“I normally wear a larger diver but decided to give the ISL-05 38mm a try. The watch sits nice on my 7” wrist. It has a nice presence and the lume is off the charts.
Overall a very nice addition to my collection.”
“Thank You Mark for creating this wonder little dive watch.....!!...it’s the one that I didn’t even know I was searching for till I got it on.....I haven’t taken it off since I received it...over a month...!!....for me that’s a miracle..!!....I’ve been buying and selling watches for a very long time....I’ll be 70 this year..!!....for those who have never tried a 38mm dive watch before....it’s your loss..!!!”
“It really is the SKX013 Seiko should have made with ALL the upgrades.
Negatives? I am being very picky now. There is a tiny bit of back play on my bezel. The screw pins are a little finicky and some of them don’t want to disengage after they have been unscrewed. That said, the bracelet is very close to Strapcode quality.
I have a 7 and 1/4 inch wrist and after years of wearing big divers like an SKX007, I prefer smaller watches. This little beauty wears a little like a Seiko Alpinist. More refined and less tool watch looking. Just know why you want the smaller one and don’t randomly take a chance because it is small. It doesn’t look small on wrist, in fact it looks normal when wearing it, but it looks small next to any larger watch and that fact may bother some. Especially those with larger wrists.
Thanks for a fantastic watch and excellent customer service.”
“I've had the watch for a little while now, and I love it. Easy to read, tough and very good looking for $300. The only real issue I have with the watch is that the bezel has a ton of backlash, and sometimes can be turned clockwise up to 5 minutes. Since I'm not diving with it, no problem for me, but it might bother some. I would say that it's worth knocking off half a star, but I'm rounding up and I really do love this watch. Just ordered the new green one, and with the bracelet being upgraded on the new revision of this I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this watch.
I don't know if SKX bezels are known for backlash, or maybe I got a 1-off, but either way, it's literally the only gripe I have on a $300 watch.”
“I gotta say, great watch at a great price. But I’m giving 3 stars based on the fact that the white paint on the bezel insert (specifically on the triangle) was uneven when I got the watch and when I reached out to the company I was told this is typical for this model. Definitely consider that when making this purchase if you are detail oriented.”
“I have already purchased several Islanders, and all them are great. This one hits a sweet spot that has been under-served for guys like me with smaller wrists. Sure, i wear bigger watches all the time, and I like them just fine, but it's fantastic to have this size. There really wasn't anything out there to match the SKX013, but Marc has surpassed it with better parts and better execution. Everything about this watch is better than the Seiko version. Sure, I'll keep my SKX013 because of it's historical provenance, but I'm almost always going to wear this watch instead.
I waited patiently for the second batch of ISL-05's because Marc had mentioned on his YouTube channel that the next iteration would have screw-pins and a milled clasp. It was well worth the delayed gratification to get this gem!”
“The good: Awesome size. The ceramic lumed bezel is a real joy to look at night. The jubilee is really nice and comfortable as well. I really like the oversized spring bars.
The bad: The pushpins were very hard to remove when I got it and I’m experienced with pushpins. (Hopefully I’ll never have to deal with it again now that it is sized) I also feel like milled clasp would be a nice addition. I may find one and put it on when I find it. Awesome watch. I hope you make more sub 40mm watches!”
