“I've never owned a "real" SKX, but have looked at the 38mm variants for a while. Due to the recent increase in quality in the 300 dollar microbrand segment, I would feel shortchanged spending that on a comparatively old watch.
I feel everything BUT shortchanged with my ISL-21. Besides uncomfortable crown guards (that I assume are exact matches of the Seiko ones), and endlinks that are slightly on the thicc side, I can't fault it in any way. The honeymoon has lasted a couple of weeks now, and I have yet to glance at the other pieces on the watch box.
It's all I would ever need in a watch...”
“There are a lot of positives about this watch:
1) Color
2) *Double dome sapphire*
3) Angled bezel insert
4) "O" bracelet with screw posts / links
And it's a 38mm mid-size which has the appeal of being sports/dress watch hybrid.
However, the lume dots & numerals should have been sized in proportion to mid-size...didn't look right. In addition the hour and minute hands should have had a more refined look too "clunky" for my taste.”
“Overall, I'm very pleased with the Island Watch buying experience and would recommend them and this product!
I love green dial watches and this one is a gem! Literally, looks like an emerald on your wrist. The Islander 38mm's are huge value and easy to mod since all the dimensions, etc. mirror parts from the SKX 013. I think a jubilee bracelet is a better choice for this watch since it's a bit more "blingy." I also replaced my bezel insert with a black ceramic one to tone down the amount of green and since I found that the clarity of the numbers on the luminous sapphire bezel are not as "crisp" as I'd like.”
“Great watch! The green color is gorgeous, and everything matches: the dial, bezel, and chapter ring. I think the Marine Master hands were the right call; the usual arrowheads might be a bit busy on a smaller watch like this.
The double-dome crystal gives a great view of the wonders below. It's like a beautiful green jewel on my wrist.
Bracelet feels solid. The screw pins holding the links are a bit unusual: They're threaded at the top, not at the bottom, and there's a pivot joint between the threaded part and the rest of the pin. (Marc's got a YouTube video about these screws now)
I was worried this 38mm watch would feel too small compared to my usual 45mm Seiko turtle, but it's actually really nice on the wrist. Looks great and feels solid, but not heavy.
It's running a tiny bit fast now (maybe +:07/day), but that's close enough for me. My Seiko SRPD11 has the same movement and it runs a little fast, too.
Happy customer!”
“I swapped the bracelet for the one that came on my ISL-05, swapped the clasp back to my 21 and this watch is now my favorite all-around-er. It's comfortable, easy to read, and man that dial.
Price is great, quality is great, specs, etc. You really can't go wrong with one of these, if you're looking for a diver.”
“Excellent watch. Love the sunburst green color and the stop light seconds hand. Highly recommend and looking forward to buying more long Island brand watches in the future.”
“This watch is perfect! Great specs, well made, and gorgeous. Can't be beat at the price. This watch gets way more compliments than any other watch in my collection, including some very very expensive pieces. Obviously this isn't as well made as those but at 10% of their price I feel having something this nice is a steal.”
