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| Joined: | Tue Jun 29th, 2010 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 352 |
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By now we have several "arrival" posts for Helson's new Tortuga...and for good reason, it's an awesome watch for a reasonable price.
To spice things up, I thought I'd throw up some shots of my new orange Tortuga next to its inspiration -- a vintage 1968 1000M diver.
It's clear that there are minor differences, but the shape is a classic and Helson did a good job of updating the design while maintaining the feel of the original.
To anyone sitting on the fence, I highly recommend picking one up.
Enjoy,
Veritas99
WARNING: LOTS OF PICTURES AHEAD
First, the new arrival - Helson Tortuga #85
Ended up with #85, despite ordering at 10:30 AM (Eastern) on day they were first available.
Bad shot of the skull & crossbones on the crown.
The lume is like a torch and may be the brightest in my collection:
The most unique feature is the interchangeable bezel system. The process is dead simple and the tool was a nice touch.
With alternative bezel:
It's a much paler orange than this shot looks
Finally, here's the comparison to my 1968 Zenith 1000M Diver:
Head on they are similar and both are supposedly 43mm. One of the unique features of the Zenith is the raised minute ring, which makes the face look a little smaller:
Good example of a major difference - the lug width. The Zenith is only 18mm v. 22mm for the Tortuga.
Stacked they are nearly the same height. The Zenith's caseback protrudes a little further away from the case than the Helson
Didn't quite get them lined up, but you can see how the bezel ring sticks out a little more with the Helson to allow for swapping.
Flipping the turtles over on their shell to close out the set. You can see the lug to lug distance is longer for the Helson, but the Zenith's caseback is taller.
You can also see the different crown placements.
