Seiko SKX031K “Submariner” review
Watch History
- Date acquired: July 23rd 2004
- Production Date: Nov 2003
- Source: Chun Cheong Watch & Pen Store, Sungei Wang Plaza
- Price paid: MYR400 (approximately USD115)
- Status: Discontinued
Background
Pop quiz folks – what resembles a Rolex Submariner watch, says “SEIKO” on the dial, has a screw-in crown and costs a fraction of the price of the watch that it pays homage to?
No prizes for guessing, it’s none other than the Seiko SKX031K – Seiko’s timeless tribute to the Rolex Submariner. The SKX031K had been available for over a decade (it debuted in 1996 with the introduction of the 7s26 automatic caliber) but Seiko quietly ceased production of this great looking watch by 2006. However, unsold pieces of the SKX031K continued to remain in the market for another three years until worldwide stocks finally dried up circa 2009.
It took me several months to consider one of this timeless classics from Seiko, albeit its design isn’t entirely original (after all, it is a homage to the Rolex Submariner) and I thought the SKX031K would fill the gap between my 200m, ISO-certified Seiko divers and my dressy Seiko 5 timepieces rather nicely.
An Interview with Chronograph.com
In case you haven’t heard about Chronograph.com, it’s a renowned online watch store operating from the island of Singapore in Southeast Asia. It has many loyal, repeat customers and is known for its impressive array of new and discontinued Seiko watches.
Chronograph.com was founded by Mr Lee Wee Wah since the mid 1990s and is instrumental for stocking and providing Seiko watch parts that no other online Seiko dealers dare to.
Chronograph.com is also one of the very Internet watch dealers that sell Japan Domestic Market (JDM) Seiko watches that are normally not sold outside Japan. It’s become a household name in several watch forums with hundreds of satisfied buyers.
Check out this exclusive scoop at GMT+9! Kudos to Bryan Andersen for arranging this first ever interview! 🙂
Seiko’s New Concept Watch for 2009
Ever faced with the seemingly trivial task of picking two or three (or more!) watches to pack into your luggage for a business or holiday? Well, if you were to ask a non-WIS they would give you the same look when their girlfriend or spouse asks you which clothes they should bring to accompany you to the trip.
I’m one of the doomed WIS folks who actually gets a little stressed up planning which three of my watches (I usually take along three) for the journey. One would definitely be my trusty Casio Pro-Trek PRG110V for its high tech electronic compass, atmospheric barometer/altimeter and temperature gauge. The remaining two are likely to be a diver and a chronograph.
Then I’d get even more indecisive – should both watches be vintage or modern…or one each? Would my vintage 6105-8110 diver be more appropriate for tonight’s dinner out in company of good friends? Or should my Citizen AV0030-59 Eco Drive be a better choice instead?
Wouldn’t it nice is someday a watch company would invent something that manages to cram as many features into a watch, plus the proverbial kitchen sink? 🙂
Well, we’ll see won’t we?
Seiko Kinetic SKA013P diver review
Watch History
- Date acquired: December 20th 2004
- Production Date: July 2002
- Source: Emotus Time Culture, Suria KLCC
- Price paid: MYR700 (USD212)
- Status: Discontinued in some markets
Background
This watch happens to be my first Seiko Kinetic and it took me over a year to decide whether I wanted to try one for curiosity’s sake. Coming from a long-running background of owning quartz and automatic Seikos, I had to do much research on Kinetic watches before contemplating this revolutionary hybrid movement.
Prior to my purchase of this timepiece, I wasn’t particularly convinced if a Kinetic would make a wise "investment". It was probably due advice from one of the watch dealers that I had spoken to, who said that he had heard of Kinetic owner complaints through his network of Seiko watch dealers. Due to this, he pointed out that he sold only quartz or automatic watches in his store, never Kinetics.
I had to find out why he wasn’t keen on selling Kinetics so I turned to the good old Internet for more information. It turned out that there were articles from dissatisfied Kinetic owners who highlighted the problems that plagued their watches.
Well, there was some truth in this as far as the early Kinetic watches were concerned. Seiko had since corrected their teething problems and their Kinetic models constitute their bread-and-butter, mid-priced watches.
Watch shopping in Kuala Lumpur (Citron Watch)
Pertama Complex is one of the oldest shopping malls in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Strategically located at the intersection of the famous Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (previously known as Batu Road) and Jalan Dang Wangi (formerly called Campbell Road). It was first built in 1976 and was the hive of activity amongst local shoppers and tourists alike in its heydays.
Today, Pertama Complex (literal translation: (the) First Complex) has been overshadowed and outclassed by the ultra modern shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur and in the outskirts of the capital of Malaysia. Tourists, from overseas or out-of-town tend to flock to the newer and bigger shopping destinations, such as the Suria KLCC, Sungei Wang Plaza, Mid Valley Mega Mall and the likes.
If you’re expecting first class rest rooms, creature comforts, photogenic interiors, modern bistros and Starbucks – forget it. Pertama Complex is a basic, no frills retail center for bargain hunters who know what they want.
Seiko SNKF11K “BFS” Automatic review
Watch History
- Date acquired: August 21 2007
- Production date: June 2007
- Source: Hing’s Watch Store, Malaysia
- Price paid: MYR400 (USD121)
- Status: In production
Background
I seldom buy watches on impulse. Usually I would conduct several weeks or months of research and mulling about before deciding to buy a particular watch. When my watchmaker took out the stunning looking timepiece out of his box (he hadn’t even had the time to display it in his watch glass case) my jaw simply dropped.
“Wow! What IS that Seiko?” I blurted out. It wasn’t a Seiko 5 and it was the largest 7s-caliber Seiko that I’ve ever laid eyes upon. It was even larger than the SKX007 and even the Monster diver! My watchmaker said he didn’t know, he had just taken delivery of a new batch of Seikos earlier that morning.
I looked at the hang tag and it said SNKF11K. I’m usually blasé towards new releases from Seiko (they’re usually a rehash of old models with minor design tweaks) but this one was a totally fresh design. I thought it was one of the very few models that Seiko got it right from the start.
