I bought my wife the purple dial double domed crystal version of this Islander for her birthday in 2021. It, along with the Islanders I have for myself, are nice watches.
I liked the SKX013 but wanted a red/blue bezel the time, there were no decent mods available--later, Islander made a red/blue bezel 38mm. I wear it almost daily--beautiful inserts and polishing-very accurate--nice bracelet-i don't dive-- or flipping or investmet, buy the seiko but to use as a watch, get the Islander
I have an SKX and although it’s a pain to set, it’s the heritage I’m drawn to. I don’t believe the Islander, although an excellent watch, will ever appreciate like the SKX. Bought mine for about $150 and it’s now going for upward of $500 sometimes. Think I’ll hold on to this one.
So the Islander has better bracelet, better crystal, better construction, better dial built and lume… for the same price as a lesser used and scratched old Seiko…. 🤔 Tough choice indeed.
When you are a serious collector, it is not about specs but about history, heritage and scarcity. Why would a paul newman daytona cost millions when an f91 is more accurate? Islander watches definitely have better specs than a paul newman daytona that uses acrylic and minimal water resistance.
Between religion vs. science, I'll always choose science. Heritage vs. a better built watch? I'll take the better build. What makes a Paul Newman Daytona so expensive is the same reason people throw money at Joel Osteen ministries.
Ive sold my Long Island 3m, same as you have in the video and got me a sapphire modded Skx013. I used to have an skx007 and I miss the jangly bracelet and non shiny bezel insert. I really started to miss the seiko dial and so… got the real thing again!
Well the islander is basically a seiko in movement essentially it just the skx has more of a history. If the prices on the skx weren’t so high, I would own the skx over the islander due to history and heritage , I would rather have the skx even though built quality is better in the islander! But prices are rediculous in the skx or I would own one but for now I love my islander?
Good video. Buy the Islander....better upgrades like the sapphire crystal. How many of us really need a certified dive watch? I was a Seiko fan but so many of their cool watches have been discontinued.....so I kept searching and ran into Islander watches. Based on Islander specs which includes Seiko movements I ended up buying an Islander and have been very pleased for the price.
You were a seiko fan but because the models you like have been discontinued now you’re not a fan anymore? 🤔 everything gets discontinued eventually.. cars, phones, clothes. I love vintage seikos hence all models are discontinued, the specs aren’t always the best and conditions aren’t always like new.. yet that doesn’t stop me to search for good deals that eventually show up. I’ve encountered many SKX listings for reasonable prices, there’s no need to stop your search just because today you see some flippers asking 550$ for it, it just takes some patience. As for the specs, it’s not always all about the specs.
@@vitellonealvapore877 Okay.... Yea...if Seiko is not making models (design and/or specs) I like, why should I keep being a fan. Seiko has to earn my money..... You like old watches....good for you. No one is going to question why...it's your choice.
@@lx95020 lol, didn't think you were so sensitive. i've mentioned my preference just to make a point, which apparentely went completely over your head.
I love the SKX but i can’t justify spending current prices. I’d rather get an islander and then mod it with an oem skx dial and bezel insert. It would be cheaper too and I’d have a better movement and sapphire crystal
That's an interesting approach but even original Seiko SKX013 bezel inserts and dials are seemingly quite difficult to find these days. A lot of aftermarket parts are being sold as oem also. I recently noticed when looking for a bezel insert myself.
One is the original and one is a copy with a different dial (still seiko style). Yes, the islander may have better specs but it’s not the original, no difference at all from buying a pagani design, steeldive, heimdallr, etc. For me it’s a no for the islander, i’d rather buy something with an original design rather than a copy with better specs.
I have the islander but I’m buying a gently used skx for $250 guess which watch I’ll wear more? Yep the skx! You can’t compete with the history of the original!!
There are still cheap ones available on occasion, especially the more popular SKX007/009. If you don't care about the water resistance too much I'd recommend looking into 7002 or 7c43 vintage divers from Seiko. They are cheaper, offer a similar look to the SKX and are more charming than todays Seiko 5 Sports line:)
Me to! I had to settle for the 5kx srpd55 but I love it , it's my daily beater for work as a electrician and it holds up shockingly well no pun intended 😂
There’s so many divers out now that beat the pants off the SKX though. I guess if the looks appeal to you that much it may be worth it, but the movement especially is out of date (no pun intended) You can just buy or assemble your o n Seiko diver for not much more, or in some cases a lot less
which is better. what's the history of the islander. 5 yrs. yea I bought the pink one for my daughter but its no seiko. but I did pay $300 which is a hundred more but my daughter wears a lot of pink so I bought it. id say its so much a copy that its a copy which I dont like. building is doing it to profit with little imagination to design one of his own so yea it to me it wrong. thats why all the car look alike because builders are afraid to go out of the box and safe to them just to copy at a lower price. like a fake Rolex.
