There are four Seiko dive watches on a table. They are all the same model, with the license-plate-like name “SKX007.” Worn & Wound, a blog about affordable watches, called it “One of the most iconic divers on the market.” Seiko has never drastically changed the model’s design, never released special editions beyond a single blue-red bezel variant. Yet all four watches on the table are different — very different.
One of them has the look of a very traditional Japanese dive watch: black dial with funky white iridescent markings for the hours, a toothy bezel, a chubby crown growing at four o’clock for setting the time. The SKX007 next to that one has a dial that looks like metallic zebra hide. The SKX007 next to that is blacked out like a special-ops weapon. And the SKX007 next to that looks vintage military, busy with numerals that the first, more traditional Seiko diver lacks. If you look close you can see similar parts and a matching overall style. But they have different attitudes. If they were people they’d be distant cousins, not brothers, and a motley crew at that.
Again: Each watch on the table is a Seiko, but Seiko only made one the way it looks now.
It’s not a riddle. It’s the world of watch modding.
Traditional watchmakers are expected to design and build entirely new watches themselves. For watch modders — a small-scale cottage industry that’s gaining momentum thanks to web forums and increasing interest in affordable watches — completed watches are the starting point. A modder removes the separate pieces that make up the full watch — dial, bezel, hands, case back, crystal and more, sometimes even the movement — then replaces them with other parts to create new aesthetics atop the same base structure. Traditionally, modding was used to create replicas and homages to expensive, iconic watches like the Blancpain 50 Fathoms (which costs upwards of $10,000) using watches that cost a hundredth of the price.
The original Seiko SKX007, one of the most iconic divers on the market. It retails for around $200 and is a favorite among watch modders, who value its modularity, affordability and dependable movement.
