Seiko SKX781K Orange Monster review

Hi Bjboss,

I doubt if you can find Eng/Spanish day calendars in fresh stocks as Seiko decided to streamline their 7s-caliber watches for Eng/Roman back in 2004.

Both my OM and BM divers were from the early batches, which were parallel imports from Singapore. A few months later, Monsters were officially sold in Malaysia but with Eng/Roman calendars.

Right now, it's a buyer's market as the USD has dropped to a low RM3.1 to the Dollar. Pokemonyu's standard shipping used to be USD15 for the first watch. He increased the fees to compensate for fuel surcharges and the declining US dollar.

Try these three watch stores at the Pertama Complex:

- Syarikat Jam Pertama (1st Floor)
- Gold Watch Sdn Bhd (1st Floor)
- Mee Sing Watch (Ground Floor)
- Spark Time Trading (1st Floor)

Compare their prices against Pokemonyu's and decide whether you want to buy locally or go the grey market route. Remember that grey market Seikos don't come with warranty but 7s-based Seikos are generally reliable.

To modify a Seiko watch, you need to order the parts through a watchmaker that's experienced with opening and changing parts. I'm not talking about small stores that only change quartz watch batteries but a watchmaker who can service mechanical watches.

Seiko Malaysia generally does not sell parts to the end user nor will they modify watches for you. It's against their company policy.

Happy buying!

Quartzimodo.

Hi,

The prices that you quoted are reflective of the current hike in Seiko's prices. I would never buy any Seiko from either shop that you were referring to.

The SKX007 and Monster's lugs are of different width. The Monster's bracelet will have a 2mm gap on the SKX007 and will look ugly. No one has ever fitted the Monster's bracelet into a 7s26-002x diver.

And the Z22 rubber from the SKX007 will not fit into the Monster's lugs without modification either. You can buy the Z20 strap for the Monster from Chun Cheong Watch & Pen store @ Sungei Wang Plaza, Ground Floor.

As to your question on Skywatches, it's run by Mr Adrian Low for many years. He's an authorized dealer and has a brick-and-mortar store at the People's Park shopping mall. IMO, Skywatches' prices are on the high side.

Adrian also sells Seikos on eBay, but under the Watches59 store. His ware is totally authentic, no fakes.

Hope this helps.

Hi there,

You must have encountered either Desmond Chaw, the manager, Steven the owner or that curly haired dark skinned Malay lady who's rather pushy when it comes to selling. I have bought several watches from their store in the past, especially in my early days of Seiko collecting.

You cannot compare the prices offered by grey market sellers like Pokemonyu as his watches are low priced, they come without warranty. Warranty is an additional expense, it costs money to the manufacturer.

Local brick and mortar stores have to sell at the recommended retail prices but it's up to them to give you the level of discount.

Remember that unlike cellphones, people rarely change watches except for the very small minority like watch enthusiasts. Therefore many shops try to maximize on their profit margin as they can.

I've not heard of Seiko offering more than a year's warranty for its watches, except for Seiko USA. Not even Seiko Japan gives more than 1-year warranty on its domestic models. You must have been misinformed by the store assistants.

Chronograph.com is run by Mr Lee Wee Wah and he's based in Singapore. His prices are on the premium side but he sells Seikos with aftermarket strap variations that no other vendor dares to offer.

I have always been using Chronograph.com's price as a base for reference and if I'm buying a watch in Kuala Lumpur, I make sure that the price offered should be lower than Chronograph.com's.

Quartzimodo

Reply to Bjboss on 7s26 variations:

Although 7s26B's are reputed to be slightly more accurate than its first incarnation, there is no hard evidence to suggest that the 7s26B is more stable than the 7s26A.

Your mileage may vary. You may also get a 7s26B that happens to be a lemon and doesn't respond well to regulation as you might expect. I would say that getting the "B" variant would be a bonus but not a necessity. I'm not obsessed with the accuracy of mechanical watches because I change watches once or twice daily.

I know of some folks with the earlier 7s26A who have tweaked their Monsters or SKX007s to within less than +/- 10 secs per day, rivaling high end ETA movements.

That said, I'm not much of an accuracy freak so I am not bothered about my watches running a bit fast. Better for them to run fast than to run slow.

I have a bevy of quartz, Eco Drive and Kinetic watches to choose from if I need absolute precision timing. Generally, I find no requirement to show up for an appointment right to the exact second.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Dets,

Thank you for your kind words.