A fake Rolex says Rolex on it ! A skx islander homage doesn’t claim to be a skx but has its own identity. If prices weren’t so high on the skx I would own one of the real skx models, but I get a way better build quality in the islander for almost half the price! It’s ll probably never be used as a diver. That’s what my marathon is for!
I can't compare them in that regard unfortunately. My SKX is almost 4 years old and has seen salt water countless times. Hence the bezel has become a little clogged up und hard to turn.
I just dont like the dial on the Islander. The SKX have an iconic and distinctive shape to the indices where as The islander’s are just generic circle/rectangle and dont help the watch have a unique identity or truly homage the SKX besides case shape.
Homage doesn’t mean an exact copy usually. Marc at king island wanted the basic look but better build and honestly other than the 12:00 being a different shape and the 6:00and 9:00 are just thicker rectangles. So not tons different. Homage doesn’t mean an exact copy if it were that it would be called a direct copy.
Seiko is completely out of control with their pricing. Their new ltd ed (yet another homage to the 62 MAS) is a whopping $3500. (For basically a $1200. watch) The only driving that level of value is the limitation. Just spend a little more.
@@camarocarl7130 Does it state it's a divers' watch? It's called a diver, so it doesn't need an ISO 6425. Live must be hard for you. With your inability to grasp even basic concepts of naming things.
@@palisadenhonko4962 Mr. Uniformed, I asked Mark the Owner if this watch was tested IAW (ISO) it was not ever tested, so, not a real dive watch. Run your cock holster someplace else.
@@camarocarl7130 dude, even for you the difference between the terms diver and divers'watch must be apparent. An ISO 6425 certified watch is called a divers' watch. A diver is every watch that somebody choses to call a diver. So an Islander isn't a divers'watch but contrary to your post can be called a diver. Btw. a Rolex submariner isn't ISO tested either. Or a Omega Seamaster.
Last year, I bought a pre-owned SKX007 over a new Islander. I wanted the real thing (not an homage) and I wanted a real diver (ISO). The Islander is a better watch by any measure; but it's a knockoff.
So here’s what you do by both and take the Crystal, the bezel, the movement and the bracelet from the islander and put it on the seiko. Problem solved.
Oh wait a new contender has entered the ring.... the 38mm seiko5 in tiffany blue with all the cheapness of the original only less without the ISO rating. For $500 lol
I liked the SKX013 but wanted a red/blue bezel--at the time, there were no decent mods available--later, Islander made a red/blue bezel 38mm. I wear it almost daily--beautiful inserts and polishing-very accurate--nice bracelet-i don't dive--- for flipping or investmet, buy the seiko but to use as a watch, get the Islander
Great video! Thanks for the fair shot.
I bought my wife the purple dial double domed crystal version of this Islander for her birthday in 2021. It, along with the Islanders I have for myself, are nice watches.
Update: my Islander 38 runs fast about 5 seconds per week.
That’s great.
I liked the SKX013 but wanted a red/blue bezel the time, there were no decent mods available--later, Islander made a red/blue bezel 38mm. I wear it almost daily--beautiful inserts and polishing-very accurate--nice bracelet-i don't dive-- or flipping or investmet, buy the seiko but to use as a watch, get the Islander
I have an SKX and although it’s a pain to set, it’s the heritage I’m drawn to. I don’t believe the Islander, although an excellent watch, will ever appreciate like the SKX. Bought mine for about $150 and it’s now going for upward of $500 sometimes. Think I’ll hold on to this one.
I like the heritage and ISO cerification of the Seiko. Other than that, the Islander is better in every way, especially the bracelet.
So the Islander has better bracelet, better crystal, better construction, better dial built and lume… for the same price as a lesser used and scratched old Seiko….
🤔 Tough choice indeed.
