42.3 mm case  /  20 mm lug width  /  13 mm thick  /  42.5 mm lug to lug  /  hardlex  /  200m water resistance / hacking / automatic / hand-winding

To replace my SKX013, I decided on a whim (which essentially means I only researched it for about a month) to nab the SRPC41J1 from Gnomon Watches. At just under $400, I found the Mini Turtle to be a more than reasonable value considering it’s competition from brands like Hamilton, Squale, and Steinhart. And combined with a smaller case design similar in wearability to the SKX013, Seiko knew what they were doing with this one.

Strap Replacement

Right out of the box I traded the included blue rubber strap for a grey-stitch patterned sailcloth band. Rubber to me always feels a bit stuffy and since I plan to wear this guy mainly in the summer, I felt sailcloth to be a the natural choice.

Of all of the canvas/sailcloth style straps I’ve tried, I prefer the straps offered at iWantAStrap.com. Due to the lack of leather backing, these bands are far more breathable than the multi-layered offerings from the likes of Hadley-Roma and Hirsch. They do take awhile to break in, but in my opinion they are a perfect combination of texture and length; rugged and canvas-like, they lie somewhere between a short and medium length which avoids the issue of too much excess after buckling it on the wrist.

SKX013 Comparison

So why did I buy it? Well, for me this fits in to the same casual/dive category as the SKX013 that I had been wearing for a few years; it’s a little wider, but just as the SKX007 and Turtle look more at home on a larger wrist, the SKX013 and Mini Turtle are more compact solutions of the same size class.

• Hand-winding – As the SKX013 was a go-to casual piece in my collection, I frequently had to do the “Seiko shuffle” to get it going after the power reserve had run it’s course, so I wanted something that I could just wind a few times and go. The crown action feels good on both; the Turtle feels a tad bit tighter on the date-wheel, but there is a millimeter or so “delay” before setting the time that is not noticeable on the SKX013. Could just be this particular unit, but it’s only a slight annoyance.
• No Day Window – I hate day/date complications and I hate setting them. Never, ever have I looked at my watch to find out what day it was. It’s an extraneous feature that also interferes with dial symmetry. And In a perfect world, the Turtle would have no day or date function (it’s a casual watch!) but I’m ok with it the solitary date complication, which gives it a leg up on the SKX013. It’s cliche, but sometimes less is more. The Mini Turtle also has the hotly-debated date-magnifier window on the crystal; I don’t mind it, but it is something to note for those who find it’s presence to be a deal-breaker.
  
• Size – Although it’s the largest watch in my collection, the Mini Turtle wears wonderfully for a piece above that sweet 40mm spot. The 42.3 mm turtle-shell shaped design and shorter 42.5 mm lug-to-lug distance makes it wear smaller than it sounds. The only issue I have with it is that it can be even tougher to fit under long-sleeved shirts than the the SKX013 (same height, but it just seems to catch my sleeves more often).
  
• Made in Japan – Does it really matter? I don’t know. Maybe it just feels better psychologically, but since they are marketed as professional dive watches, it seems fitting that all of the PADI variants are made in Japan. As for the SKX013, I have never had the opportunity to compare a Korean-made SKX013K to a Japanese-made SKX013J in person. You will find varying opinions on this on the internets, but I can’t really offer any hands-on input.
• Dat Dial – With far more attention to detail than the SKX013, the dial is a huge part of what makes this watch look upscale. Paired with the “Pepsi” bezel, the dial serves as a stunning wavy-textured backdrop for the syringe hour-hand and red arrowed minutes-hand. The red minute markers on the chapter ring at 12, 3, 6 and 9 make for a nice touch to complement the bezel. The LumiBrite on the hands and indices look fantastic after just a few seconds in sunlight and appears to last longer than the lume on the SKX013.

If I could sum up the comparison in one word it would be substantial. The quality of the Turtle feels an order of magnitude more substantial than the SKX013 when it comes to quality of design, movement, and execution. I know car analogies are usually a bad idea, but this would be like comparing a 2019 Mazda 3 to a 2019 Audi A4: the interior and exterior styling on both look fantastic, but there is a definite jump in quality in the look and feel of the Audi.

I would recommend the Mini Turtle to anyone looking for a more “posh” version of the SKX013 or to someone looking to downsize their “real” Turtle to something more compact. It’s a great one to just throw on casually and the Pepsi bezel gives it that “summer-watch” feel that goes great with jeans and a t-shirt. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you just can’t go wrong with a Seiko.