Seiko’s Most Popular Watch Is Getting a Subtle Refresh. Can You Spot the Easter Eggs?

Since the SKX dive watch was revived in 2019 to spearhead a 5 Sports collection overhaul, it has been Seiko’s most popular watch.

It has served as the foundation for 5 Sports’s expansive growth and introduced a new generation of watch fans to arguably the best affordable dive watch of all time, but progress is required to stay on top in any field.

Seiko

After five years, it was time for Seiko to refresh its bell cow. Fortunately, this was done with an appropriately delicate touch.

The horological masters at Seiko played it safe by drawing from the same well. Since the hands and dial markers carried over from the 1990s SKX design are getting a subtle new look, the bezel is changing to mirror the vaunted affordable dive watch.

Seiko

Swapping a new dial for the old SKX bezel keeps the 5 Sports diver rooted in its heritage and provides a treat for Seiko’s biggest fans to dote upon — I know because I am one.

Seiko

The bezel used on Seiko 5 Sports dive watches since 2019 is a bit wider than the original and has a 15-minute dot track. The updated references revert to the original SKX design with a dot minute track around the entire bezel.

But the update also extends to the bracelets, which feature another easter egg for the Seiko super fans.

A new steel bracelet

Two of the four new 5 Sports SKX watches come on a steel three-link bracelet. While the three-link design has been part of the collection since 2019, the new rounded link version, colloquially known as a “President bracelet,” is new.

Seiko

The dial color selections on the steel bracelet options are a nod to the black dial of SKX007 and the navy blue dial of SKX009, the two most famous versions of the 1990s dive watch.

Seiko

Personally, I think Seiko missed the opportunity to take the homage a step further with a five-link “jubilee” bracelet, but that’s just me.

An old rubber strap

For the other half of the update, the orange and yellow dial options have a black rubber strap that loosely resembles the extendable diver’s strap found on the original SKX references.

Seiko

Gold-colored hands on the new orange dial 5 Sports SKX offer one more treat for keen-eyed fans. Several SKX references from the 1990s and 2000s featured gold hands, including a covered white dial SKX025 and the orange dial SKX011.

Seiko

Upon closer examination, what appeared to be a negligible, easy-to-overlook update has proven to be a well-thought-out masterstroke. The only disappointment is that Seiko did not improve the water resistance with a screw-down crown to match the SKX007.

Seiko

Change had to come to avoid the most marquee 5 Sports watch getting stale, so Seiko used the opportunity to treat its fans to some SKX callbacks, not unlike a sequel that incorporates your favorite characters from the original film.

Availability and pricing

The new Seiko 5 Sports SKX references will be available in June 2025 for $425 with a steel bracelet and $385 with a rubber dive strap.

Seiko

Seiko 5 Sports SKX

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Seiko caliber 4R36 auotmatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $425 at Seiko

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