It’s not always all about the specs 🤦🏼♂️
When you are a serious collector, it is not about specs but about history, heritage and scarcity. Why would a paul newman daytona cost millions when an f91 is more accurate? Islander watches definitely have better specs than a paul newman daytona that uses acrylic and minimal water resistance.
Between religion vs. science, I'll always choose science. Heritage vs. a better built watch? I'll take the better build. What makes a Paul Newman Daytona so expensive is the same reason people throw money at Joel Osteen ministries.
The Islander also has no heritage or history. It’s soulless.
@@rorschach8585just use your phone mr “science.”
Ive sold my Long Island 3m, same as you have in the video and got me a sapphire modded Skx013. I used to have an skx007 and I miss the jangly bracelet and non shiny bezel insert. I really started to miss the seiko dial and so… got the real thing again!
Good review and comparison on these watches. The history component of the SKX was an educational piece for me.
I own the SKX009 nothing beats a Seiko period 💯👍🏻
Well the islander is basically a seiko in movement essentially it just the skx has more of a history. If the prices on the skx weren’t so high, I would own the skx over the islander due to history and heritage , I would rather have the skx even though built quality is better in the islander! But prices are rediculous in the skx or I would own one but for now I love my islander?
Good video. Buy the Islander....better upgrades like the sapphire crystal. How many of us really need a certified dive watch? I was a Seiko fan but so many of their cool watches have been discontinued.....so I kept searching and ran into Islander watches. Based on Islander specs which includes Seiko movements I ended up buying an Islander and have been very pleased for the price.
You were a seiko fan but because the models you like have been discontinued now you’re not a fan anymore? 🤔 everything gets discontinued eventually.. cars, phones, clothes. I love vintage seikos hence all models are discontinued, the specs aren’t always the best and conditions aren’t always like new.. yet that doesn’t stop me to search for good deals that eventually show up. I’ve encountered many SKX listings for reasonable prices, there’s no need to stop your search just because today you see some flippers asking 550$ for it, it just takes some patience. As for the specs, it’s not always all about the specs.
@@vitellonealvapore877 Okay.... Yea...if Seiko is not making models (design and/or specs) I like, why should I keep being a fan. Seiko has to earn my money..... You like old watches....good for you. No one is going to question why...it's your choice.
@@lx95020 lol, didn't think you were so sensitive. i've mentioned my preference just to make a point, which apparentely went completely over your head.
@@vitellonealvapore877 Not sensitive. Just replied to your reaction of my original comment.
I love the SKX but i can’t justify spending current prices. I’d rather get an islander and then mod it with an oem skx dial and bezel insert. It would be cheaper too and I’d have a better movement and sapphire crystal
So you’d take a perfectly good watch that has its own identity and ruin that by turning it into a fake
That's an interesting approach but even original Seiko SKX013 bezel inserts and dials are seemingly quite difficult to find these days. A lot of aftermarket parts are being sold as oem also. I recently noticed when looking for a bezel insert myself.
@@thenotanclan it’s own identity? 🤣🤣 whatever you say
@@thenotanclan Not to mention ruining an ISO rated diving watch.
I would more likely buy the watches if they replaced the logo with Islander text
I'd have to agree with that, maybe they'll fix that in the future.
The watch to compare with skx must have heritage, in house movement, history, scarcity and iconic appeal.. then, we can compare the specs.
One is the original and one is a copy with a different dial (still seiko style). Yes, the islander may have better specs but it’s not the original, no difference at all from buying a pagani design, steeldive, heimdallr, etc. For me it’s a no for the islander, i’d rather buy something with an original design rather than a copy with better specs.
I have the islander but I’m buying a gently used skx for $250 guess which watch I’ll wear more? Yep the skx! You can’t compete with the history of the original!!
Really wish i had bought an Skx before they were discontinued 😔
There are still cheap ones available on occasion, especially the more popular SKX007/009. If you don't care about the water resistance too much I'd recommend looking into 7002 or 7c43 vintage divers from Seiko. They are cheaper, offer a similar look to the SKX and are more charming than todays Seiko 5 Sports line:)
Me too. 😢
Me to! I had to settle for the 5kx srpd55 but I love it , it's my daily beater for work as a electrician and it holds up shockingly well no pun intended 😂
There’s so many divers out now that beat the pants off the SKX though. I guess if the looks appeal to you that much it may be worth it, but the movement especially is out of date (no pun intended) You can just buy or assemble your o n Seiko diver for not much more, or in some cases a lot less
which is better. what's the history of the islander. 5 yrs. yea I bought the pink one for my daughter but its no seiko. but I did pay $300 which is a hundred more but my daughter wears a lot of pink so I bought it. id say its so much a copy that its a copy which I dont like. building is doing it to profit with little imagination to design one of his own so yea it to me it wrong. thats why all the car look alike because builders are afraid to go out of the box and safe to them just to copy at a lower price. like a fake Rolex.
