Reply With QuoteI didn't know that either?! Does that mean the skx009 is also no longer in production either, if so I'll withdraw mine from sale on SC and keep it :-)
Also I'm intrigued to see what the replacements will be.
There's a great new essay on the venerable SXK007 on Hodinkee...
http://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the...7-divers-watch
...but if the SKX007 has passed into the Seiko Book of Remembrance, that's news to me.
Last edited by Seamaster73; 13th October 2015 at 18:21.
I didn't know that either?! Does that mean the skx009 is also no longer in production either, if so I'll withdraw mine from sale on SC and keep it :-)
Also I'm intrigued to see what the replacements will be.
Last edited by Thorien; 13th October 2015 at 18:30.
My first thought was buy one to keep for when mine dies!
I had noticed the J variants going out of stock in several places, but I'm sure we'd have heard something if such an iconic model was being pulled altogether — especially just one year shy of it's twentieth birthday.
There's no source for this and I don't find anything else to confirm it. I suspect it's just Hodinkee's overheated imagination.
I think they probably made a typo. They were referring to the 7002 in the same paragraph so they probably meant to say that is no longer in production?
But the wording is very specific. Note the use of the word "also":Originally Posted by Thorien
SKX007’s immediate ancestor is the Seiko 7002, which it closely resembles, and it shares with SKX007 a water resistance rating of 200 m. It was produced until 1996, when it was finally replaced by the model you see here. SKX007 is also no longer in production...
Here's the relevant paragraph:
"SKX007’s immediate ancestor is the Seiko 7002, which it closely resembles, and it shares with SKX007 a water resistance rating of 200 m. It was produced until 1996, when it was finally replaced by the model you see here. SKX007 is also no longer in production but can be found on the secondary market, which is unfortunate as it represents the entry price point into the world of Seiko diver’s watches – as a matter of fact, it probably represents the entry price point into the world of genuine, ISO-compliant mechanical diver’s watches, period."
It's clear from that that it's not a typo for '7002’. It mentions that the 7002 was replaced by the 007, then it says 'SKX007 is also no longer in production'. I wonder if they simply looked on the Seiko USA site and weren't aware that these variants aren't sold in America?
I agree they way they've written it does leave little room for doubt, it's just I can't believe that the skx007 has actually been discontinued. Surely we would have heard about it elsewhere also?
This could be the key as in that regard it is also discontinued in the UK, however they are still in production!
If this was the case though, their wording would still be wrong.
Was 007 ever officially available in the USA? 173 is (was?) their variant, wasn't it?
Hodinkee's an authoritative blog and well connected (they've been hosted at Seiko's GS production facilities in Japan, for example). I'm doubtful they'd be making this claim without some justification.
Last edited by Seamaster73; 13th October 2015 at 19:26.
SKX173 had a completely different dial IIRC.
Quite so, that's my point.
Yep, you're right Seiko never officially sold the SKX007 via authorised dealers in the USA, so they had the 173 (different dial, square markers) and the 175 (pepsi) versions over there.
Still don't believe they've actually stopped production worldwide of the SKX007 though!
Unless of course Hodinkee have been given the scoop, in which case it would be a bit odd to hide the news in a paragraph half way through the article?
Last edited by Thorien; 13th October 2015 at 19:32.
If indeed they stopped, it is a sad decision.
Definitely an icon in the price category and even overall. A much smarter thing would have been to stop producing the ghastly Sumos.
Pure coincidence, I looked in a Nottingham Jeweller yesterday for an SKX007 and when we looked in the 2015 Seiko catalogue the SKX007 was nowhere to be found.
They've never been officially on sale here?
An update has been mooted for many years now and its long overdue. The SKX range must be Seikos longest running in the companies history.
I'd expect to see it revamped with a 4R36 inside and some minor cosmetic changes, possibly with Prospex branding a la 3rd gen Monster and a similar price rise but the original DNA will hopefully remain.
I think this is good news. First, because I already own one! Second it means a new model may be released.
There will still be loads on the used market so no need to panic for a good few years.
Just bought a 007J from Amazon as I've always fancied trying one.
