About
Seiko SKX781K3: With rugged good looks to match its superior performance, this professional dive watch from Seiko is an excellent choice for all of your adventures--in or out of the water. The generously-sized 45 mm steel case showcases a bright orange dial with bold luminous hands and markers, a luminous seconds hand, and a large day/date window at the three oclock hour. A highly scratch-resistant curved Hardlex crystal magnifies the dial, optimizing its readability. The dial is framed by a unidirectional rotating steel bezel with engraved dive time markers for safe timing of dives and other limited events. The 21-jewel Japan automatic movement means this watch winds itself with the natural motion of your wrist and never requires a battery. The watch presents on a durable contoured rubber strap with a buckle closure. Designed for scuba diving, it features a screw-down crown and caseback and is rated water resistant to 200 meters.
About Seiko
In 1877, at the age of 18, Kintaro Hattori set up business repairing the Western-style clocks that were becoming increasingly popular in Japan. By 1892, Hattori was manufacturing his own clocks in a factory he called Seikosha, from the words "seiko" meaning "exquisite," "success," or "miniature," and "sha" meaning "house." The company grew and prospered, producing its first wristwatch in 1913 and launching the Seiko brand in 1924. Technological innovation has always been a driving force in the companys history. Key milestones include Seikos introduction of the worlds first quartz watch in 1969, and its successful launch, in 1988, of the Kinetic, the worlds first battery-free watch with quartz accuracy. Recognized for its technological excellence, Seiko has provided timekeeping services for the Olympic Games and the World Cup Soccer Championships. Today, the Seiko brand continues to stand for state-of-the-art technology, as well as superior quality and refined design.
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written by Guest , July 30, 2008
I purchased Seiko Orange Monster so that I wouldn't mess up my Rolex during weekend excursions. Now I find myself wearing it during the week. Its looks and functionality demand more and more wrist time and I am happy to oblige. The Orange Monster (OM) steers away from the "classic" diver's watch design that we have become so accustomed to. I think it has a contemporary classic appeal. This watch is an attention getter. I always receive compliments when in public.
Case/Crown
The case is constructed from 316L solid stainless steel and is very large (42 mm) and heavy. You will know when this timepiece is on your wrist. When viewed from the wrist, the watch has a deep profile. It is a little less thick than my Sea Dweller so I am going to guess that is somewhere in the 13 mm vicinity. The case back is decorated with Seiko's SCUBA emblem design which is quite attractive. The 20 mm lugs are a bit angular but I like the masculine look of them. Lug holes are drilled through making bracelet changes an easy task. It also should be noted that the case is constructed in such a fashion that is rises to protect the bezel and crown. This design does not affect the operation of the bezel and is a very well engineered touch. The screw-in crown is large and solid feeling. Lastly since this is such a large watch, the crown has been moved to the 4 o'clock position so that it sits as far out of the way as possible from the hand (when the hand is bent backwards).
Movement
It is fairly accurate for an automatic (+15 secs per 24 hrs) beating with a 23 jewel 7S26 movement designed and fabricated in-house by Seiko. Power reserve for me is around 40 hours. The second hand sweep is a little less smooth (21,500 bph) than my Rolex Sea Dweller (28,800 bph) but for the price paid it is totally acceptable. I wish it had a manual wind feature but all it needs is a couple shakes if left alone for over 40 hours. It lacks hack mechanism (where you pull the crown out and the second hand stops) but I am not on a Navy S.E.A.L. team and I have no need to synchronize my watch to the exact second to anything.
Dial/Hands/Date
The watch has a great looking dial that is uncluttered and very easy to read. The orange color used on the dial was first introduced by Doxa as their research proved that orange is the easiest color to read as light conditions deteriorate underwater. Hour markers are over sized which is a "signature" for this model. Lume is the best I have ever seen on a diver (with exception of my Luminox which uses radioactive Tritium gas filled tubes for markers). Minute and Hour hands are beefy and well lumed. Seiko also has designed the hands so that if the minute hand directly overlaps the hour hand, both are viewable. This is a thoughtful feature as anyone who has ever looked at their watch and thought "where did my hour hand go?" will surely appreciate the foresight with which they designed it. The OM includes a Day/Date window that is very legible. The date can bet set to either Spanish or English and the usual black text for weekdays is blue for Saturday and red for Sunday. Date changes do not occur instantly at midnight like on some of the higher end ETA movements. It takes roughly 4 hours (10 pm - 2am) for the date change to occur. It also should be noted the chapter ring (the edge of the dial) curves upwards along she side wall of the case. This gives the watch a deep three dimensional feel and is just one more extra step that Seiko took while designing this incredible watch.
Bezel
Bezel action is smooth and expensive feeling. The one-way ring has 120 indents, making it extra precise as it divides each minute by a factor of two. There are large indents along the outside of the bezel, making operation (even with gloves) a cinch. It was a very good design on Seiko's part for them to have the markings on the bezel engraved into the bezel rather than printed. This will add to the longevity of the watch. I like the fact the bezel is a tad higher than the crystal as it provides a bit of protection for the glass
Crystal
Seiko uses a proprietary compound developed in-house called Hardlex which is less scratch resistant than sapphire crystal but also less brittle. I have smacked the watch on its crystal a couple of times and there is not a single blemish on it...yet! Crystal is also slightly domed and it refracts reflections in a way that make it easy to read in sunlight (sort of a workaround to anti-reflective coatings).
