Seiko Divers Automatic Deep Blue Dial Mens Watch SKX009K1

This watch is darn near perfect... for the price. And that is the big caveat for all aspects of this watch. For a mere $200, you get a well made, attractive watch that is also an ISO certified dive watch. This means that the watch is water resistant to 200 meters, magnetic resistant, shock resistant, and it has a unidirectional bezel. For me, part of the fun of owning the watch is knowing that I get so much watch for so little money.MOVEMENTThe movement is a day/date movement that does not have hand winding or hacking (meaning the seconds hand doesn't stop when you adjust the time). I thought that the lack of hand winding and hacking would be a problem, but it really hasn't been. The self-winding rotor seems to be very efficient, so when I pick up my watch, I just wave it around for about 3 seconds to get it started, I set the time, and I'm off. I haven't timed the accuracy, and I switch watches everyday, but I haven't noticed any issues with that.CASE & CROWNThe case wears very small for a 42mm watch. The reasons are that the lugs are very short, so the watch sits on the wrist more like a 40mm or even less. Also, the sides of the case are rounded, so there are no edges to dig into your wrist. When you flex your hand backward, the rounded case gives you room to move comfortably, also the 4 o'clock position of the crown helps as well.However, the crown is a bit of a pain to use. The crown guards are too high and close to the crown making it difficult screw open and especially screw closed. Also, better grip on the crown would help quite a bit. The crowns on the "Monster" series of Seiko divers are much better.The finish of the case is nice, and the fit is tight all around. Obviously it doesn't have the sharp delineations of brushed and polished surfaces you'd find on a more expensive watch. Rather, it all just sort of blends together. Regardless, it's still very attractive, and it has enough shine without being blingy.BEZELThe bezel itself is very function and it feels nice to use. The grip has two rows of rounded peaks which are easy to grip. The ratcheting mechanism is spring loaded, and it gives a very satisfying click with each turn. It's hard to explain, but the click is secure without being harsh. Also, I find it neat that there are two types of clicks. The clicks that fall on the minutes have one type, and the clicks that fall in between minutes have a different one.The bezel insert is an attractive and distinctive blue and red. You can tell visually that it's not high quality, but I think that is part of the charm of the watch.DIAL & CRYSTALThe dial is sparse and utilitarian in a way that I think adds to the appeal of this as a no nonsense tool watch. The dial itself is flat, matte, and a very dark almost black shade of blue. The indices are slightly raised, and the lume itself is absolutely fantastic. In the slightest bit of shade, the lume burns bright green. The dial also has an angled and elevated minute track. Keeping the minutes off of the main dial helps to keep the look clean and legible.I thought the handset was ugly at first, but it's really grown on me. The ends of the hands have needle points to give a good amount of accuracy, and they are outlined in shiny metal. My only criticism is that I think the minute hand should be longer to better distinguish it from the hour hand. I realize that they look completely different, but I sometimes forget which is which since I rotate watches on a daily basis and I'm not accustomed to them. At a glance, the length is what would help me to tell them apart.The crystal is flat and very clear. I have no problem with any glare. Also the edges are chamfered/ beveled where it meets the bezel which adds a nice look. The crystal is a mineral crystal (hardlex), so it will be more prone to scratches than a sapphire crystal. I have had no problems with scratches so far, and also there is a benefit in that hardlex is more shatter resistant than sapphire.STRAPThe rubber strap on this is not good. It's stiff and uncomfortable. The rubber strap on their monster series is much softer, and I wish they had used the same strap.On a side note, I tried about 5 other aftermarket bracelets, and I found that the OEM jubilee bracelet is the best for me. It's lighter and more comfortable than any other bracelet I've ever tried on any watch. However it is clearly of very poor quality. The bracelet rattles A LOT, it has hollow end links, and it's all just stamped metal. Even so, the comfort is so good, that it's still my bracelet of choice.DURABILITYThe whole thing feels tough. The bezel is solid, the case and case back feel solid and a little heavy even. The lugs and crown guards are thick, short, and well integrated into the case so that the whole watch feels like one cohesive unit.OVERALLIt's interesting... taken in isolation no single part of this watch holds up to a more expensive watch. The crown is cheap, the bezel is cheap, etc. BUT they are all impressive for a $200 watch. Then when you put together all of these individual parts, each of which overachieve for the price, you suddenly have a watch that does hold up to a more expensive watch in total. It's like you have 10 things that are each 10% better that the price would justify. Then when you add it up, 10 times 10% gives you a watch that is 100% better than the price would normally allow. And that's how I feel about this watch. You get about double what you pay for. And even knowing that gives you a little more in terms of pride of ownership.

Great watch. I was a little dubious about the quality after hitting the button on Amazon, but this watch is genuine, and ships with all tags, guarantee (Japan) and box.The watch itself is stunning. More so than I expected, and much nicer than the pics on Amazon, they really don't do it justice. A really deep blue colouring on the dial and bezel and that eye-catching red as well. The band is black rubber/nylon and quite hard initially, but seems to be conforming to my wrist with time. I have a NATO strap for it, but persisting with the stock rubber watch band for now as I don't like the feeling of a wet fabric watch strap on my wrist after washing my hands.Has kept good time so far and by all accounts should continue to do so. It's not a massive watch, or at least not as big as I expected, but I have a large wrist, and I think that many of the people who have reviewed these on Youtube/Amazon must have smaller wrists. It fits well and doesn't look bulky or out of place. I plan on wearing this every day, I'm not a watch collector but a high school teacher and need a reliable watch that tends to get a fairly hard time being bumped and scratched against the brick walls and staircases of the school campus. I also run the outdoor education program at the school, and so need a watch that is waterproof and well built as we regularly take kids kayaking, abseiling and trekking amongst other activities. Looking at the build quality of this thing, I've no doubt it will stand up to the job.Very happy overall.

All I can do is echo what's already been said. It's high-quality, durable, attractive and accurate. I've had mine a few months, now, and I swear to god, it only loses a second every couple days or so, which is remarkable for a non-quartz watch.All the components are solid: the bezel, the crown, the case ... even the burly, fat-boy spring bars that come with it ... everything has a high-end, well-built fit and finish that belies its affordable price.I got mine with the rubber strap and also picked up this super oyster stainless bracelet: http://www.amazon.com/22mm-Super-Oyster-SKX007-Curved/dp/B005K64ZXW/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394901707&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=super+oyster+seiko+09 which is a steal for the price and dresses up the watch really nicely when I'm sporting a suit or jacket.There are only two criticisms I can offer: 1) I wish the movement was hackable, but the "poor man's hack" by holding the extended crown in reverse suffices, to a point. 2) I wish the crown were embossed with a Seiko logo ... which is a nice touch found on a lot of other high-end watches.Pretty minor gripes compared to everything else that is so good about this wristwatch. Anyone who enjoys watches should own one of these or its sibling, the 007 which comes with a black face and bezel.