Seiko SKX009J

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I’m the type of person that prefers to wear a watch as much as possible. I have a few different watches but few that I’m willing to wear extensively because of their value and meaning to me. Over the past few years, I’ve ended up just wearing G-Shocks on most occasions because they’re extremely rugged, can take a beating and keep going. G-Shocks function perfectly for my needs but they don’t appeal to me aesthetically. I prefer analog mechanical watches. Well, I’ve finally decided to pick up a cheap mechanical watch that I can use, possibly damage and not have to worry too much about. After some searching, I’ve settled on the Seiko SKX. My particular SKX is the SKX009J with the Pepsi bezel and being made in Japan but I think that everything that I say in this blog will be pertinent to all other SKX007 and SKX009s. 

I’ve had this watch for some time now and I’ve been siting on making a review because what else is there to say about this watch? The SKX line is iconic and extremely popular so there are plenty of other people who have covered this piece. So, I just want to share with you some of the key features and how they have effected my experience with this watch.

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The SKX features the Seiko 7S26 automatic movement with day and date display. This is an old but tried and true movement for Seiko. It is reliable and has been known to last a long time without the need for service. That being said, this movement is dated. 

First off, the 7S26 lacks hacking. This means that when the crown is pulled out for adjustments, the second hand keeps moving. This is not a deal breaker but is an annoyance, especially for someone like me who tries to sync the time as precisely as possible. The seconds being off is just one of things that sits in the back of my head, but I can get over it. You can of course do something known as back hacking which essentially is forcing the movement to stop, which in turn stops the second hand. I personally choose not to do this just to possibly stretch the life of the movement out for as long as possible. 

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The second annoyance with this movement is its lack of a hand winding feature. This means that when the movement stops, you essentially have to shake the watch in order to get the rotor to wind the movement up and get everything moving. Again, this is not a deal breaker, just a minor annoyance. In use, my only complaint with this would be that it is difficult if not impossible to know how wound up the movement is. Because there is no way to measure the power reserve, you’ll have no idea how long you can let the watch sit still for. This makes it difficult for people with sedentary lifestyles to keep the watch constantly running. You’ll just have to get experience with the watch and get a feel for how much movement you need to keep the watch wound and ready to go.

However, I will give it up to Seiko because the winding mechanism of this movement is very efficient. If the movement stops, it seems like just by picking the watch up, it starts back up. The first time that I picked this watch up, the movement has stopped. I shook the watch three time and the movement came alive. I decided to put the watch down just to see how far three shakes can get me. The watch ran for over an hour before I got bored and gave up on trying to keep track of it. This is my first non hand winding movement so I can’t say if this is a little or a lot but I’m personally amazed. The 7S26 gave a lot of output for so little input. In short, it takes very little effort to get the movement going. Because of this, if you wear this watch often or you move your arms around a lot while wearing it, the movement should be wound up pretty well and you won’t have to worry too much about the power reserve.

In terms of design, the SKX features Seiko’s proprietary Hardlex mineral for the front display. This is a point of complaint for many people as a sapphire display would’ve been more desirable. Sapphire is a harder crystal so it is less prone to scratches. I personally would’ve preferred sapphire crystal, but what am I going to do? It is what it is. I would say that in my use, I haven’t had a problem with the Hardlex display. This isn’t a watch that I baby, but it isn’t something that I go out and try to abuse. I just wear it for everyday purposes wether that’s for yard work, fishing, or whatever. I haven’t gotten any scratches yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time. For me, watches are just one of those things that I know will get some damage if I wear it all the time and the probability of scratches is just higher with hardlex than with sapphire. That’s a fact. But who knows, only time will tell. If this is a big determiner for you, just hold on because we’ll get back to this.

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Being that this is a dive watch, the SKX also features a uni-directional 120 click rotating bezel, water resistance of 200 meters and a large screw down crown. The crown of the SKX is notable because it happens to be offset at the 4 o’clock position. This was a feature that I was really looking forward to trying out because I’ve always complained about the crown being at 3 o’clock. Again, I like to wear a watch pretty much all the time and that includes in the gym. Well, if you’re lifting weights and doing certain pushing exercises, your wrists will likely be fully articulated and bent back.  When this happens, I find that the 3 o’clock crown often gets jammed into the top of my hand making it uncomfortable, painful and can be detrimental to my lifts. I, of course, can loosen the strap and back the watch off, which is what I do, but I don’t want to have to take this extra step. I don’t want to have to adjust my watch every time that I go to the gym and I just don’t like to wear a loose watch in general. From my experience, the 4 o’clock crown reduces this problem but doesn’t solve it. There are still times when the crown will get jammed in the top of my hand and cause discomfort. I guess the next step is to try a watch with the crown on the left side of the case.

