Seiko SKX007 Review
Editor’s Rating
The Seiko SKX007 should be on anybodies short list of best budget mechanical divers. Love mechanical watches and need a watch that can take some abuse? You won't go wrong with anything from the SKX series.
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Specifications | History | Variations | Case | Crystal | Bezel | Dial | Handset | Movement | Straps | Modding | Conclusion The Seiko SKX007 is my top pick for an affordable mechanical dive watch, usually available for around $200 and in this review I’ll do my best to explain why. So I apologize for the wait, but let’s get into it! First, a brief overview of the SKX007’s specifications:Seiko SKX007 Automatic

Seiko SKX007 on a StrapCode oyster bracelet.
Specifications
- 7s26 mechanical movement
- Certified ISO diver’s watch
- 200m (660ft) water resistance
- Unidirectional bezel (120 clicks)
- Hardlex crystal (harder than mineral, softer than sapphire)
- 41mm case diameter
- 13.25mm height
- 46mm lug-to-lug distance
- 22mm band width
- 44-48hr power reserve
- 80g weight (no strap)
- Day and date window
- LumiBrite markers (provides excellent, long lasting luminosity)
History
The SKX007 was first produced by Seiko Watches in 1996, following a long line of Seiko dive watches that started in 1965 with the 62MAS, which was rated to 150m of WR.
The Seiko 62MAS (credit: Monochrome Watches)
Model Variants
The SKX series of watches, of which the 007 is the best seller, includes many, many different variants. All of the variations are basically the same watch, using the same movement and case. The differences are all in bezels, dials, and hand set. You can expect the same quality from any of these watches, so if you like the style of a different one than the 007, be assured it’ll be very similar to the watch I review here. Below I’ve included a selection of SKX variants (by no means comprehensive):Seiko SKX Variations
Case
The 41mm x 46mm stainless steel case is smooth and flowing, with barely any hard lines or transitions. The gently curved and rounded lugs blend into the case and the prominent crown guards. The only 90 degree angles to be found are on the interior of the lugs and the inside of the crown guards. This gives the case a very organic look and feel, instead of the appearance of being something machined.



Crystal
The flat, recessed crystal on the SKX007 is made out of ‘Hardlex’, Seiko’s proprietary hardened mineral crystal. Its resistance to scratches is greater than regular mineral crystals, but less than sapphire. However, it also won’t shatter if impacted directly like a sapphire crystal would. The crystal is slightly chamfered around the edge directly next to the bezel. I’ve been wearing the SKX for a good 8 months now as my primary ‘beater’ watch while doing everything from diving to boat work. So far I’ve only managed to put one very small, shallow scratch on the crystal right above the 8 o’clock marker. The scratch is so small that I was unable to get it to show up in pictures, even with my macro lens. In comparison, after only a month of wearing my Vostok Amphibia, with it’s acrylic crystal, the crystal was completely covered in shallow scuffs and scratches. Having the crystal flat and slightly recessed below the level of the bezel definitely helps keep it protected from abuse. Glancing hits from the side, which are probably the most likely on a watch, will usually hit the bezel and miss the crystal. Overall though, I’d say Hardlex is an excellent material for a watch crystal.Bezel
The 120-click, unidirectional (counter-clockwise) rotating timing bezel is constructed out of stainless steel with a black aluminum insert containing the timing markings. Every minute is marked, with long bars marking the 5-minutes, numerals for the 10-minutes, and small circles for the rest.

Dial
The dial of the Seiko SKX007 is minimalistic and utilitarian. A lume-filled triangle marks the 12 0’clock position, with large circles marking every 5 minutes. Larger ovals mark the 6 and 9 o’clock positions. The white day/date window is located at 3 o’clock, with it’s size mirroring the oval at 9, maintaining the symmetry of the face. On this version of the SKX, the day can be set to show in either English or Spanish. All of the text is in black, except for SAT in blue and SUN in red. The date cycles through from 1-31, so during shorter months you’ll have to move it ahead. Personally, I feel the day/date window could have used some slight styling. I’m a fan of the window on the Orient Ray II with it’s white border, and think something similar would have worked well on the SKX.

Handset
The shorter sword-shaped hour hand reaches just to the inner edge of the long oval markers, with the long arrow minute hand extending to the outer edge of the smaller circle markers. Both hands are outlined in chrome and deeply filled with luminescent paint.
Movement
The Seiko SKX007 is powered by Seiko’s caliber 7s26, a lower-end, budget, mechanical automatic movement. It features 21 jewels, and runs at 21,600 beats per hour. It’s wound by Seiko’s patented Magic Lever system, with a bi-directional winding mechanism powered by the movement of the wearers wrist. When fully wound, it can keep ticking for ~48hrs (power reserve) so no worries about not wearing it for a day and finding it’s stopped. It lacks several features that you’d see in a higher end movement, such as hacking seconds and the ability to hand wind. Its accuracy also suffers, with anywhere from 20 seconds slow to 40 second fast per day being usual when received. My personal review piece is actually outside of this range, running an average of -30/s/day. However, this seems to be highly variable, with several people reporting that theirs runs at an impressive +5/s/day. So while I wouldn’t say I’m happy with -30/day, it really doesn’t bug me too much. I reset the time about every three days in order to keep it within a couple minutes of the real time. For anybody that would enjoy more accuracy, I’ve heard that allowing a watch-maker to regulate the movement can result in drastic improvements.Straps
For the first few months after getting my SKX in the mail, I wore it on the rubber divers band that it first came on. Eventually however, I got a bit bored of the look and started switching things up. First I purchased the StrapCode Super Oyster Type II stainless bracelet, which has been specifically designed for use with the SKX series cases. I’m still very happy with this combination, you can read my review of the Super Oyster by clicking here. I ended up also purchasing this two-pack of 22mm straps from Amazon, which comes with a leather strap and a black NATO. While it can take a couple minutes to switch from the bracelet to the NATO style, I like to change it out occasionally for a more casual look. The SKX is a versatile watch that looks at home on a wide variety of straps, allowing you to change the look and feel of the watch to match your personal style or mood.Modding
Many people don’t realize that it’s possible to modify various aspects of a stock watch to drastically change the look of it. There’s actually a thriving community of watch modders built around the SKX models, providing many different after-market parts. It’s possible to change items such as the bezel, crown, handset, and dial. People provide services such as custom engraved bezels or blackening the case through vapor deposition.
A highly modified SKX007. Photo credit: Dagaz Watches