October 19, 2021 • News Announcements
We are delighted to announce a new partnership between Oceanic Society and Seiko Watch of America that will support our global sea turtle conservation programs. Seiko’s announcement of three Special Edition Prospex timepieces this month celebrates their official sponsorship of Oceanic Society and our global work to study and protect endangered sea turtles. Exclusively available in the U.S. market, these distinctive watches feature intricately patterned dials that were inspired by sea turtle shells.
Highlighting our State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT) Program, a worldwide collaboration of thousands of people and programs dedicated to conserving the world’s seven species of sea turtles and their vast ocean habitats, the new Special Edition watch casebacks are each engraved with the image of a sea turtle created by Seiko’s Japanese designers. In addition, every watch is accompanied by a booklet discussing these spectacular and gravely threatened ocean dwellers, with a focus on three sea turtle species—the leatherback, hawksbill, and Kemp’s ridley—representing the three unique watch dials. A portion of the proceeds will go directly toward our sea turtle conservation work.
About the “Turtle” Watches
![Seiko turtle special edition](https://www.oceanicsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/seiko-turtle-oceanic-society.jpeg)
The designs of Seiko’s newly announced Special Edition Prospex watches were inspired by sea turtle shells. Sales will support Oceanic Society’s global sea turtle conservation programs.
The overall design of the Special Edition watches is a reinterpretation of one of Seiko’s most treasured diver’s watches, a 1977 release with a cushion-shaped case that many thought resembled the form of a turtle. From that point on, following what has become a nicknaming tradition among Seiko fans, the watch was widely, if informally, known as “the Turtle.” The selection of the fan-anointed “turtle” watch is a reflection of Seiko’s ongoing dialogue with the consumers it has worked to serve for the past 140 years.
About the Sponsorship
For more than 50 years, Oceanic Society has worked to inspire and empower people worldwide to take part in building a healthy future for the world’s oceans. The partnership with Seiko offers the chance for us to reach and engage new audiences in ocean conservation, including fellow scuba divers.
With this sponsorship, Seiko, a diver’s watch leader, is expanding its efforts to promote ocean exploration and conservation, which includes an official partnership with PADI, the world’s leading scuba diver training operation, and sponsor of PADI Project Aware and the Scuba Diving magazine Sea Hero Awards.
The U.S. Special Editions will be available this month at seikousa.com and select Seiko retailers.
You can learn more about our sea turtle conservation programs here.
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