Seiko “Black Monster” Automatic Dive Watch #SKX779K1
My watch frenzy continues…
I decided to pick up two Seiko “Black Monsters” Automatic Dive Watches (SKX779K1). At first this watch was not appealing to me, but after looking for a nice day/date automatic with decent movement, the monster all of a sudden began to grow on me. The growing group of online folks that think the “monster” is simply the best watch value in the world also got me to fall in love with the watch.
In fact it’s become my new daily beater.
43mm case, 316L stainless steel, 7S26 21 jewel mechanical movement.
The “Black Monster” as it’s known is part of a group of “monster” Dive watches. The Limited edition “Yellow Monster” is the rarest with only 300 being made, they sell for thousands, followed by the Blue Monster, then the remainder Orange Monster and Black Monsters.
I went with black as that color best matches my own lifestyle. I may get an Orange Monster in the future, since those are currently easy to get as well.
Two Black Monsters, complete with Seiko USA warranty papers. My brother will no doubt steal the other one. I’ll then get an orange monster for the collection box.
Yeah, yeah, I lost my SOG Pentagon Elite II, so it’s a Gerber Paraframe (I) for the photo.. hahaha. Other items are a Glock 21 with M6 laser and a Mini Maglite LED (SP2201H) which is an awesome flashlight BTW…
My impressions of the Black Monster can best be summed up as “wow”. The bracelet alone is worth the $150 price tag these watches are currently fetching. It uses solid stainless links on the band and includes a hidden wet suit extension clasp for surfer / diver use on a wetsuit. It took slightly more time to size the bracelet due to Seiko’s pin/collar setup that requires three hands to seat properly, but easily done (haha).
The Black Monster has a great case design in that the watch band itself can be swapped out easily… You can change the look of your watch in seconds. looks awesome with a stainless steel bracelet, black leather, rubber or a tactical / zulu band on it. I’ll grab pics with a 2-piece tactical or black leather band on it in the future.
If the Invicta 8926 watch is the best watch in the world for $100 or under… The seiko monster is probably the best watch in the world for $3000 or under, but it only costs $150 – $200.
Everything on the watch simply works great and despite its size it is comfortable on the wrist. The bezel turns with a notch precision feel, the hands and tick marks on the face glow for hours and are easy to read. Seiko’s off-set crown is nice so it does nit bite into the wrist, etc.
The movement is very accurate, proven reliable and after a few months, if you are mechanically inclined (no pun), you can easily crack the case back and adjust the movement yourself (that’s right yourself) its fairly easy to adjust mechanical movements with the right tools (and manually test the accuracy of the adjustments over time). I’ve heard stories of the 7S26 seeing extremely accurate timekeeping after adjusting this way. I’m finding it keeping excellent time right out of the box.
Here is a great article showing the internals of a seiko black monster.
http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/8ohms/7s26/
The Seiko Monster… another great all time timepiece / artpiece thats a steal at $150 – $200..
43mm case, 316L stainless steel, 7S26 21 jewel mechanical movement.
The “Black Monster” as it’s known is part of a group of “monster” Dive watches. The Limited edition “Yellow Monster” is the rarest with only 300 being made, they sell for thousands, followed by the Blue Monster, then the remainder Orange Monster and Black Monsters.
I went with black as that color best matches my own lifestyle. I may get an Orange Monster in the future, since those are currently easy to get as well.
Two Black Monsters, complete with Seiko USA warranty papers. My brother will no doubt steal the other one. I’ll then get an orange monster for the collection box.
Yeah, yeah, I lost my SOG Pentagon Elite II, so it’s a Gerber Paraframe (I) for the photo.. hahaha. Other items are a Glock 21 with M6 laser and a Mini Maglite LED (SP2201H) which is an awesome flashlight BTW…
My impressions of the Black Monster can best be summed up as “wow”. The bracelet alone is worth the $150 price tag these watches are currently fetching. It uses solid stainless links on the band and includes a hidden wet suit extension clasp for surfer / diver use on a wetsuit. It took slightly more time to size the bracelet due to Seiko’s pin/collar setup that requires three hands to seat properly, but easily done (haha).
The Black Monster has a great case design in that the watch band itself can be swapped out easily… You can change the look of your watch in seconds. looks awesome with a stainless steel bracelet, black leather, rubber or a tactical / zulu band on it. I’ll grab pics with a 2-piece tactical or black leather band on it in the future.
If the Invicta 8926 watch is the best watch in the world for $100 or under… The seiko monster is probably the best watch in the world for $3000 or under, but it only costs $150 – $200.
Everything on the watch simply works great and despite its size it is comfortable on the wrist. The bezel turns with a notch precision feel, the hands and tick marks on the face glow for hours and are easy to read. Seiko’s off-set crown is nice so it does nit bite into the wrist, etc.
The movement is very accurate, proven reliable and after a few months, if you are mechanically inclined (no pun), you can easily crack the case back and adjust the movement yourself (that’s right yourself) its fairly easy to adjust mechanical movements with the right tools (and manually test the accuracy of the adjustments over time). I’ve heard stories of the 7S26 seeing extremely accurate timekeeping after adjusting this way. I’m finding it keeping excellent time right out of the box.
Here is a great article showing the internals of a seiko black monster.
http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/8ohms/7s26/
The Seiko Monster… another great all time timepiece / artpiece thats a steal at $150 – $200..