Seiko Men's SKX781 Orange Monster Automatic Dive Watch

The Orange Monster by Seiko is really something special. If you begin to poke around the internet like I did, you will find a tremendous number of reviews, which are almost universally positive in their take on the Monster. My review is no different in this respect as I have nothing but good things to say about my experience (almost).First of all the shipping, World of Watches could be a bit zippier, but you will find they always have it delivered within the range given by Amazon by UPS, and that is very well packaged and protected. The first thing you will be likely to notice when taking this watch out of the Box is the weight, this is a hefty, manly watch by all standards. The second you will probably notice is the superb bracelet and how large it is. I have read in many places that the band is hard to adjust, but just don't listen to them. I used a pair of pliers and two regular sewing needles and I had no trouble at all sizing the band. It also has a micro-adjust near the clasp and a diver extension, making this the best-fitting and most comfortable watch I have ever owned.The outside has a very rugged appearance, with bold lines around the bezel and the unique bezel guard, and the interesting orientation of the crown at the four o'clock position (so it won't dig into your arm, I did not know if I would like the crown position at first, but it is actually now my preference). The glass (Seiko Hardlex) is domes and recessed a bit so the bezel protects it from scratching. The Hardlex crystal appears to be very thick and gives the impression of extreme durability.The band is beautiful and the BEST bracelet I have ever seen on a watch. The clasp is double locking, all the pins are very sturdy and never work themselves out and all he links are solid Stainless Steel. I have read in other places that this band trumps some bands on swiss watches that are 5-10 times more expensive than the Orange Monster.O.K. now to address the movement (7S26), it is automatic and seems to have a very generous reserve power time. You can take this watch off with a full charge and expect it to run for about 2 days or a little more. It is non-hacking (the second hand does not stop while setting the time) which can be a bit annoying, but has not been a significant issue with me thus far (also, backwards pressure on the crown when fully extended will stop the second hand- I would NOT advise this however as it could permanently damage the movement-at least I think it could). As far as accuracy goes, it could be better, but it could also be a lot worse. I have monitoring mine closely for the month that I have owned it and find it is slowly becoming more accurate. When the Monster first arrived it ran 17 seconds fast per day, and now its down to about 14 seconds. I have read that the watch can slow for up to six months and will generally settle in at under 10 seconds fast per day. Don't let the accuracy stop you for a second-the movement is really one of the strongest parts of the watch and has been shown to be one of the best automatic movements out there (within this price range).Next, the illumination for the hour markers on the dial and the hands is INSANE. It is, by light years, the best illumination on ANY watch I have ever owned. Typically, I put the watch directly under a fluorescent bulb for about three minutes or less. Now. after a full nights sleep (lets say 8 hours) the hands and markers are still STARTLINGLY visible in a dark room (I'm trying to remember, I think the proprietary paint that Seiko uses is called lumibrite-I'm not sure). I would buy this watch just for the lum, but remember the great looks, movement, hardlex, the perfect bracelet and the ORANGE of course. And finally we come to the bezel:The bezel of the Orange Monster is really a perfect piece of engineering. As I said before, it protects the crystal from scratches and is itself protected by a heft bezel guard (look at the pictures). The watch and bezel have notches in them, which line up ever time the arrow on the bezel lines up with a 5 minute mark (5, 10, 15 and so on) and makes turning and gripping the bezel much easier. Also, not that there is a dot of the lum paint at the 12 mark on the bezel so it is also visible in the dark. The bezel is another strong point, I find myself turning it absentmindedly through the day just because it moves so smoothly and makes a nice sharp clicking noise).I've had the legendary Orange Monster for a month now, and I already know that this is my new watch. I'm planning to buy the black monster this year, 2009, before I go to college in the fall so I will have a pair of these Monsters. This is a watch I could see having for the rest of my life. Buy it, I would by willing to pay twice what Amazon is asking for this watch. If mine ever breaks (which I highly doubt) I'll buy a new one without hesitation.MISCELLANEOUS:I've had MANY compliments about this watch, from family and friends and from a lit of people at my High School. Expect this watch to get noticed, it really is visible on the wrist, especially with the orange.I Have been swimming with the watch. I spent three days in a hotel a couple of weeks ago and probably spent about 8 hours or so in the pool. I wore the monster the whole time-it was wonderful-didn't have to worry about it (especially with the 200M water resistance rating).Date works well and the day can shows up either in English or Spanish-you set it- and Saturday is blue, Sunday is red, and all the other days are black.Crown screws down, but feels a little wobbly when unscrewed and extended to set-not really a problem.****UPDATE****I've now had the watch for two years and still wear it at least once a week. The accuracy has greatly improved over time, settling into a sort of sweet spot, maybe around ~1 minute per month! Still love it. Automatics are really the way to go; excellent timepiece.