Strap
The watch came with Seiko's rubber dive strap. It has stainless steel hardware and robust pins. I would be willing to wager that this is not a natural rubber compound as it does not attract dust. It seems a little stiff but I only wore it for a few days so it might take a little longer than that to break in. I put a NATO strap on mine and now it is perfect for wake boarding, mountain biking, and general weekend mayhem.
This is hands-down the best price to performance timepiece produced for under $500.00. I would definitely recommend this watch to anyone with an active lifestyle!!!
written by Guest , July 30, 2008
I love this watch, and get many compliments on it. It's a nice size - it's big, but not too big like a lot of oversized watches that are all the rage.
The power reserve lasts about 36 hours, so if you have more than one watch, you'll want to get an automatic watch winder.
The only negative is that it gaines a few minutes a week.
written by Guest , July 30, 2008
I am so satisfied with this watch.
The watch was delivered on time. The more time goes by, the more it is attractive.
written by Guest , July 30, 2008
First off, this is a great watch and an even greater value. No other true "diver's" watch (a watch must meet an ISO standard to be able to say "diver's" on the face) with an in-house automatic movement comes even close to the Monster in price.
Second, here's a tip that works for most fast running monsters -- assuming you wear the watch daily and are active enough to keep it well wound: When you take the watch off at bedtime leave it on the dresser on its side with the crown pointing up. This slows the movement down enough that it will at least reduce the daily gain, if not cancel it out altogether. You'll need to keep the watch running (preferably by wearing it) for at least a month before it settles in to a predictable daily gain (or loss).
My Black Monster has been running for about 6 months and gains about 6-8 seconds per day on my wrist and gives back 3-4 seconds overnight (crown up!) -- that's a net daily gain of 2-5 seconds. If your daily pursuits require accuracy better than that, you're wound too tight!
My Orange Monster is a little bold for daily wear, and so hasn't run enough to improve beyond a gain of 15-20 seconds per day. Since I have to set it every time I wear it and I don't usually wear it for more than a day, it's relative inaccuracy is a non-issue. Besides, a $200 watch is jewelry, and as a fine piece of jewelry this Seiko is a unbelievable value.
written by Guest , September 19, 2009
Keeps Excellent time, was received quickly.
If you like diving watches with orange faces you gotta love this one
written by Guest , September 19, 2009
I've been a Seiko owner for decades, never an issue. Then I started buying the larger diving watches. I owned the Seiko Men's "Black Monster" Automatic Dive Watch #SKX779K1 purchased on feb 6th 2009. By July 14th the day/date had stopped working on the watch. Sent in for repair, was fixed through warranty by World of watches' cost $10 in shipping...but was repaired. The day I sent in the watch, I ordered another Seiko Men's "Oragne Monster" auto dive watch direct from Amazon. Within 30 days of purchase the bezel froze up and is locked. It does not turn what-so-ever, and is a major feature of this watch. Sent in the watch for what I believed to be a warranty issue and this was the reply I got back:
Dear Coserv Customer,
Below please find COSERV's NON-WARRANTY Repair Estimate. ALL WORK IS ON HOLD pending notification from you. You can either reply to this e-mail or you may call us at 1-800-722-4452 with your decision. If you call us, please refer to our COSERV SERVICE MEMO so that we can easily access your repair.
In the event we do not hear from you within 30 days of the "Date Received" your timepiece will be RETURNED UNREPAIRED.
COSERV SERVICE MEMO: NJ-5063088
DATE RECEIVED: 08/19/09
RETURN VIA: CODUPS
ACCOUNT NO: 2222226
JOB #: JEDINY
CASE #: 7S260351
SERIAL #: 8D1727
BRAND: SEIKO
GUARANTEE: OUT OF WARR.
8.00 INSTALLATION
30.03 BEZEL
2.66 TAX
10.00 SHIP/HANDLING
$50.69 TOTAL
Thank you for your loyal patronage. We look forward to being of service to you.
After phoning the NJ Seiko repair center, I was told the bezel is a cosmetic problem, and is not covered under warranty...even if the watch is only days old.
Seiko has lost me as a customer forever. For two watches to break at the same time is beating the law of averages. For Seiko not to warranty this is not only upsetting, but has me left of in limbo on the repair. I would not recommend this watch to anyone, especially if your life depends on it. The time on the movement is not NASA perfect, but can be lived with. The watch failing under prestine conditions is a major factor, it cannot be relied on for performance; and Seiko cannot be relied on for warranty issues on these "Monster" watches with Japanese movements. Very disappointed and let down. It's a great watch while it's working, once it breaks YOU will be left holding the bag. Hope this helps someone out there with the decision they will be facing after purchase.MJ.