I got my OM for the price as it was a grey market model, brought in from Singapore way before the Monsters were officially sold in Malaysia.

An OM on bracelet used to cost about RM530 a few years back at Pertama Complex. Thong Sia has increased prices of their Seiko products three times since then, so the price you paid is quite all right.

Enjoy your new OM in good health!

Dets,

Well, it's up to you but I would recommend the SKX011J. I don't know if it's still in production though. You may be able to find a NOS one in Singapore.

There are no differences in quality between the SKX007J or SKX007K. "J" versions are not sold here, you'll have to go across the Causeway.

The SKX033K is not a true diver - it's a 100m sports watch. You can find it at certain old stores in KL.

Good luck!

Hi Mike,

Actually you can order the sapphire glass separately for the Monster. It's the same type that's fitted to the Limited Edition SKZ203K Yellow Monster.

Sapphire is more expensive and because it's brittle, is prone to shattering than mineral glass. Seiko designed their diver's watches to be used in their natural element - the sea. Even their Professional-line of Prospex divers, including the discontinued SBBN011 1000m "Tuna" quartz diver uses Hardlex mineral glass. The only exception is perhaps, their new SBDX011 which oddly enough, has sapphire crystal instead. Maybe Seiko is going upmarket and tries to justify the SBDX011's high asking price.

Quartzimodo Admin.

Hi Shidi,

You can find Morellato straps at mostly high end watch stores that sell leather straps. Check out the Chun Cheong Watch & Pen Store, Ground Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur or Mee Sing Watch at Pertama Complex, Kuala Lumpur. I have purchased the Cordura Lorica straps from both stores. They cost RM70 on the average.

To answer your question, you can easily squeeze the 22mm straps into the Orange Monster's lugs. There will be a slight crease on the part at the lug ends but it's hardly noticeable. A 20mm version feels too skinny to me, so I went for the 22mm ones. You can also opt to trim the strap ends if you want, but you may stress the ends if you do this.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Adi,

Sorry for the belated reply. Actually the amount you paid for your OM is considered a fair price, accounting for rising costs of raw materials, labor wages, transportation, inflation and currency rate exchange. Back in 2004, Syarikat Jam Pertama sold a Black Monster on stainless steel bracelet for just RM525. But that was seven years ago! I've bought many watches (most of them Seiko) from this store and Desmond the store manager offers extremely competitive prices. They're able to do so because their overheads are low - the store belongs to the owner and they don't need to pay expensive monthly rentals.

Instruction manuals are generally not issued for 7s-caliber watches as it's a very simple movement. The local distributor (Thong Sia Sdn Bhd) for Seiko watches in Malaysia don't issue manuals for low end automatic models anymore. Just remember never to change the calendar between 9pm and 2am (doing so can damage the calendar changing mechanism), keep your watch from strong magnetic sources and refrain from imparting strong shocks onto the watch, e.g. playing tennis, golf or chopping wood your watch should last virtually a lifetime.

Enjoy your Orange Monster in the best of health!
Quartzimodo

Hi kokB,

I have no information as to what exact grade of stainless steel that is used for the Monster's metal bracelet. Most watches use varying grades of 316 grade stainless steel. Unless Seiko prominently highlights the use of surgical grade, 316L stainless steel (as in the SBDX001 Marine Master), you can assume that your bracelet is NOT made from 316L.

Seiko doesn't manufacture watch bracelets - they're outsourced to the HK based Stelux factory in China to Seiko's specifications. This is nothing new as Stelux has been making watch bands for Seiko since the 1960s.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Christian,

Actually I had been using the single LED, LED Lenser keychain UV lights well before I ordered the Inova X5 ultraviolet flashlight.

In my experience, the German manufactured LED Lenser ones were pretty unreliable and its weakest link is its rubber domed switch, which was unreliable. After my third unit, I decided to order the Inova X5 on eBay and never looked back!

The X5 needs only 2-3 seconds' exposure to charge a Seiko's luminous dial, while my Inova T3 torch requires about six seconds to excite the same watch dial.

Just remember NEVER to stare directly or indirectly at the X5's beam. The visible purple light is just the small portion your eyes can detect. It's the invisible UV spectrum that you don't see that can damage your eyesight.

Quartzimodo.