In J.C. Chandor's stripped-back 2013 survival film 'All Is Lost', Robert Redford delivers an almost wordless performance as a lone sailor battling the Indian Ocean. On his wrist throughout the ordeal sits a Seiko SKX009 on a blue NATO strap — a detail that went largely unnoticed by mainstream reviewers but was immediately catalogued by the watch community. Credit for the spot goes to @gabrimonwatches.
The Seiko SKX009 is a variant of the iconic SKX007, distinguished primarily by its blue dial and bezel insert. Both references are powered by the Calibre 7S26, a 21-jewel automatic movement beating at 21,600 vph with a power reserve of approximately 40 hours. The movement lacks hand-winding and hacking functions — quirks that would normally draw criticism — yet its robustness and long-term accuracy have made it a benchmark for entry-level mechanical watchmaking. The case measures 42mm in stainless steel with a screwed caseback and screw-down crown, offering 200 metres of water resistance. It is, by any objective measure, a serious diver's tool.
The SKX line was discontinued by Seiko in 2019, a decision that transformed both references from affordable workhorses into collector touchstones almost overnight. The SKX009 in particular benefits from the relative scarcity of blue-dial divers in the under-$500 segment historically. Collectors prize unpolished cases and early examples with crisp lume plots; grey market prices have climbed well above original retail as a result.
For a film built entirely on authenticity — no co-stars, minimal dialogue, real sailing footage — the SKX009 is an inspired prop choice, whether intentional or incidental. A sailor's watch on a sailor's wrist. Redford's character carries no backstory and speaks almost no lines, yet the Seiko communicates something immediately legible: this man knows what he's doing, or at least what equipment he trusts.
Originally retailing around $150–200 before discontinuation, the SKX009 now trades on the grey market for roughly $300 or more depending on condition. For a watch that once lived in the shadow of Swiss divers costing ten times as much, that trajectory speaks for itself.
