There are many vintage Seiko divers popular with collectors, and the legendary 7S26 – like the 2001 Seiko SKX031 automatic dive watch here, on it's original Seiko stainless-steel oyster bracelet – is one of these.
With good reason, the SKX continues to have a tremendous cult following - the design is simple and robust, with strong evidence of Seiko divers that came before it, namely the instantly recognizable Seiko 7002 automatic, 7548 quartz, and even the famous 6309 diver. The SKX has appeared in multiple films, to include on the wrist of Robert Redford in his 2013 action drama sailing film, "All is Lost."
Military forces the world over have long took note of the SKX line, with its reliable automatic movement – during its heyday, it was also popular with various armed forces for this same reason, despite the widely held (false) assumption that military personnel only wear military watches issued to them.
USMIL General Norman "Stormin' Norman" Schwarzkopf wore the quartz variant, the Seiko 7548, nearly identical to the SKX, when he routed and then evicted Iraqi forces from Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, aka the 1991 Gulf War. He would later write, “I always wore two watches during the [Gulf] war. The one on my left arm was set on Saudi Arabian time and the Seiko on my right arm was set on Eastern Standard Time. That way I could quickly glance at my watches and instantly know the time in both Saudi Arabia and Washington, D.C."
Since then? The SKX continues to be favored - despite Seiko's odd decision to discontinue these legendary divers in 2018/9 - by a wide range of professional adventurers, from U.S. Army Special Ops officers to professional divers to professional soccer dads.
And the watch itself - Seiko’s 7S26 automatic movement was a logical step in its mechanical movement line, and debuted in 1996 to replace the 7002 in Seiko’s popular dive watch line. This 7S26 incorporates quickset day and date displays, and automatic bi-directional winding via Seiko’s patented Magic Lever system, and runs at 21,600 beats per hour.
This Seiko diver comes on its original stainless-steel bracelet, and with nylon strap, rugged travel case, and springbar tool.
2001 Seiko SKX031 (7S26-0040) Automatic Dive Watch
DIAL: Crisp black Seiko-signed dial, with Spanish/English day variants. Red (Sunday) and blue (Saturday) day font on the day wheel remains vibrant, with no fade - naturally, lume shines brightly.
BEZEL: Black bezel insert, bi-directional bezel ratchets with a satisfying click, little wear is present on the insert.
CASE: Stainless-steel case measures 40mm (w/o crown, 43.5mm with) x 45.5mm. Matching signed caseback.
CRYSTAL: Hardlex crystal, scratch and crack-free.
BAND: This SKX031 comes on it's original Seiko-signed 22mm stainless-steel oyster bracelet, which will fit up to an approx. 7.75 inch wrist; it also comes with a red and yellow nylon strap.
MOVEMENT: 21-jewel Seiko 7S26A mechanical automatic movement, manufactured in October 2001.
CROWN: Unsigned stainless-steel screw-down crown.
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