A fake Rolex says Rolex on it ! A skx islander homage doesn’t claim to be a skx but has its own identity. If prices weren’t so high on the skx I would own one of the real skx models, but I get a way better build quality in the islander for almost half the price! It’s ll probably never be used as a diver. That’s what my marathon is for!
Body blow! Body blow! Uppercut! Uppercut!
Islander for the Win!
I sold the lender blue one and got the skx013.
Do people collect Islanders?
I wish people would stop saying that the SKX was replaced by the Seiko 5 SRPD’s.
i cant get rid of the lines in my comment--please ignore them.
How do you compare the bezel action of these two watches? I own the 38mm Islander and the bezel feels quiet and mushy.
I can't compare them in that regard unfortunately. My SKX is almost 4 years old and has seen salt water countless times. Hence the bezel has become a little clogged up und hard to turn.
I just dont like the dial on the Islander. The SKX have an iconic and distinctive shape to the indices where as The islander’s are just generic circle/rectangle and dont help the watch have a unique identity or truly homage the SKX besides case shape.
Homage doesn’t mean an exact copy usually. Marc at king island wanted the basic look but better build and honestly other than the 12:00 being a different shape and the 6:00and 9:00 are just thicker rectangles. So not tons different. Homage doesn’t mean an exact copy if it were that it would be called a direct copy.
Islander looks ugly in comparison. Idk about specs if the dial is ugly
Seiko is completely out of control with their pricing. Their new ltd ed (yet another homage to the 62 MAS) is a whopping $3500. (For basically a $1200. watch) The only driving that level of value is the limitation. Just spend a little more.
Islander is not a diver. Not pressure, temperature, accuracy tested and not ISO rated. Not legally allowed to be called a diver.
Uninformed bs.
The term you are looking for is divers'.
Any watch can be called diver.
Just look for ISO 6425.
@@palisadenhonko4962 Does the Islander we are talking about here have that ISO 6425 Mr. Uniformed bs?
@@camarocarl7130 Does it state it's a divers' watch?
It's called a diver, so it doesn't need an ISO 6425.
Live must be hard for you. With your inability to grasp even basic concepts of naming things.
@@palisadenhonko4962 Mr. Uniformed, I asked Mark the Owner if this watch was tested IAW (ISO) it was not ever tested, so, not a real dive watch. Run your cock holster someplace else.
@@camarocarl7130 dude,
even for you the difference between the terms diver and divers'watch must be apparent.
An ISO 6425 certified watch is called a divers' watch.
A diver is every watch that somebody choses to call a diver.
So an Islander isn't a divers'watch but contrary to your post can be called a diver.
Btw. a Rolex submariner isn't ISO tested either. Or a Omega Seamaster.
Last year, I bought a pre-owned SKX007 over a new Islander. I wanted the real thing (not an homage) and I wanted a real diver (ISO). The Islander is a better watch by any measure; but it's a knockoff.
Is it really a knockoff though? They took a discontinued watch picked up where Seiko left off and made it better.
for how many bucks ?
260USD. for a near mint 007
So here’s what you do by both and take the Crystal, the bezel, the movement and the bracelet from the islander and put it on the seiko. Problem solved.
Oh wait a new contender has entered the ring.... the 38mm seiko5 in tiffany blue with all the cheapness of the original only less without the ISO rating. For $500 lol
I like the non-fake
duro #1
Also a great option, but they should make a smaller version imo.
I own 2 duros!! And this 013 islander!
Cute little girl watches
I liked the SKX013 but wanted a red/blue bezel--at the time, there were no decent mods available--later, Islander made a red/blue bezel 38mm. I wear it almost daily--beautiful inserts and polishing-very accurate--nice bracelet-i don't dive--- for flipping or investmet, buy the seiko but to use as a watch, get the Islander