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The SKX’s dial features Lumibrite treated hands and markers. Lumibrite has come to be known for being highly luminous and I would agree with this. Everything glows extremely bright. When I wear this watch to bed and want to check the time in the middle of the night, everything is legible and I really appreciate that. If you actually intend to dive with this watch and give the Lumibrite adequate time to charge, I think that you’ll be satisfied with what you get.

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One thing that I’d like to point out that not too many people mention is the day display of this movement, which features dual languages. Prior to purchase, I found out that not only are there SKXs of different size, color, band type and country of origin, but there are SKXs that feature a different language for the second language. If I’m correct, all SKXs feature English, but for the second language, I know that there is a possibility for French, Spanish, and of course Arabic. I’ve seen posts on the internet saying that versions with Japanese Kanji and Roman Numerals also exist and I’ve seen Google images of these, but I’m not sure if these are factory or modified SKXs. Nothing against French or Spanish, but I really wanted the Arabic version. This just makes the watch that bit more unique, different and cooler to me. The second language is typically randomly distributed and usually based on where the dealer that you bought the watch from is located. Say you’re in buying this watch from a dealer in France, your chances of getting a French second language is going to be pretty high. Some dealers just get a mix of everything. If this is so, you can make a request and maybe they can accommodate for your needs. I got lucky. I knew that I wanted Arabic but didn’t even bother to ask and just left it up to chance. I figured that I’d end up with Spanish since I’m in the US, but I opened up the box and the Arabic day was already displayed. At that point, I knew that it was fate. I was meant to own this watch and I couldn’t be happier.

If I had to complain about the SKX009J, it would have to be with the strap and spring bars. Let’s first start with the strap. This complaint is going to be for those who are interested in any SKX that comes with the rubber strap. I personally found this strap to be very rigged. Even after a few days of use, it didn’t seem to conform or become any more pliable. Coming from a regular G-Shock wearer, I just don’t like how this SKX rubber strap feels and I took it off pretty quickly. This leads me to the next complaint. In trying to remove the rubber strap, I found that it was much more difficult to remove the SKX spring bars than any other watch. This is because the SKX’s spring bars do not have the typical shoulders that you would hook the spring bar tool’s fork end into. It is essentially flat metal on metal contact. I found that I had to just force the spring bar tool in between the spring bar and watch case. It didn’t help at all that the original rubber strap is very thick and essentially fits in between the lugs from edge to edge. There is almost no extra room so it’s like you’re just working in the dark. You just have to jam the spring bar tool in there and wiggle it around. If the spring bars come off, that’s great. If not, you just have to keep doing it until it does. All of this is just a recipe for disaster and in my opinion, guaranteed damage to the watch case. If you want my advice, remove the strap and spring bars from the back of the watch. That way if there is any damage, at least it’ll be hidden. One up side to this is that the stock Seiko spring bars are extremely thick and robust. I have spare spring bars that I planned on installing in the watch but I didn’t realize how flimsy they were compared to the Seiko spring bars. I ended up just putting the Seiko spring bars back on the watch and this has now become a permanent NATO strap watch because I can switch those straps without needing to remove the spring bars.

So that in a nutshell, this is the Seiko SKX. At first, I was attracted to this watch purely for its aesthetic. I just love this Pepsi Bezel and knew that I wanted to add it to my collection. It’s just a bonus that it provided me with what I was looking for, a cheap automatic watch that I can wear, possibly beat up and not have to worry about too much. At around $250, I think that the SKX fits the bill perfectly. This watch provides the essentials and that’s about it. It’s a low frills watch. I have to be honest, this isn’t even the best watch that you can get for the money. There are other watches that feature hacking, hand winding, and a sapphire display at a similar if not lower price than this watch, but I believe that those who want an SKX are partially buying into the legend of the SKX. Like I said earlier, the SKX is iconic. It has a history. It’s extremely popular, sought after and is able to bring the hype even though it’s a relatively cheap and super mass produced item. The SKX itself has a certain prestige that not many other watches have and that alone is priceless. And at the end of the day, if you really need those things that the SKX lacks, you can just buy it and retrofit it. The SKX has so many aftermarket parts and such a large custom community that you can essentially make this watch look like and do anything that you want. If you don’t want to do the work yourself, there are plenty of people out there selling custom SKXs, so the sky is the limit. Me personally, I like this watch as is and I’m just going to stick with the SKX009J for as long as possible.

