u/808mabuhay

Recently, I got rid of my Seiko PADI Pepsi Turtle purchased in 2016 (mine was the Japan Mov’t model cased/assembled outside of Japan) and I decided I missed it too much… so I went on a mad hunt throughout Tokyo and Osaka to literally ALL of the stores and random hiding spots where you can find new Seikos (Yodobashi camera, BIC Camera, Don Quixote, random watch shops in train stations and mile-long shopping arcades etc.) and I couldn’t find the Pepsi Turtle anywhere, not even a used one! I feel like just a year ago it was available still in Japan. But recently I checked the online a stores of the big Japanese retailers I mentioned above and also same result (saying that sales of this model have been stopped). I go stateside and then check Seiko US online shop and it’s sold out. It seems that the only retailers that have it are some of the popular online watch stores and Macys of all places! Maybe they’re having trouble selling them and just sitting with stock at the moment. This piece has enjoyed nearly a decade of sales and if I know Seiko as well as I think I do, this one is on the way out and I’m glad I picked it up…on sale too!

I think Seiko is trying something new lately where they’ll release a couple hot new watches and then quietly and suddenly discontinue them while bringing in new lines. For example: The polar white GMT (reference SBSC009) was literally everywhere in Japan stores for about a year and now they are all gone. Now the shelves are being stocked with the newer GMT iterations and colorways of the GMT sports field watches.