I am the very happy and satisfied owner of a new Seiko SKZ269 diver's watch. It was purchased via eBay from R.C. Time, "99watches" and was delivered in secure packing, all original boxes, exactly as described. I believe I got a good deal at $210.
I received the watch on Dec. 21, and I am writing this review Dec. 28. Over this timespan the watch has showed exemplary accuracy, neither losing nor gaining a minute. Those who are familiar with automatic movements understand they are not held to the same standards as their quartz counterparts. I set my Seiko from the internet clock from "dashboard" on my Macintosh, which is only a few seconds off from the NIST website, and haven't touched it since. The accuracy is, for me, a welcome benefit from this purchase, and something I was banking on. I have been wearing a Rolex GMT1675, circa late 1960's, for years now. Even after being serviced recently at an AD, the Rolex still keeps lousy time. It loses as much as 5 min every 2 weeks. This was my father's watch, and I remember him joking years ago, "It's a Rolex, but it doesn't keep that great time!" Add to that the Rolex folding clasp, while not delicate, can be bent during ordinary mishaps and requires real mechanical aptitude to restore to working, secure condition.
I was able to fit my Seiko without bringing it anywhere. I moved the pin to the smallest hole in the clasp, and it fits exactly how I like, loose but not able to rotate. I have big arms for a 5'7" guy, and thick wrists as well. If you have thin arms you will need to have a link removed.
What you can't see from the pictures, as marvelous and hi-rez as the stock images are, is the subtle louvered texture of the white face. It took me a LONG time to make a decision on a new watch for everyday use. Automatic, Eco-drive or Solar was the first criteria. No batteries. Waterproof was second. I am not a scuba diver, so for all practical purposes this watch is completely waterproof. My near vision is not what it used to be, so a lot of busy looking features on the face are more of a turn off than the turn on they used to be. Alarm function would have been nice. Definitely on my next one. I considered Seiko and Citizen Divers, Casio's ProTrek 500, Citizen's ProMaster SuperTough. I wanted the SuperTough, but since I never take my watch off for bathing, I wasn't sure about a leather band. Plus the only one I could find was over $400 and that's just too much right now. I ordered, and then re-negged on, the Citizen Ecozilla diver when I realized just how thick 18.5mm is!! Jeez. Creation watches was VERY COOL about cathing the order in time and refunding me. I wanted to buy the SKZ269 from them but they don't have it as of now.
I also came close to purchasing other Seikos. I looked at divers, the SKZ259K1 which is a great deal, and the SKZ265 with the N-S-E-W bezel accented in red. I especially liked the black center on the 265's band. And of course the Coutura is so beautiful, that was a contender for awhile. But I read how the black can be easily scatched off, and working in trees, well, forget about that. And someone also wrote that after a year or so the crystal came off theirs, and it shut down. No biggie, it was still under warranty, but I really need a rugged watch, and that was 2 strikes against the expensive SNP017 Coutura.
But something about this Seiko Superior SKZ269 automatic 200M men's diver is so attractive. The white face with pinpoint blue accents and black outlined hands is beautiful and handsome all at once. I work outdoors, and this watch's appearance seems to go hand in hand with fresh air and open sky. Seiko's reputation for a quality movement and striking design is not only legendary, for me it's also nostalgia. As a teen I wore a really cool looking Seiko. I just loved that it kept good time, and was cool looking enough to never bore me.
This SKZ269 is the same, and better. It's heavy, so be aware of that. Once in awhile, it feels a little too heavy, but not that often. I like to wear my watches a little loose. When it moves toward the outside, sometimes I need to shake it back around because it's weighty. But there's also an adjustment period for everything too. Overall it feels fine.
It's big and thick, but not goofy. Under heavy winter clothing, like with gathered or elastic cuffs, then it can be a little bit of a nuisance. But it is a diver's watch and this is the tradeoff for the masculine, gnarly look.
The bezel rotates in one direction with a positive detent that clicks loudly and reminds me of a Hollywood firearm sound effect. The bezel has enough tiny screws to be a faceplate on a boiler, very cool looking. The two tone design of the band is tough, yet upscale, with an easy to operate safety locking clasp. Lumibrite dial looks great in the dark. I like tritium better, but Lumibrite is a no-risk alternative.
It's rhythm is different than the Rolex, but every bit as interesting. It's also softer. I won't say the Rolex keeps me up at night, but if my wrist is near my ear, it's pretty loud. The Seiko is much quieter.
I would recommend this Seiko highly. If you don't mind "feeling" a watch on your wrist, this is a great watch. Only once so far did I have trouble making out the time with the white-on-white hands and dial. Both hands were in the same position, and as I said, my near vision isn't what it used to be. That being said, I think it's fairly easy to read, even with blurry near vision.
(EDIT 2011-01-04) Wearing on the underside of my wrist is more comfortable than wearing it on top. Not good for all activities though. Also, here is a con I missed - the bezel is not easy to read for those without great eyesight. I know I'm close to whining about how I need readers now, but let's face it, unless you wear a prescription 12/7 or need no correction whatsoever, you will have your watch on 90-100% of the time but you may only have your glasses on 10-20% of the time. So that said, the markings on the bezel are not easy to distinguish in low light conditions. I definitely may have custom paint applied to the ZERO marking so that it doesn't blend in with the other numbers. Not an issue in sunlight or really good light. But it would really suck if I was going diving.
And lastly, given the same eyesight situation, there are times when the minute hand blends in with the date window and kind of disappears. They are both outlined in black and can kind of cancel each other out. This is still a great watch and I have received several compliments on it. But if you are wondering whether the white-outlined hands can be hard to see if your light is not great, the answer is yes.