Should have bought one years ago as I've definitely paid over the odds now. Never mind.
Hodinkee's just a guy writing on the Internet, like you and me. You may be doubtful, but he is making this claim without justification. Unless there's a source mentioned which I just overlooked.
As has been said, if this were demonstrably true, it would be a big story.
Its certainly sad to see the SKX go, i remember when i first got mine, i was stunned at the quality of the watch for the price i paid.
The horror. The horror.
Got given mine as a wedding present (009), will never sell obvs, one of my faves. Sad to see it stop.
I had been looking at the SK007 for some time, but never got round to purchasing one, however after reading the Hodinkee write up I had the sudden urge to own. I sourced one from Creation watches and it arrived today.
Last edited by zak; 16th October 2015 at 15:33.
Both 007 & 009 still current on Seiko.fr
http://www.seiko.fr/collection-plongee-homme/
Haven't you read the thread? The 007 is still in production as far as anyone knows.
Apparently they were, since a November 2015 SKX007 is now on SC... manufactured a month after Hodinkee claimed it had been discontinued.
I bought a 007 about 6 years ago and immediately put an oyster strap on it. Great watch until the bezel seized and it didn't get worn for over 6 month. I got my arse in gear and fixed the bezel myself. Then wished I'd fixed it sooner.
My eldest lad (17) has always admired it from being young. Recently he got a part time job and with his first pay packet wanted a 007 of his own on an oyster. Some watches seem to appeal no matter what age.
Phil
It was my Nov15 one on SC and it came from an AD in Malacca, it was hard to find though, even creation cannot get hold of stock. If it is in production it must be in small numbers
Yes, I'm only poking a bit of fun at Hodinkee, really. I dare say Seiko have dropped production of this watch to pretty low levels, even if they haven't officially discontinued it. Still, there'll never be a shortage: there must be millions of the things in circulation.
If they are anything like its predecessor, the 7002, give it ten years and they will all be mutilated modded. I also don't see them all that often crop up on eBay.
"I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked ... it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed."
Was this model confirmed as discontinued in the end? I quite fancy one but can't find in stock anywhere.
Give him yours! Father to son watch, what could be better?
I keep seeing new ones for sale, so no, I imagine.
I think there a few new ones available on eBay right now...
chronograph.com has them.
Sky watches have them on a bracelet and rubber divers strap. Creation have them all the time just run in and out of stock frequently just send either of them an e-mail and they will probably source one.
I think it's a case of Seiko switching more production resources to the new Turtles rather than the SKX's production stopping. Though surely it can't be too long before they facelift the SKX with the hacking and hand winding 4r36.
Ultimately, I hope Hodinkee's claim of the SKX007 (and I assume that includes the rest of the same case w/7S26 mov't SKX "Seiko Core" air divers like the differently coloured dial/bezel versions and the USA's 7002 style dial patterned SKX173, etc.) being discontinued by Seiko is as credible as the first half of the second sentence of the following quoted passage from the same Hodinkee article (I've *demarked* the relevant part with stars):
[QUOTE] ".............The bezel [[of the Seiko SKX007]] rotates in half-minute increments, and this is one of the many places that this watch shows its quality despite its very low cost. *The tip of the triangle (with its inset luminous pearl) always lines up exactly on the index mark (or exactly halfway between)* and it’s quite fantastic to see that cost notwithstanding, Seiko has ensured the watch offers irreproachable functional precision where it counts. ................." [END QUOTE]
uhhhh, WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Unfortunately, I think Hodinkee's experience being so different from that which seems normal reality (at least as I've known it with many of the many SKXs I've been around over the years) must mean Hodinkee is getting both his SKX divers AND his information on the SKX's discontinuance directly from the top levels of Seiko Corporate Headquarters (i.e. somebody up there likes him)
I'll be sad if it's true, but maybe Seiko will fix the quality control problems apparently showing up with the new (6309 like and still reasonably priced) SRP777 "Turtle" series from the Prospex collection, and/or, Seiko will just slightly update or upgrade the SKX007 series by simply going to the hand-wind and hack capable c.4R36 mov't. and drilling the lugs as some members here have already expressed hope for
I don't know, but for what it may be worth, SeikoUSA still has the same (3) SKX divers they've carried for years up on and apparently available from their website here ----> http://seikousa.com/index.php <---- but you need to do some scrolling through the “Product Gallery”, or else do a formal on-site model# search to find these in their otherwise somewhat hidden "Seiko Core" category of models that don't show up under the site front's “Collections” heading:
http://seikousa.com/collections/seiko%20core/SKX173
http://seikousa.com/collections/seiko%20core/SKX175
http://seikousa.com/collections/seiko%20core/SKXA35
This is the kind of news that makes me weep.
