The icon, the descendant and the homage. Luckily, I had the opportunity to wear all of them for a decent time, so here is an honest comparison. Every piece has its audience, let’s find out who are they?
First, we go through the three musketeers. I’m sure everybody heard about the Seiko SKX. It’s a popular diver from Seiko with an ISO6425 certification, which means it’s an official diver.
In 2019 Seiko replaced it with a new Seiko 5 line. This is called the SRPD collection, with a lot of different models. (You can check out my full review here.)
Check out the sizes; the SKX and the 5KX have the same dimensions. 42 mm diameter, with 46 mm from lug to lug. Their height is 13 mm. It’s not a surprise that the Ben Nevis is a bit bigger, like all homages. The diameter is 44 mm, 50 mm from lug to lug, but the height is only 11 mm. It’s not only larger but also feels a bit bulky.
The weights are different as well. The SKX and the 5KX is around 80 g without bracelet while the Ben Nevis is 55 g light, because they use cheaper materials, it’s not stainless steel and doesn’t have a heavy mechanism.
Move toward with the movements. The 7S26 and the upgraded version of it, the 4r36 in the Seikos are automatic. There are many differences, but It’s not a question that I like the 4R36 more because of the hand winding and hacking functions.
The Ben Nevis has a Sunon SL28 named movement. It’s dirt cheap, easy to replace, but it’s quartz, and it has no soul according to almost all watch enthusiasts.
If you ask me, let’s go for the real ones. SKX can be hard to find for a reasonable price, but their replacement, the new SRPD line is a great alternative.
The Ben Nevis can be good for play around. I’ve bought it to make fake patina, fade the bezel or fill it with oil to have a better water resistance and readability underwater. (results will be documented here)
In my opinion, you can feel free to experiment on the watch in this price range, then you can move on to the SKX or 5KX.