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Few watchmakers are as observably dedicated to their environmental connections as Seiko. With releases like 2024’s Alpinist ode to the Australian Red Centre and last year’s celebration of Fitzroy Island’s aquatic splendour, the Japanese brand frequently draws inspiration from nature and, in turn, backs measures to preserve its beauty.
I witnessed this firsthand on a recent trip to Cairns and the aforementioned Fitzroy Island, located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. There, I joined a small group invited to explore the important work of the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC). Established over 25 years ago by two marine biologists with a single turtle patient, the organisation has gradually grown into an essential combatant in the fight for Australia’s sea turtle population. It’s also financially supported, in part, by Seiko Australia.
Over the course of a few days, our group encountered numerous patients in the care of CTRC co-founder Jennie Gilbert and her team. Some were missing flippers. Others had damaged shells. All were on their own unique road to recovery. And with but a few exceptions, each turtle was inching its way towards a return to the wild.
Welcome to the Turtle Club
The CTRC runs on the power of approximately 120 volunteers across five facilities in Far North Queensland. Over 300 turtles have passed through its doors to be rehabilitated and ultimately released since its founding.
Some of these have been left floundering from encounters with boats. Others lucky to survive run-ins with sharks. Arguably, the most heartbreaking are those who’ve lost flippers after becoming ensnared in fishing nets. Amazingly, even a turtle with twin amputations is not a lost cause (provided the remaining limbs are located on opposite sides of its body). Clearly, our flippered friends are a tough bunch.
Speaking of tough, they don’t come much more so than Jennie Gilbert. Since co-founding the CTRC in 2000, she’s proved a force to be reckoned with, tirelessly lobbying a series of governments and other organisations on behalf of her reptilian charges. Even the near loss of a thumb to a particularly ravenous (or perhaps just overtly curious) turtle wasn’t enough to stop her. Fortunately, her tenure as a nine-fingered environmentalist was short-lived, courtesy of a surgeon’s prompt reattaching of the severed digit.
It’s thanks to Jennie’s perseverance that there’s now a purpose-built sixth CTRC site on the way. This comes via a $600,000 pledge from the Queensland Government, along with further investment from Seiko Australia. Located on Green Island (approximately 20 kilometres east of Fitzroy Island), the new facility is scheduled to open in mid-2027. It will expand the organisation’s capacity to care for turtles (much like adding new beds to a hospital), while simultaneously upping CTRC’s public education efforts.
What’s Japanese for ‘Turtle’?
In the meantime, Jennie has plenty to keep her busy. For one thing, there’s Kame. He’s something of a Cairns celebrity, having been adopted by Seiko Australia as part of a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) partnership to support marine conservation and the CTRC.
Kame’s name is Japanese for ‘turtle,’ which is fitting, as he directly inspired Seiko’s 1,000-piece Prospex SRPM04K ‘Kame’ watch. Much as the turtle has a special connection with Jennie, so too does the timepiece. Rarely absent from her wrist, it uses Seiko’s iconic Turtle case (see what they did there?) as its foundation: a cushion-shaped, 45-mm diver design, first introduced in 1976. It’s a fitting platform on which to pay tribute to CTRC’s most famous resident.
On a lighter note, getting up close with Kame and his compadres quickly reveals how much turtles are the puppies of the sea. Ever given a dog a scratch and seen them twist themselves in approval as their back leg starts to kick? Well, a turtle responds in much the same way when you scratch its shell. They’ll flap their fins, twist in the water to point their shell your way, and do a celebratory tank lap before coming back for more.
Without a hint of hyperbole, it’s a joyful thing to behold. That said, CTRC’s turtle experts are quick to point out that while engaging their patients in this way is one thing, doing so in the wild is another. So what’s it like to spend time with turtles in their natural habitat off Fitzroy Island? Well, it’s easy to see why Jennie and co are so motivated to do what they do.
Coral Cruising
With Seiko Prospex “Great Blue” PADI Turtle (Ref. SRPK01K) watches strapped to wrists, day two of the trip saw our group wade into the water off Fitzroy Island for some snorkelling. Despite feeling immensely foolish as I clumsily walked through the shallows in fins, I soon found myself in awe of the creatures cruising the coral architecture just below the surface.
Among the clownfish, parrotfish, angelfish, and more, the turtles were the undisputed stars of the show. I must have come across half a dozen separate individuals in the two hours I was in the water. It felt like more, but telling turtles apart is trickier than it sounds. They casually munched vegetation and, on a few occasions, rose to the surface for air. This was particularly thrilling as our pre-snorkel briefing made clear that doing so means they’re comfortable in your presence.
Most memorable of all was a 10-minute period in which a pair flanked me. With a fully grown adult to my left and a juvenile to my right, I felt like part of a posse roaming in search of gourmet seaweed. It was an unforgettable experience.
Watch This Space
Having bid a fond farewell to my turtle compadres and scrubbed off the salt, the Fitzroy festivities concluded with a balcony dinner overlooking the ocean.
A selection of Seiko timepieces was the focus of proceedings (for the watch nerds at least). This included a preview of the HBB002 PADI 60th Anniversary Limited Edition, with its Turtle case and vibrant blue dial adorned with a globe motif derived from the PADI logo. It’s yet another example of Seiko’s commitment to maintaining the conversation around ocean conservation.
To this end, the evening’s most poignant point arrived between dinner and dessert. In a quiet moment, Seiko Australia presented Jennie with a cheque for $25,000 to further fund the CTRC’s essential work. For the turtles currently in her care and those yet to come, it’s the kind of gesture that could make all the difference in the world.
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