If you're considering on buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Seiko SKX https://amzn.to/2ILCO7C

Seiko SKX009J https://amzn.to/2DAPvxY
Seiko SKX009K1 https://amzn.to/2PwQ0NZ
Seiko SKX009K2 https://amzn.to/2DCIf4o

Seiko SKX007J https://amzn.to/2PxIDWT
Seiko SKX007K1 https://amzn.to/2UZQ9Qb
Seiko SKX007K2 https://amzn.to/2GNAyKR

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Wrist Candy Watch Club Watch NATO Straps

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NATO straps have always been one of those things that just did not appeal to me. The fact that they are generally made from nylon and other similar materials made these straps seem cheap and somewhat childish. NATO straps look like something that you would put on a child because you’re afraid that they’ll ruin the more expensive stuff.

You know how your taste buds change as you age? How something you hated as a child suddenly becomes enjoyable as an adult? Well, that’s how I currently feel about NATO straps. I’ve suddenly become obsessed with the NATO look and have actively been on the lookout for some that will match with my watches.

Luckily, I was able to communicate with one of the Wrist Candy Watch Club (WCWC) founders and he was kind enough to send me some of their products for review. I received a total of 6 NATO straps in the care package from WCWC. Even so, that is not going to sway me or make what I write about biased. My opinions are my own and I will still honestly tell you how I feel about these products.

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The WCWC NATO straps are made from premium nylon. The nylon material is 11.5" long and 1.25mm thick. This material is softer than typical nylon and helps to keep things comfortable. One thing that I noticed right away with these straps is how pliable and flexible they are right out of packaging. There was absolutely no break in time needed for the straps that I received. This transfers to when actually using the straps on the wrist. Everything just feels right. The materials of the WCWC straps are also smoother than the NATO straps that I already own. This makes them move more easily against my skin and adds to the comfort.

Holding everything together is 316L stainless steel used for the buckle and leash keepers. If I had to complain about the WCWC NATO straps, it would have to be with the hardware. Nothing against the materials or build quality but just how they look. All of the hardware is polished but to my eye, it seems like the buckle and tongue is polished to a higher degree than the keepers. There is some shine to the keepers but they are definitely not a mirror polish like the buckle. This is just a little thing but the devil is in the details and this is a minor annoyance to me. Another minor annoyance with the hardware is that the keepers are circular. I prefer NATO straps with more squared off keepers because they stand up on their own. The circular keepers of the WCWC straps tend to fall over and you have to lift them up to get the straps through more easily.

When buying fabric straps in general, there are a few key things to look for. First, it’s important to have quality stitching. The stitching holds key components together, so you need it to last. If you look at the stitching on the WCWC straps, they don’t extend all the way to the edges. I can’t say if this is better or worse than the straps with stitching that wraps around the edges but it can be argued that those straps are more prone to having damaged stitching. As the edge of the strap constantly comes in contact with other things, the stitching towards the edge may be the first to break. This is just speculation so we’ll have to see how the WCWC strap’s stitching lasts in the long run.

The second thing to look out for in fabric straps is reinforcements along the edges of the strap. One issue that many low quality NATO straps have is with fraying. With normal use, the holes and edges of a strap will come apart if it doesn’t have some form of reinforcement. I’m glad to say that the WCWC straps do feature these reinforcements. However, it should be noted that the reinforcement does not extend along the entire edge of the strap, but only on the tail end corner. I don’t know why this is, maybe it’s just not necessary, but I don’t mind it because if the strap was reinforced along the entire side, the stiffer, reinforced surface may cause some discomfort. Either way, the reinforcements available on the WCWC straps should help to make the them last some time.

In talking to one of the WCWC creators, it was mentioned that each of the straps that they sell are handmade. I have to give props for that. In a field like this, where there is a large turnover of products, I thought that production would be allocated to a machine. I’m sure some companies do this but the fact that the people at WCWC hand make their straps, it just adds to the value of the product, in my opinion.

At $15 per strap, I think that the WCWC NATO straps are a good option. The pricing is competitive with other brands and the quality is top notch. I have some no name cheap NATO straps that although are much cheaper, the WCWC NATO straps provide much higher quality and better feel.

If you’re interested in these straps, head over to the official WCWC website and check them out for yourself. The straps come in a variety of color and there is something to match every watch.

https://wristcandywatchclub.com/

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5 days in New York

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I recently had the chance to travel to New York for the first time. Although this was suppose to be a vacation, any trip that involves extensive traveling will ultimately become a work trip as that provides for some great content. I stayed in New York for 5 days and in this blog, I’ll break down what I did for those who are simply interested or for those who are looking for a similar experience.

