Was the 5 line that great to begin with though?
Well, I always got a pretty good workout shaking them around to get the movement started!
For what was lost in dropping the ISO cert, I think they've gained:
- having way more fun with co-branding and playful designs.
- drilled lugs.
- a movement that hacks and doesn't take effort to wind.
Some nice funky designs among them, but they didn't exactly ooze quality. Perhaps I'm just being snobbish though. Anyway, I did own an SBCM023, which is pretty close to a 38 mm version of the SKX, and I remember feeling that one was very top-heavy even at a height of "only" 12 mm.
I definitely don't think of them as quality time pieces. They are chunky, top-heavy, they are only accurate to +/- 30 sec a day, etc.
But, for $200-$300 I think they are just fun. Like, how a swatch is a fun way to dress down and not take life too seriously.
Since you mentioned it, the SBCM023 is a cool Seiko - I'm not sure I've seen many quartz divers with a perpetual calendar. That caliber 8F35 is no joke either for that time period / price point - I think it's supposed to be accurate to like +/- 30 seconds a year and the battery lasts for several years?
I can see it as a diminishing of the SKX line which was not part of the 5 line ( which I agree with,) but not the other way around.
