There and back again: A Seiko SKX Modding Tale
8 min read
In hours of watching countless YouTube videos, every so often I come across something actually useful. I found a video where Adam Savage and Michael Stevens discuss watches. Two of my favorite people on the internet discussing one of my favorite topics (YESSSS)! Should I open a bottle of Champagne and call in sick to watch that video?
In it they geek out about watches and get talking about the Seiko SKX. Adam mentioned that there is a community of modders out there which take the popular, affordable, yet still good quality SKX and swap out just about every part of the watch. Whaaa? One can modify watches? How exciting!!! I happened to have a spare SKX009 lying around (as you do, right? 🙂 I had bought two identical ones earlier – wore one and kept the other as an investment). So I went down the rabbit hole of tracking down parts. I wanted to make my very own version of the SKX and took inspiration from a mod called „RedOctober“. The red AR coating on the crystal caught my eye: I had only ever seen blue coatings and the original SKX does not even have any.
Now, the real reason behind writing this post is actually not RedOctober but my latest mod. You see, I had sourced parts and swapped them out successfully. However, I was not as satisfied as I had imagined. I changed chapter ring, bezel insert, bezel, hands and of course the crystal with red AR coating. Apart from the first couple of days I never actually wore the watch. In another revision – of which I surprisingly do not even have pictures – I tried to salvage the mod. I swapped dial to a grey color with sunburst pattern, Rolex-style Mercedes hands and a ceramic coke GMT bezel. Still, the watch did not feel right. All that work for nothing? I just put it on a display stand and glanced at it from time to time.
Due to a move the watches were buried in a box in the “box room” for a long time. It was only after unpacking and re-discovery of the original SKX009 – which I had worn a lot – when I thought how cool this watch really is and remembered the sad and forgotten SKX-cripple with its red shimmering crystal. I decided I would bring this project to a worthy end by swapping things around one last time.
Goal
- Trying my hand at watch modding to find out how difficult it is.
- Create my own version of the Seiko SKX
- Finishing an unfinished project
Materials & Tools
As with any new hobby, there is some initial investment to be made. My good friend Ali had many items available and at affordable prices. I would say whilst good tools will always make your job easier, for many of them you can get away with cheaper versions as long as you spend a bit more on the crucial ones. Tweezers are such a case. I recommend at least one good pair of brass tweezers. The cheap ones on AliExpress are just too bulky or their tips never quite meet. The problem with that is that you cannot properly hold small parts and you will be flicking them across the room like it‘s an olympic sport and you‘re going for the gold medal. Good luck if you have carpet, it will never let you have your part back again.
Tools I used
- Clean work surface or mat
- Case opening tool
- Part tray with cover
- Dial protector
- Hand removal tool
- Hand setting tool
- Case holder
- Watchmaker‘s cushion
- Microfiber cloth
- Finger cots
- Springbar tool
- Tweezers
- (Not pictured) Rodico, dust blower, 3D printed movement holder
As for the parts, I will have the following changes compared to the original SKX009 watch:
- Crystal CT052, Crystaltimes, Ebay
- Original SKX007J Dial*, Ebay
- Chapter ring, Ebay
- Bezel insert CT652, Crystaltimes, Ebay
*At first glance the dials of the 009 and 007 look identical. However in the right lighting conditions you can tell the dark blue of the 009 dial and the black dial of the 007 dial apart.
Process
I start with cleaning the workspace and gathering all the needed tools and parts.
Then the bracelet comes off. It would not necessarily have to since the jangly bracelet moves out of the way easily to make the movement accessible. But without bracelet it is even easier. With the caseback opener I remove the caseback. The movement comes out and the hands are popped off by first setting noon/midnight and waiting for the second hand to reach the same position. The dial studs are a press fit and not screwed to the movement, so a careful pry with a flat plastic does the trick (flathead screwdriver works too but you run the risk of scratches). On comes the new dial, hands and Bob‘s already your uncle. Well, not just quite yet. Some patience is in order. Just before the hands go on, the movement must be set to the correct time (around midnight) in order to have the day and date roll over at midnight and not randomly when you’re having your afternoon coffee. Since you’re now a professional watchmaker, you have the power to decide: do you want the date wheel to start moving at midnight or flick precisely at 12:00?
Challenges & Learnings
I always say:
Disappointment = Expectation – Reality
… and that is exactly what happened with the first mod. It just did not match the spectacular shots I had seen on YouTube and the ones in my head (with glitter-unicorns, rainbows and angels singing in the background). It happens to me often and I see it as a result of perfectionism mixed with good powers of imagination.
I think the road to success for me is called “embrace the suck” (maybe I should start getting tattoos of these life lessons). It should be clear that no project will ever go exactly as envisioned, the probability is just not in its favor. Sometimes there are minor deviations, sometimes major ones. I get thrown off by small ones easily. Often when the suck hits, it takes away a lot of the motivation to finish, so the better I can deal with it, embrace it by saying “yes it sucks, but let’s just take it for what it is (namely an inherent part of my hobby) and figure out how to get through it”, the likelier I will push a project to a satisfying end.
With this project that process is clearly visible. After two mods that did not mark the best day of my life (high expectation vs reality > disappointment) I put the project in a box, I gave up. A random spark (“hey, the SKX is such a damn nice watch”) gave me the clarity to see the suck and embrace it. Now I can call it a finished project and I am very happy with the outcome.
One valuable exercise for me when working on watches is practicing patience and sticking to a strict, linear process. I have a tendency to rush as I near the finish line—wanting to case the movement quickly, even if there’s dust or smudges on the inside of the crystal (“Pff, I can do that later. Let’s see what it looks like NOW”😂). But watchmaking doesn’t allow for shortcuts: the dial side must be perfectly clean before assembly. Otherwise, the final result suffers and I end up having to take everything apart again. It’s only truly ready when the last speck of dust is gone.
Result
My third attempt at modification finally brought about a result that I am satisfied with. Before it looked too much like a Rolex which it is obviously not. This mod finally clicks with me beacuse it keeps the original’s character, but in a slightly more eye-catching way. The chapter ring is silver and shiny instead of dark with white markings, the ceramic bezel insert has more gloss than the original aluminum one and the crystal keeps its original shape with the addition of the blue tint of the AR.
Reflections
The watch enthusiasts will have spotted the transformation of an SKX009 into a 007. Or is it? It reminds me of this philosophical question of replacing components of a sailboat. You take a plank off the boat and set it on the ground. You take a piece of railing and nail it to the plank before. Repeat the process enough times and you get to a point where you have 2 half ships… or do you? The question becomes, when does the first ship cease to exist and the second ship start to? Do both exist at the same time? How much must be taken from the first before it is no longer a ship? Half? All of it? One plank?
The ship question came to my mind at the end of this project because the starting point was an SKX009 (dark blue dial, pepsi bezel insert) and now I have what looks like an SKX007 (black dial, black bezel insert). Apart from the dial, all mod parts are aftermarket parts. If it’s not an SKX007, is it because of the aftermarket parts or because it is still an SKX009 on the inside?
I conclude that it is an SKX007 homage.
Resources
- Crystaltimes One of the many sources for mod parts. They also sell on Ebay which is where I ordered because of shipping to Switzerland.
- AliExpress For affordable watchmaker’s tools, mod parts (and almost anything else)
- Chrono24 A really good service for buying and selling watches, new or used.
Have you tried something similar? Got tips or questions? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Into the blue 
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