As someone who just recently became interested in wristwatches, I began looking around for a high quality diving watch in anticipating of a trip to the Caribbean. The Seiko line of "Monster" watches seemed very popular, and so I took the plunge and went with the Orange Monster over it's more sedate brother the Black Monster. I'm glad I did.The first thing to know is that this watch is heavy. You definitely feel it on your wrist, and I suspect it would make a presence even on a person with large wrists (I happen to have fairly small wrists, so it makes even more of a presence on me!). However, the heft never feels bulky or uncomfortable; it just feels SOLID, and that's a good thing. I will say, I was surprised that the watch does not sit higher on the wrist, so it can easily slide beneath a shirt cuff if necessary. But the construction of the watch, from the bezel to the case back to the bracelet itself, gives it a fantastic feeling of sturdiness. Exactly what you want in a diver. It's smartly designed, too. The crown (which is screw down) is located at 4 o'clock; a nice touch, so it doesn't dig into your hand when you bend it. The little things make a difference.The face itself is clear and very readable. No numbers here, just big lume dots to indicate the hour with a day and date window at three o'clock. A nice touch is that Sat and Sun are in different colors (blue and red, respectively) which, although it's a little thing in the grand scheme of life, makes the weekends a little more unique. Also, for those who need it, the day is also available in Spanish.I need to take a moment to mention the lume. I had read that it was impressive, even saw YouTube videos of it. None of those images do the brightness justice. It's unbelievable how bright it is. Just 10 minutes or so in the sun literally provides hours of brightness. I am not exaggerating when I say that during a recent power outage, I used the lume from the Orange Monster to help me navigate a dark closet and find a flashlight. It's that bright. I'm sure over time that this will fade somewhat, but even if it eventually ends up at 70% of what it started at, this will be a watch that you'll have no problem reading in the dark (or under water...it is a diver after all!).The bezel is unidirectional and has 120 clicks. It has just the right amount of give, and is not so easy to turn that you'll bump it out of position, but not so tough to turn as to need a wrench. The bracelet feels very sturdy, and has a nice safety clasp to ensure that the release buttons don't accidentally open the watch. For those who do dive, a diver's extension allows it to fit over your wet suit.It's an automatic, so don't expect the precision of a quartz. However, I have found the accuracy to be well within the posted range. Watching the second hand sweep across the dial is so smooth its hypnotic. My experience with the power reserve is that it's a respectable 36 hours or so. I have a couple of different watches in rotation, so occasionally this one runs out of juice and stops. However, it's easy to set and start again, so no worries there.All in all, the high rankings both here on Amazon and at other locations are entirely justified. The Orange Monster is the real deal, and is exceptional quality at a ridiculously reasonable price. Sure, a Rolex Submariner might be the more prestigious dive watch. But in my divers I want reliable and durable with a heavy dose of personality, and so the Orange Monster fits the bill.

truly lives up to its reputation. A great value at its price. Recommended for anyone looking for a automatic casual wear watch.

Cette montre est belle, juste et étanche. Essayé à 60 mètres, sans problème, en plus elle en jette. Très lumineuse, aucun soucis de lecture. Le vendeur, sérieux me l'a fait parvenir avec une rapidité exemplaire et pour venir de si loin, elle a pratiquement mis le même temps que provenant d'un pays européen, voir même plus rapide. Bravo DHL Bravo le vendeur.

Davvero molto bello questo orologio; robusto, bello da vedere, un discreto meccanismo automatico. subacqueo 20 atm. Credo che prendero anche la versione nera.

Fantástico reloj precioso funcionamiento automático con muy poca variación perfecta calidad.Precioso Diver de Seiko perfecto para pesca submarina deportiva

A cult watch that I have thought of buying for years. The new model is not as attractive in my opinion, a view shared by a few of my watch buying friends. As it is a REAL scuba diving watch you know that it will be built well which it is. Heavyish and good looking. The Orange isn't as in-your-face as I expected, a good and bad thing depending on what you want from it. The lume is brilliant. I have several Seikos and this is one of my favourites. The fact that unless you are in the know no-one takes any notice of a Seiko is a plus to me. If you want to pose, this is not the watch for you but if you want a fantastic value well madewatch then you can't go far wrong with this watch. If orange is a bit loud for you then get the black monster, I am getting that next!