Reviewing the “Grey Birch” Captain Willard - SPB237

What do Seiko and Rolex have in common?  On the surface precious little, except for a shared talent for marketing their aggressive vertical integration strategies as “in-house” craftsmanship.  If you are feeling more generous you might observe that both brands have an unrivaled ability to generate iconic dial designs and case profiles that stand out in a crowded industry.  And if you then dig a little deeper still, you will find two companies with an almost uncanny ability to capitalize on key moments in cultural history.

Such is the case with the SPB237 1970 Divers Watch Reinterpretation. It has been dubbed by fans the “Captain Willard” due to its predecessor’s memorable on-screen appearance on the wrist of Martin Sheen in the Vietnam epic “Apocalypse Now.” In a stroke of casting genius, it played opposite the Rolex GMT-Master 1675 on the wrist of Marlon Brando.  This one costuming choice amplified so many of the latent social, ideological and class tension of the era. 

Seiko, a major force in the South East Asian watch market, has been understandably cautious when it comes to overtly linking the latest batch of Willard reissues to the Vietnam War. The originals do seem to have been ubiquitous on the wrists of US soldiers and there are countless accounts of their use in the field.  Yet Seiko seems to lean more strongly on the legacy of famed Japanese solo-explorer Naomo Uemura when promoting this case shape and have issued a couple of higher end SLA models in his name.  Still, there seems to be an unspoken nod towards this history of military service in the design choices of both the SPB153 (which sports an olive green dial and bezel) as well as the SPB237.

My favorite nickname for the SPB237, and the one that really stuck with me after picking up an example a couple of months ago, is the “Grey Birch.”  I first heard @Max use this nickname in one of his reviews, drawing a comparison to the Grand Seiko’s more flamboyant silver and black birch dials. By comparison this one is understated, and in some lights appears simply as a soft grey.  The gold printing on the aluminum bezel and the fauxtina in the markers gives the dial a warmth that you don’t always find on modern Seiko divers.

Whether this actually achieves the goal of appearing “vintage” in another question entirely.  Vintage Willards generally don’t age this way.  Rather than turning a uniform cream brown, the lume on most of the examples I have seen has stayed fairly bright right up until moisture leakage into the dial area.  This would then result in a black rot spreading along the edge of the lume on the hands and markers. That is not a great look and NOS Williards without this problem are getting difficult to find. 

As such, the appeal of a model like the “Grey Birch” is obvious.  You get a lot of the charm of a vintage watch with modern engineering and a much more reliable waterproofing system. The fact that the watch ships with two NATO style straps, one green and the other grey, leans further in this direction. 

Still, this is an idealized, almost abstract, approach to making a vintage reissue.  The face has been given a texture and color balance that isn’t common on period pieces.  The case diameter was reduced from 44mm to 42mm to give it more of a compact “vintage feel.”  This is further reinforced by the shrunken dial which also reduces the visual impact of the watch. The actual watches worn in 1970s were larger, brighter and louder than the modern Willard.  The SPB237 is a tamed and reimagined vision of the past meant to meet the expectations of modern consumers and watch collectors.

How the SPB237 actually wears will come down entirely to your strap preferences.  With a lug to lug of 46mm this is actually not a very larger watch.  Indeed, if you are a fan of the King Turtles you may actually find the current generation of Willards too small and too subtle.  You can get the most out of the watches 13mm height by pairing it with a Tropic style strap.  It’s a comfortable combination and comes close to giving you a period correct look.

Nevertheless, I would like to make a plea on behalf of the two NATOs that ship with the watch.  These have a thick woven texture that comes from a Japanese braiding technique called “Seichu.”  The bands are flexible yet tough enough for diving.  They are also unbelievably soft and thicker than expected.  And here-in lies the problem. Most reviewers dislike how high the watch head sits with the double pass design and they immediately discard the supplied NATOs and go for something else.

I totally understand this reaction.  But after some experimentation and due consideration I have switched back to the OEM NATO straps. I just can’t get over how comfortable they are.  Maybe it’s just rationalization, but the added height of the watch head seems to make up for its diminished case dimensions in terms of giving it the wrist presence that you expect a Willard to have. If you are trying to get the SPB237 to wear like a King Turtle, it is always going to be a bit of a disappointment.  But once I got used to this watch on the provided NATO, it became one of my go-to picks when want to relax and put on something “comfortable.”

The two provided straps also seems to mirror the Willards split identity.  When sporting the green strap the I find that the dial reads as almost brown.  The lume in the markers and hands appears darker and the whole thing takes on a much richer character.  The grey NATO has the opposite effect.  It turn the dial an almost icy grey while desaturating the color from the hands and markers. What was once a “vintage inspired” watch now takes on a much more modern, muted, and abstract character.  I feel like this is a combination that beckons the wearer on to their own adventures, perhaps in Uemura’s foot-steps.  Increasingly this is the combination that speaks to me. 

The good news is that the watch is up for almost anything.  The hands have both a polished and a brushed side making them very legible in almost any light.  Seiko’s lume game has always been on point, ensuring that their watches are almost more legible after you turn out the lights.  While the surface area of the markers and hands on the SPB237 are smaller on most of their modern divers, the lume remains strong.  The case has so far avoided any sort of hair line scratches and the sapphire crystal is a must at this price point.  The 6R35 movement runs at about +10 seconds per day and has had no issues.  I am sure that I could get it regulated to take that number down a bit, but honestly it does not bother me at this point.  The 70 hour power reserve, however, is great. 

I think the only thing that will give some people pause at this price point is the aluminum bezel insert.  Seiko is currently equipping many of their modern divers that retail at half the price with ceramic, so this seems to have been a purely a aesthetic play.  As Tudor will be the first brand to remind us, vintage dive watch enthusiasts want an aluminum bezel. I can see both sides of the argument and only ask that whatever bezel your designer carefully creates is installed correctly and properly aligned. In this case Seiko came through, though your milage may vary. Hopefully they are getting over the quality control issues.

Do I recommend this watch?  For me it has been a great piece. Seiko has reintroduced a truly iconic watch that played an important role in the social history of the 1970s and 1980s. Given what these watches actually retail for, it is just about the most fun that you can have for less than $1,000. Seriously, how many icons are you going to find at that price?  But this piece has also proved to be far more versatile and forward looking than I expected.  There is no doubt that the Grey Birch’s adventures are just beginning.