM-db2uf]

Great review , love that watch and the aftermarket bracelet is a big improvemnent.

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for watching 😊.

[@ramtinhayward1]

Great review of a great watch. No issues with mine, bought on-line, thankfully. I'm interested in which aftermarket bracelet you have, and where you purchased it. Thanks

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the kind comment 😊. The Z199 bracelet in the video is from Uncle Straps.

[@Poryotis]

That's sad that you had to go through that before you could enjoy the watch. I went through the exact same process when I bought my Speedtimer Automatic (SRQ041) and discovered a number of issues. Luckily I got mine repaired in about 5 weeks. The watch works amazing now (like it should have straight out of the factory 🙄)

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment 😊. Glad you got your watch back fairly quickly. That SRQ041 is an absolute beauty! I would love to get my hands on it some days 😄.

[@mybears1837]

I have the spb335j1 same exact watch you have here. My daily watch love love it!!!

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment 😊. That is a very cool and stealth looking model.

[@nedflanders3769]

It actually looks pretty close to the original 6105 Willard. I’m sending my SPB153 in for service because the 6R35 runs like crap. I’ve heard similar things from many people. 😮 Thanks for the video!

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment. I've heard about how inaccurate the 6R35 is as well. Fingers crossed that this one will stay accurate for a while 🤞.

[@MrLocsei]

I just got an SPB121 Alpinist with the same 6R35 movement and yes, it runs a bit too fast to my. taste ... about 10 to 15 seconds fast per day. I'll give it a bit more time to see if it "settles down", but if it doesn't, I'll have to adjust that regulator pin.

[@chew5170]

i have 2 6R35s, one is off by 15-20 seconds a day, one is off by about 1-2 a day. However, i dropped the 1-2 second one and had a local watch maker run a service on it for about $100, and the 1-2 seconds is after the service. Before the service it was about the same as the other one. Its not a bad movement, they just put no effort into regulation before shipping them out.

[@justmeeagainn]

@@MrLocsei 10-15 seconds is well within spec. The regulator pin is way too tight to get it better than that. If you want Rolex accuracy buy a Rolex.

[@Anirossa]

Biggest problem Ive heard of with the 6R is that it can run normally and suddently goes limpmode going extremely slowly and it not being that uncommon 😕

[@LifeEnglish]

It's my one and done GADA watch. Love it

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment 😊. I love this one too, but it's a tie between this and the SPB143 for my GADA watch though 😉.

[@daveLin104]

​@watchcrave do you also have the 143 ? What do you prefer ? I have a 143 and keep thinking of getting the 317 and well 😬

[@garyshepherd9226]

I have this - the dial just pops and is so legible. Can't believe they made you wait 3 months....

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment 😄. Yeah, it's rather unfortunately about the long wait, but there's not much I could do😞. New Zealand is quite far away from the rest of the world, and we also kinda have to wait for left over parts from Australia, as they get first dibs being the main HQ for Oceania.

[@garychowhm]

I own the spb333, it is a beautiful watch

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment. That is indeed a beautiful watch 🥰.

[@gamagallegos1408]

Nice video! I picked one up in a small watch boutique in Milan about two years ago. I to have it on an aftermarket uncle seiko bracelet. Where is your aftermarket bracelet from? Thanks

[@watchcrave]

Thank you 😄. Mine is also the Uncle Seiko bracelet, the Z199 one. I've tried the watch on the Senator (oyster) bracelet as well, but found the Z199 to have the best fit (mainly weight and comfort).

[@BobMarley-pm1xb]

Great review! Thanks

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for watching! 😊

[@VladimirPrsic]

Good video! Agreed fully on having to own at least 1 black diver - me owing Certina DS 43mm and in the process of getting this one, which I really like, or Seiko regular Turtle srpe93. Any thoughts on it? Cheers 🍻

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment. If you have the budget, I'd recommend this one over the SRPE93. Accuracy-wise, they're pretty similar, but the slim turtle is nicer in terms of build quality. Now if you want a daily beater/tank of a watch, then the turtle is the one to go for 😉.

[@VladimirPrsic]

@watchcrave yep, but Certina is very nice in terms of build quality... regular turtle is probably a better daily watch for me... also, new samurai is also very interesting. Have to see them in person, then will decide. Thanks.

[@iain772]

One of my fave Seiko's, I'd save up for one but I have an SKX and given the amount of issues I've heard people have its put me off. I could build my own as I mod/build watches but I know it wouldn't feel quite the same lol. Cool either way though

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment 😊. Seiko's QC is pretty meh these days. These mid-tier Prospex have better built quality than the affordable tier. If you're unsure, I would recommend checking them out on the secondary market, as the prices are much more affordable 😉.

[@iain772]

@@watchcrave I'll have a look there as I haven't really looked before 👀 it's a shame, especially given their rising prices that the quality doesn't match it anymore :/

[@samuelkim2611]

Nice watch !!!

[@watchcrave]

Thank you for the comment 😊.

[@inspector1973]

Hi. May I ask what is the bracelet brand? Thanks for the video.

[@watchcrave]

Of course! It's an Uncle Seiko Z199. Thanks for watching 😊.

[@jwags24]

I love the look, but I've been burned time after time by Seikos terrible quality control. I've purchased 9 different Seiko models in my watch collecting journey. Only 4 came without defects. The others had debris under the dial, misaligned bezel inserts, movements out of spec.

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment. A shame to hear that, and I'm totally with you. Seiko definitely needs to improve on their quality check.

[@lucaiannuzzi8988]

It isn’t a small turtle. It’s a tonneau

[@r1pperuk]

My problem with most Seiko is they are 2-5mm too fat! Slime them down and they would sell alot more.

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment 😊. I agree, the watch would be even better if it was a little bit thinner.

[@geneparadiso6258]

Way too much money. You can get a Chinese watch, with similar specs, like a Cronos or San Martin for around $300.

[@watchcrave]

Thanks for the comment. That is indeed true. Those watches are indeed good value for your money. Personally though, I find most of them lacking any sort of originality. Still a great option if you just want a good looking watch though.

[@ragnarone5409]

Overpriced

[@watchcrave]

😅

[@blairdalgleish8247]

Shit movement