Day 1

This was technically a travel day but with some proper planning, you can leave yourself with plenty of time to explore. My flight was from SEA - JFK. I decided to take a red eye flight that left Seattle at 10:43pm and landed in New York at 7am. Landing early in the morning means that I essentially had the entire day to explore. This also saves money on room and board as you don’t have to pay to just sleep if you take a flight that lands later in the day. The only problem with this plan is what to do with your luggage (if you brought one). Since most hotel check ins are later in the day, arriving early means that you will have to drag the luggage around everywhere you go. One option is to ask the hotel to hold the luggage prior to checkin. For this trip, I was lucky and my hotel had the room ready on arrival. I was able to go in and get everything settled before exploring the city.

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For this trip, I stayed at the Citizen M hotel. I found the hotel to be a bit pricey for what it provides, but the location kind of makes it worth it. This hotel is located in midtown and is walking distance away from many popular New York destinations, including Time Square and Central Park.

I think this is a given, but Time Square is an obvious must go destination for any tourist. It’s not my favorite place because it’s really just a bunch of billboards, advertising and retail stores but it’s something to experience for the sake of it. On the other hand, if you came to New York to shop, then this location does provide a lot of options.

From Time Square, it’s less than a 20 minute walk to Central Park. This park covers a lot of land and has plenty to see. If you’re committed to exploring the whole park, then this can be a whole day event. I went through the southwestern entrance and only made it about a quarter of the way into the park before stopping at the Bethesda Fountain. Right before the fountain is a bridge that is quite a nice location for photography.  

Central park is huge and has a lot to see. If you have the chance, I’d definitely recommend doing some exploring here. If you don’t want to walk the entire way, there are many alternatives such as renting a bike, riding in a rickshaw or even being pulled by a horse drawn carriage. None of this is free, but can be worth it.

Day 2

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Day 2 was all about Brooklyn. I got my first experience with the NY transit system and actually got around to using it a lot this day. The Google Maps app was a lot of help. It provides different options as far as types of transportation and if you want to go with the public transit, it’ll provide you with directions to the stops and various transit times.  

I took the subway all the way into Brooklyn. Another option would be to get off before the Brooklyn Bridge and walk the bridge into Brooklyn. This was the original plan because I wanted to get sunrise photos on the bridge but weather conditions just didn’t play along. Either way, I would suggest going early because the main photography hotspots get pretty busy.

One extremely popular Brooklyn location is Washington St. because it has a direct view of the Manhattan Bridge. This place gets filled with people. If you want a better chance of getting an empty street, GO EARLY.

One thing that I’d notice was that most people are really only attracted to those really popular social media spots. Everyone wants the same photo so a lot of other locations are pretty dead. By walking around and exploring, you can find a lot of other really interesting locations and compositions. 

On the way back, instead taking the subway again, I tried NY’s ferry system. The cost is the same as the subway but provides a different experience that’s worth a try. Getting off the ferry, I headed towards my final destination for the day, Grand Central Station.

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In my opinion, Grand Central Station is not a beautiful photography location. It’s quite bland. The location is big and has some nice details, but as a whole, I personally don’t think it offers a lot.

Grand Central Station is also a guaranteed busy location. Remember, it is a functional subway station and also houses many retail stores so you’ll have to figure out how to deal with the amount of people there and how to use that towards your advantage.

While I was there, I came up with 2 different compositions but could only get one because I didn’t realize that one of my compositions required getting into a restricted area. My main idea for this location was to do a long exposure. With the amount of people moving through the station, a longer exposure can really portray that movement. When timed correctly, you can get some really interesting images. Unfortunately, the focus settings for my lens somehow got changed in between shots and only the first shot was focused where I wanted it to be. So in the end, I only managed to get one photo at this location.

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Day 3

Without knowing it, I hopped on a train and got off directly inside the Oculus. This is a tourist hot spot because it is so well documented on social media. For those Instagramers who have a white theme going on in their feed, this is paradise.

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I’m not one to hunt for cliches and shoot images that everyone else has, but I have to admit, this is one of those places that I’ve been wanting to photograph and get those basic photos for myself. I’m a big fan of symmetry and line work so a place like the Oculus is a no brainer for very obvious reasons.

Prior to visiting the Oculus, I didn’t do my research and thought that it simply was a structure for the sake of being a structure. Besides being an architectural marvel, the Oculus doubles as a shopping center which houses many higher end retailers.

