The SKX is dead. Long live the SKX.

Pablito

9 months ago

This is a love story. ❤

My SKX007 dates back to the year 2000. It's a great watch. Over the years I've bashed it up and I've had to replace the bezel and insert, the crown, the dial, the movement, the second hand, the crystal and all the gaskets. And each time I repair it, I bond with it more.

But there are are a handful of things about my SKX that irk me. They're just not right. For example, its ability to keep time. The 7S26 movement is "accurate" to between +40 and -20 s/p/d. That's a bit rubbish, right?

Also the superfluous day indicator annoys me, spoiling the symmetry. I might want to know the date sometimes but it's rare that I don't know what day it is.

It doesn't have drilled lugs either. That would help with strap changes, obviously. And the "DIVER'S 200m" text has always bothered me. It should be red, not orange.

And then there's the size. At 42 and a bit millimetres, it's just too big and top heavy on a NATO.

So. Here's the thing. I discovered the Seiko SBCM023. It looks just like the SKX. Mine's from 2012, I think. It's a JDM, HAQ (High Accuracy Quartz), ISO rated, perpetual calendar dive watch. It's accurate to within 20 seconds per year. That's PER YEAR!

This is it, here.

The day window has gone, it's just date. So the symmetry issue is sorted. It has drilled lugs, Yay! And the text says "SCUBA 200m" in RED, not orange. It's thinner, lighter and only 39mm with a shorter lug to lug. So it's perfect for wearing on a NATO.

That's check, check, check... every niggling little issue is resolved. The SBCM023 is perfect, right? Well, yes. I like the SBCM023 a lot. It's a great little watch.

So why do I still prefer my SKX? 🙄