I've been a little busy so there hasn't been much time to document my collection of watches. However, I do have something to show, so without further ado, I present to you the Seiko SKX009; my daily beater.
The good points
This is a really remarkable watch in many ways. I won't go through technical details here, instead, here are my three biggest reasons why I love this watch so much:
1) Value - I bought this watch for a little over 200 SGD. That equates to about 160+ USD. The finish on this watch however, reflects something that one would normally find on a watch four or five times its price. Some of the more outstanding points of the finishing are:
- The combination of brushed and polished finishing
- Clean and very well-done machining
- Fantastic bezel with minimal play, and it aligns exactly at the 12 hour mark
2) Accuracy - Mechanical watches will never be completely accurate. Mine however has been an outstanding timekeeper. I'm confident enough to say that my currently runs within COSC standards. The 7S26 movement loses an average of 2 seconds everyday.
3) Design - Legibility is fantastic. The large hour and minute hands make reading the time a real pleasure. The lume on this watch is simply brilliant; it is very bright and long lasting. The LumiBrite sucks up light like a sponge and is literally screaming to release its charge. In pitch black conditions, lume will continue to be visible after being fully charged for a good 6-7 hours.
The design of the casing is excellent. Sleek curves run along the side of the case, while the crown guards integrate seamlessly into the design of the case, giving the SKX007/009 series its signature look. It has a good amount of heft to it, making it feel much more expensive then it actually is. Overall, a very well thought-out case design.
The bad points
There is some room for improvement though. The 7S26 movement only completes its day change cycle at 3 a.m. Between 12 to 3, you would see the day wheel skipping through the second language to arrive at the correct and final date.
Next, the crown has quite a number of issues:
1) It is quite wobbly when screwed out. Doesn't leave for much confidence in the crown mechanism.
2) The pressure from the spring of the screw down crown seems to be a little excessive, making it quite the battle everytime you have to screw the crown down.
3) The crown tube is a little too finely threaded and most of all integrated into the case! This means if you cross-thread while screwing the crown down and mangle up the threads, the only fix is to replace the entire case; a rather expensive affair to say the least.
The crown on this watch definitely needs some improvements, hopefully in the next iteration of the SKX009.
The final verdict
Overall, the SKX007/009 series from Seiko is simply fantastic. It is extremely good value for money. Aside for the crown which is a bit of a let down, this is one of, if not the best mechanical watch that one can get with a budget of slightly below $200. With that, it brings us to the end of the first watch collection post!
