There was another model from Seiko that really caught my eye and it was the black SKZ211K with yellow hands. Nicknamed “Atlas” by a majority of watch enthusiasts. I believe the internal rotating sun compass ring that suggested the use of this watch in hiking and jungle trekking. Since an Atlas is associated with a map and a map in turn has connotations with navigation, Atlas was chosen. Another nickname is the “Landshark”. I’m not sure how that alternative name was selected but the it’s also a widely accepted nickname for this watch.
The Atlas has an amazing, solid feel to it. It sits flatly on the wrist and doesn’t flop around that easily. I like Seiko’s choice of the blue hue in this watch – depending on the lighting it resembles black. I’m a fan of dark blue dials, really and this watch really grabbed my attention immediately. Although it looks like a dive watch - it is not. The Atlas was designed as sports watch from scratch. Not sure why Seiko intentionally made the Atlas to look similar - you can easily confuse it with their true diver’s watches.
Seiko had another oversight with the compass crown design – there is no way to lock it down. The crown is rotates too easily so you can’t prevent the compass ring from accidental turning. If you rely on the watch’s sun compass for navigation, you may be at risk of losing your bearing. Anyway, now with GPS, this manual function is going to be obsolete the same way as slide rulers.....
Pictures taken using Nikon D80.