At either end of the Oculus are balconies on the third floor of the building. These balconies are typically busy with people as they provide a location to shoot the centered photos that you are seeing in this post.

Of the images that I’ve seen of this location, they’ve always depicted what seems like a pure white building. This is not the case. The building is white to a degree, but not that sterile white lab coat feel that social media portrays.

Take a look at the examples that I’ve put together below. The first image shows what my camera thinks should be proper exposure. Then, 1 stop overexposed. Lastly, 2 stops overexposed. Obviously, the human eye will perceive the scene differently than how a camera will. I would say that, in person, the building looks somewhere between proper and 1 stop overexposed. Social media tends to go with the 2 stops overexposed and beyond route to make everything whiter than it actually is.

If you leave the Oculus from one of the balcony exits, you’d be led to the main World Trade Center area. This area is filled with street art and has a lot going on so it is definitely recommended to take a look.

Right across the street from the Oculus is the 9/11 memorial. This location commemorates the September 11, 2001 attacks with two square reflecting pools where the Twin Towers stood. Surrounding the pools are the names of those who lost their lives engraved in a stone plaque. If you happen to see a flower placed on the name of a person here, it’s there to celebrate that person’s birthday. In the near vicinity are other memorials recognizing the volunteers who also lost their lives in the attack.

For my last stop in the area, I decided to head to Battery Park. According to the internet, there is a free shuttle that takes you there but I was unable to catch it. I waited at the bus stop for some time but it never came. I saw it going in the opposite direction, but never at the stop that goes towards Battery Park. I eventually got tired of waiting and just took the normal city bus. This isn’t necessary because Battery Park is a relatively close walk from the Oculus. You can actually see the spikes of the building from the park. So if you’re willing to walk a few blocks, I would recommend to just do that rather than waiting on a bus that may or may not come.

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If you’re in the area, I would say that battery park is worth a visit as it provides the best view of the Statue of Liberty from land. There are also various ferry tours from here that you can take to go to Ellis Island and to get a better view of the Statue of Liberty.

By the time that I was done with Battery Park, the sun was setting. I had to head back to the Oculus to catch the subway and was able to see the building in a whole new light. As the sun sets, you get very harsh shadows that settle on both the inside and outside of the building. This can help to create some very dramatic photos and something different than what everyone else has.

Day 4 / 5

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Day 4 was my last full day in New York. Unfortunately, it rained so I didn’t plan to do too much. I ended up just visiting the Museum of Natural History. This was my day off from photography and I didn’t even bother to bring my camera along.

To be honest, the Museum of Natural History was not for me. It’s essentially a museum full of taxidermy and artifacts behind enclosed exhibits. Many of what is on display is actually recreations. I was hoping for some more interactive exhibits but this was only really present in the Hall of Planet Earth. Here are different exhibits that can be controlled to show the effects of climate change along with other displays. At the museum is also a butterfly exhibit, which from what I saw, contained the only living animals. This costs a few extra dollars to see but was probably my favorite part of the museum. If I could go back, I’d probably skip this and go to an art museum instead.

Day 5 was a travel day. I was only in New York for a few hours before having to head back home. The plan was to wake up early and head to the Rockefeller Center and go to the Top of the Rock. It’s recommended to go early so I got my tickets online for the first time slot, which is 8am. When I got there, there were only a few people ahead of me in line but completely manageable. The only problem was that it was a particularly foggy day. When the doors opened, the workers mentioned that there was zero visibility at the top so we can either go up and essentially see nothing out of the windows or reschedule for another visit. I of course was leaving New York that day and had no immediate plans to return so rescheduling didn’t really help. I wasn’t able to get a refund because refunds had to be requested a week prior to the viewing date. I ended up just rescheduling for exactly one year (the longest allowed rescheduled time) but here’s a little hack. If you reschedule for a later date, you’ll technically be a week or more out from the viewing date and will then be able to get a refund. So, if you’re interested in going to the Top of the Rock, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying your tickets in advance unless you can absolutely guarantee good visibility on the day of. If you go early enough, you can still buy tickets at the door and there won’t be that many people there to have a hard time getting the view you want.

While you’re in the area, I would also recommend checking out the Rink at the Rockefeller Center. This is a famous ice skating rink that is often shown in TV shows and movies. A few blocks away is also St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This is a prominent New York landmark and is worth a visit as it contains some beautiful stained glass windows and great religious iconography.

This is essentially my New York trip in a nutshell. It was a fun and different experience from what I’m used to doing. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to pay another visit in the future.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and ask! I’ll do my best to give you a helpful answer.

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