6 Discontinued Seiko Watches Collectors Love

roadwarrior

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Gone, But Definitely Not Forgotten

BY MICHAEL STOCKTON
JANUARY 06, 2020
9 MIN READ

https://www.fratellowatches.com/6-di...llectors-love/

With watch collectors, the old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” could hardly be more true. We take a look at 6 Discontinued Seiko pieces that are as hot today as they were during their production run.

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A Discontinued Seiko Doesn’t Always Equal Rare

We’ve watched Seiko change quite a bit over the past several years as they’ve made more of a concerted effort to market themselves globally instead of focusing on Japan and casting some odds and ends to the rest of the world. In accordance that change, the Japanese brand has more rigorously subdivided its collection into lines such as “Prospex”, “Premier”, “Presage”, “Astron”, and “Seiko 5”. The feeling is that placing pieces into these sub-collections makes marketing clearer and more global. We’ve also seen a general move upmarket from the brand, which has included better movements, finishing, and, in some cases, adders like a sapphire crystal. Higher prices have also come along for the ride. It makes sense, but with that move, there were some longstanding models that were either discontinued or upgraded with the transition. Despite at least one of these models being around for 25(!!) years before running into the axe, it seems fans still can’t get enough of certain discontinued Seiko references. None of these watches are in any way rare (well, one is a bit rarer) and all can be found somewhat easily – some are even still being sold as new – but prices have started to creep. We thought you might want to take a look and perhaps even take action before things get any more expensive or difficult.

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Seiko Monster SKX779/781 “Monster”

The first discontinued Seiko on our list is actually one that’s been gone for quite awhile, but still comes up frequently on forums as a watch that’s often the target of a search. The Seiko SKX779/781 is the first watch that’s known as a “Monster” and in 779 guise it’s black while the 781 is orange. Available on either 20mm rubber or a unique stainless bracelet, this watch is about as “love it or hate it” as it gets. Introduced way back in 2000, the Monster soldiered on until 2012, but new old stock was reported as being easy (and cheap) to find as late as 2014. The Monster, as part of the SKX series, used the same automatic movement as the SKX007 and that’s the rock solid 7S26. This means no hacking or hand winding, but a reputation for robustness. Externally, though, the Monster brought highly unique styling with an “in your face” serrated steel bezel that’s shrouded at 12:00 and 6:00 by the stainless 43mm case. That case also houses a screw-down crown that sits at the familiar Seiko 4:00. Well known for its insane lume and legible dial, the Monster is an actual tool watch that divers use without worrying so much about scratching or smacking into things. 200 meters of water resistance don’t hurt either! After all, it was easy to find these for well under $200 when new. Nowadays, a Monster can still be found on places like WatchRecon or WatchPatrol for less than $200, but condition will qualify as rather worn. For a really nice piece with all of its kit, figure on $300 or more. I own an SKX779 “Black Monster” that I sourced from Japan a year or so ago and I must admit that it gives me a certain amount of pleasure to wear. While I’ve never truly loved the bezel (or that fact that crud often gets stuck between it and the shroud), the dial is a real winner and harkens back to a previous era at Seiko where things were a bit more simple. As you can see, I missed the boat on buying one of these new, but actually bought a new second generation version on a trip to Hong Kong some years back (this great article gives you a rundown on the various Monster variants and generations). While the 2nd gen version is objectively better mechanically, I like the look of the original far more. By the way, if you’re only into buying new, there’s now a 3rd generation Monster that you can find on the Seiko site. It retails for 479 Euros, gets the Prospex “X” on its dial and sports the 4R36 movement. Looks wise, it’s still a bit different than the first generation, but it’s at least more in keeping with the original than the second generation version.

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So I discovered a problem for me and a Seiko marketing success story. Now I have found the bottlecap has made me want a monster SZSC005 or oo3
 
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