On a side note:
Do you recommend the Japanese version or the Non-Japanese. I know they're supposed to be identical... but are they!?
Sionara!
Ahh the old J vs K question. In my experience the tiny differences that people convince themselves of, are just manufacturing batch differences rather than inherent differences in in the J vs K. I've had K's that were better than my J's and vice-versa. I've read that the 'made in Japan' on the dial for JDM version is not exactly truthful.
Well, dry your tears, because if you read the thread, rather than just the headline, you'll see it's not true.
Pretty good review of SKX009 J vs. K here, you'll see they are not identical.
Interesting video and on a side note good pocket knife he has there, got one of them and for the price its probably one of the best pocket knives I have owned.
I did read somewhere its referred to as a French peasants knife?
It's been posted before, but there's a rather obvious problem. All he's shown is that there are minor differences between two Seiko 007s. What he hasn't shown is that those differences are due to one being a J model and one a K model. For all we know, two randomly-selected J models might show just as many differences.
Gave mine a whirl today. A strong contender for my favourite c.£100 watch.
I think it's the shape of the case and the bracelet that draws me too it.
You mean two 009s,obviously.
It's the same watch, isn't it? Just a different colourway.
If one is concerned about that, it's apparently even a bit more complicated than just either/or between the K and J[apan] versions when sourcing SKX models. The reason I’m thinking that is the variations in dial markings you can find among the K(?) versions themselves. For example, my several year old U.S. market SKX173 is marked "mov't Malaysia" between 6 and 8 on the dial just above the minute chapter ring.
But despite how mine is marked, the otherwise identical SKX173 currently shown on Seiko USA's website is marked "mov't Singapore cased Hong Kong" > http://seikousa.com/images/watches/d...rge/SKX173.jpg
Then again, the yellow dial SKXA35 that is otherwise visually identical to the SKX173 but for the colour of the dial, is nonetheless just marked as "mov't Singapore" > http://seikousa.com/images/watches/d...rge/SKXA35.jpg
To keep things fully inconsistent among the U.S. variants, the SKX175 that Seiko USA shows on-site doesn't overtly denote at all where the movement came from or where the watch was cased, and my far less than expert attempt to decipher its tiny dial coding yields only that it has to be a K version because it’s not the J > http://seikousa.com/images/watches/d...rge/SKX175.jpg
Somebody else will have to explain all this because I can't. I'll add, though, that I've been privileged to go through a lot of SKX over the years, mine and those of others, and as regards bezel/crown/case/etc QC and especially as to the movement's accurate and consistent timing across the (6) formal positions with each position isochronically tested across the entire power reserve (yep, and even more tedious than it sounds without hand winding), the three best that I've ever come across were my SKX173 mentioned above, the same model with the very next consecutive serial number from mine that I got for an elderly relative, and also a nice “Made In Japan” SKX009J model I let get away.
Some, perhaps many, IF NOT ALL of the rest ran like pure s--t if you're used to good but still simple and at least previously inexpensive Swiss mechanical movements like the base calibres from ETA. I'll genuinely miss the SKX divers if they go, but not the 7S26 mov'ts if they upgrade these to the 4R36 (which I'll hope are better) and I won't miss the lack of drilled lugs either
Even still, just as they are and regardless of K or J or what, if you can find one of these that run well enough to your lights with a tight bezel that stays where put and the crown has a good run on plenty of threading, I think these SKX are a whole lot of fun to have and wear and I do like them very much too
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