SEIKO 6306-7001

The 6306-7001 was introduced in 1976 and enjoyed a brief production of approximately 3yrs. Being the JDM variant, the 6306 distinguishes itself from the Rest of World 6309 Turtle by way of the movement. The 6306 offers a higher jewel count and has a seconds hand hacking function, allowing for more precise time keeping when setting the watch. The date wheel also displays the day of the week in Kanji (hence JDM), whereas the 6309 was offered in various different languages. Generally speaking, the 6306 is presumed to be the less common of the two fraternal references due to its comparatively short production period.

These watches are known to age like a fine wine, with the lume usually becoming a rich yellow colour, and bezel insert fading to a nice blue hue. This example here has aged extremely well in its own right. The bezel insert is still black, the lume on the dial and handset has aged evenly to a rich white tone (not far off from the original colour), and the case is still in remarkable condition. The “water resist” text on the dial can often fade to an off-green or white, whereas this example shows just minor fading and still appears redish brown. Bezel and crown action working extremely smoothly.

This watch has an unknown service history, but has sat in a timegrapher and is displaying very good readings. The watch is keeping time well as it should.