Seiko SKX009J Review: Pepsi Bezel Diver On Black Rubber Strap (Made In Japan)

Seiko SKX009J Case Details

The Seiko SKX009J possesses the familiar watch case with a crown at 4 o’clock that is akin to the many Seiko sports watches that came before it. This being a diver’s watch, naturally, it’s also marked by a rotating bezel atop the case.

The stainless steel case is 42.5mm in diameter with a 46mm lug-to-lug distance, 13.4mm case thickness, and 22mm strap size. Thanks to its screw-down crown, the SKX009J is rated to 200m of depth.

The case also boasts different finishes of the metal on its different facets. For example, the top of the case has a matte brushed finish while the sides of the case, along with the crown guards, have been polished to a mirror finish.

Pepsi Diver’s Bezel

As mentioned above, the SKX009J has a unidirectional diver’s bezel in steel that has a knurled outer texture. The bezel has a metallic insert in a “Pepsi” style, AKA a two-tone bezel in red and dark blue. There are also silver minute calibrations throughout the bezel insert.

The crystal protecting the face of this Seiko SKX009J is a scrath-resistant Hardlex crystal. Hardlex is a proprietary Seiko material similar to plastic that, while not as scratch-resistant as the more expensive sapphire, is still a good choice for a sports watch such as this SKX009J.

SKX009J Dark Blue Dial

The dark blue dial of the Seiko SKX009J “Pepsi” is one of its most important features. Ironically enough, it is also the characteristic that is most difficult to notice.

Indeed, the dark blue tone of the dial instead seems to be black in many situations. In fact, in many instances, I had to slightly edit the pictures used in this article to get the dark blue tone of the dial to “pop”. Nevertheless, it is much more noticeable and attractive in person and even more so if the watch is on your own wrist.

On the dark blue dial of the SKX009J are white, luminous hour indices, polished center hands, a white printed minute track, and a bright bit of orange text above the 6 index. Since this this is the Made in Japan SKX009 (as denoted by the J in the reference number), the dial is also marked by “21 Jewels” under the orange text and a “Made in Japan” marquee at the bottom of the dial.

When the SKX009 is not made in Japan, the specific model number is SKX009K. The differences between the two models are merely cosmetic, though the Made in Japan models generally carry a price premium simply due to the country of origin.

Lastly, present on the dial is also a rectangular day-date aperture at 3 o’clock; it has black font on a stark white background that is rather easy to read. It’s worth noting that all SKX009 models have two languages for the day. This one has English and Arabic, though other models you may encounter are likely to have a different combination of languages.

SKX009J On Rubber Strap

The SKX009J can usually be purchased on one of two band options: a black rubber strap or a steel Seiko Jubilee bracelet. The watch I used for this review was on the strap which means that its full reference was SKX009J1. You can see the bracelet conformation below, though the SKX009 on a bracelet in the picture is an SKX009K not an SKX009J.

This black Seiko “wave” strap is not one of the most comfortable rubber straps I have ever experienced. However, it provides a unique look that is preferred by many Seiko SKX fans. With extended wear, it definitely grew on me but I much preferred wearing the SKX009J on a NATO strap or other bracelet option. Fortunately, the strap size of the SKX009J is a very common one so it’s easy to find cheap straps to try on the watch.

Seiko 7S26 Movement

The SKX009J is powered by a self-winding (automatic) 7S26 movement that has a 40-hour power reserve. This movement is often referred to as a “workhorse” which is exactly what you want in a sports watch such as the SKX009J. While it’s not incredibly accurate, for day-to-day timekeeping I think the 7S26 within the SKK009J gets the job done.

We can’t really get a look at the 7S26 movement since the SKX009J has a solid caseback but it does have a nice emblem of an ocean wave. Additionally, this SKX009J denotes Japan as its country of manufacture but again, no performance improvements can be expected of an SKX009 manufactured in JApan versus one that is not.

Seiko SKX009J Final Thoughts

Prior to reviewing this SKX009J, I was already quite familiar with the SKX watch profile so there wasn’t much novelty with regards to how the watch wears. Ultimately, it wears rather comfortably even though it’s larger than I usually prefer. Additionally, as I touched on above, the comfort can be increased significantly by changing out the OEM rubber strap for a fabric NATO or other band.

What the SKX009J has that other SKX watches do not are the blue dial color and Pepsi bezel. Both of these aspects are skillfully executed by Seiko in the SKX009J and they give the watch a very attractive face. Finally, thanks to the oversized (and generously lumed!) hands and hour indices, legibility is ideal in any and all environments.

If you’ve never owned an SKX before, I can highly recommend this SKX009J. Its color scheme makes it a more personable watch than the standard SKX while keeping all other characteristics that have made the SKX model line such a hit since its release in 1996.

Further Reading

If you enjoyed this in-depth look at the Seiko SRPD65, make sure to check out some of our other popular reviews and wristwatch guides:

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• All Of Our Seiko Watch Reviews
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