Hmm. Hard to say what's real and what's in the mind. I also had a seiko 5 that looked more patinated, so the skx feels crisper in that regard. I don't REALLY miss the lack of hand winding or hacking, but I can see how some people might. I like the closed caseback and the screw down crown. It just felt "right" to have the actual dive watch rather than dive "style" watch. Oh, the lume on the Seiko 5 was wayyyyy better. The best I've ever had. But the other lume isn't bad.
I'm at 7 inches, but partially due to muscle. My bones aren't big so when I look at it from above, it looks just right. In a mirror, it looked a bit small. You do get used to it, but it was indeed jarring at first.
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