Pics courtesy of Īs you can see from the photos above, both the SKX031K and SKX023K appear to share the same dial layout with the same styling of hour indexes, dial fonts, framed calendar window and bezel markings. Unless you do a proper side-by-side comparison in the same store, you may not notice the not-so-obvious differences between the two.īefore we continue with the review, let’s first scrutinize the characteristics of the SKX031K and its smaller cousin, the SKX023K.Ībove: The SKX031K (left) and the junior sized SKX023K (right). I found out that few authorized Seiko watch dealers in Malaysia sell both models simultaneously. 🙂įortunately, I recalled the SKX031K sharing the same hour and minute hands as the evergreen SKX007 diver and politely told the store owner that it wasn’t the watch I was looking for. I didn’t have the photo of the SKX031K Sub in my PDA for reference and had to rely on my memory alone. In fact, I almost purchased an SKX023K by mistake at one watch store. I found out that there was also the mid-sized version of this watch – the SKX023K which to the uninitiated, could easily be misconstrued as the full-sized SKX031K. To my initial confusion, Seiko offers two versions of the Submariner. This is to say that Seiko doesn’t have the Mercedes-styled hands in any of their products – in fact they have incorporated such hands in a few Seiko automatic models that don’t resemble the Rolex Submariner. The watch company also altered the dial design of their “Submariners' in a way, perhaps to protect themselves from legal infringements. Probably in an effort to avoid copyright infringements, Seiko decided to use the hour and minute hands from their SKX007/SKX009 diver instead of the famous “'Mercedes-style' hour hand. Unlike the other homage watches, Seiko’s SKX031K tries to retain as much design originality as possible while giving the “flavor' of the Rolex Submariner. To the untrained eye, both the Orient and the Rolex appear similar but there are subtle variations in detail between the two.įor the rest of this review I will enclose the term 'Submariner' (in quotes) to denote a homage Submariner. Basically a homage watch borrows some design influences from the original watch without infringing on copyright and trademarks of the patent holder. In case you didn’t know, a homage watch is not a replica or fake watch. Top: A genuine Rolex Submariner (left) and a homage Orient “Submariner' (right) Invicta, AMF, Sandoz and Orient are some of them that have these look-alike models. There are several watch companies that also produce homage Submariner watches. The SKX031K and its Pepsi-bezeled SKX033K are Seiko’s only tribute models to the Rolex Submariner. It took me several months to consider one of this timeless classics from Seiko, albeit its design isn’t entirely original (after all, it is a homage to the Rolex Submariner) and I thought the SKX031K would fill the gap between my 200m, ISO-certified Seiko divers and my dressy Seiko 5 timepieces rather nicely. The SKX031K has been around for over a decade (it debuted in 1996 with the introduction of the 7s26 automatic caliber) and sales of this model appears to be still going strong despite its age in the market. No prizes for guessing, it’s none other than the Seiko SKX031K – Seiko’s timeless tribute to the Rolex Submariner. Pop quiz folks – what resembles a Rolex Submariner watch, says “SEIKO' on the dial, has a screw-in crown and costs a fraction of the price of the watch that it pays homage to? Price paid: MYR400 (approximately USD115).Source: Chun Cheong Watch & Pen Store, Sungei Wang Plaza.

Seiko automatic submariner