The Halloween pumpkin with a bezel like Edam melted on your bread
The Orange Boy
Tonight, the SKX011J1. The Orange Boy. What a nickname. That's what they called it, and I've been looking forward to this one. Thank you to Mr Jun, my compadre in Poland, for sending it in. Grey box, silvery spongy cushion with a few stray hairs hanging off the edge. Get rid of them. Look at that. A beauty.
And this is a true SKX, a classic SKX case like the 007 and the A53. 42 mm, 13.5 mm thick, 46 mm lug to lug, 22 mm lugs. Arabic numerals on this Japan version, made in Japan. Hardlex crystal, flat, chamfered, no AR coating. Not a big deal. 200 metres, ISO certified. Not 660 feet, by the way: 656.2. So at 657 feet it'll immediately break. Be aware.
Silk. Absolute silk.
120-click unidirectional bezel, and this is by far the best bezel I've felt on any SKX I've handled: my 007K1, the 007J, the A53. It's almost Marinemaster, honestly. I have a Marinemaster. It's not as good, but it's not that different. It's like a Sumo bezel. My K version? Clickety clackity, all kinds of back play. This one? Silk. It's Edam melted on your bread.
Prehistoric, unkillable 7S26
7S26. You all know it. Non-hacking, non-hand-winding, 21 jewels, 21,600 vph, about 40 hours of reserve, stated minus 20 to plus 40 a day. Not very accurate on paper, but it runs a lot better than that and it'll probably run for 20 years without a service. Prehistoric and discontinued, but incredibly reliable and hardy. 60 gauss magnetic resistance, irrelevant to most of us. And it's mint. New Old Stock. Mr Jun let me peel the caseback sticker, a real honour. Serial says 92, so most likely February 2019.
Kamikaze Yuzu
The dial. Bright tangerine orange, flat matte, like a Kamikaze Yuzu from Japan. Certainly not to everyone's taste. A real standout on the wrist. But that gold-effect handset looks to me like a Christmas cracker toy. I'd rather the original or a black handset. The copper bezel markers? Still haven't decided. And no, the lume plots aren't smaller than the 007's. They're framed in black, so they look smaller. Same size. In the lume shot it's pretty much the same as the 007, and my Marinemaster gives you about three more lumens for an extra 2,600 pounds. Absolutely great.
Straps: for me, the Miltat Oyster is the one. I don't like Jubilees. Agree or disagree, that's how I like mine. Mr Jun sent orange straps too. The OEM-style plastic one's never been a favourite and the nylon Zulu's not my cup of tea, but the custom-fitted FKM is absolutely great. FKM doesn't pick up dust. Everybody needs one.
Verdict
A great, lovely watch. The 007 is still my favourite, but the novelty of the Halloween pumpkin cannot be underestimated. Stay freaky, bros. Never give up.
