seiko aficionados please :)

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Matty75
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seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Matty75 »

I've been the proud owner of this, through childhood longing and subsequent inheritance, when its owner, my God-Father sadly passed away...

Again, sadly i'm unable to wear it as the strap won't stay done up but i don't want to swap it for anything non Seiko.. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.. in fact any comment upon it at all would be happily received..

oh yeah, this isn't the actual piece.. mine has the day/date function also and i think hails from Saudi Arabia originally as has arab script day readout as well as the normal western Mon/tue/wed etc..

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C60 TRIDENT AUTO #1556, C11 MSL BLACK MANTA #0891, 1984 Seiko 7a38, Tag Heuer 2000 professional(my daily grind) and other Seiko's..

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C60 FLE Scooter Blue, C70 MC, Steinhart Nav-B, C9-AUTO, 7a series Seikos & Maybe a Seiko Monster.
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by castle »

I don't really go for quartz, but have seen similar models and really like them.

Are you looking for a replacement bracelet, and if so does it have to be exactly the same? I'm not sure of the lug arrangement on this- what about swapping it onto leather or nato?

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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by ItsAliveJim »

When you say the original strap won't stay done up, is it because the clasp comes undone? Does it just need a new clasp, or might just need tightening or something?

I think that would look good on a solid leather strap like a Hirsh Liberty or a Di Modell Jumbo.

It would even work on a croc effect leather a la Tag Heuer Carrera chrono:

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Matty75
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Matty75 »

gents thank you for the ideas, i'm keen i think now, to retain it on an original strap... I've also found out from another forum member there's a little more to my Japanese acquisition than i first assumed... I'll post more in a while..
C60 TRIDENT AUTO #1556, C11 MSL BLACK MANTA #0891, 1984 Seiko 7a38, Tag Heuer 2000 professional(my daily grind) and other Seiko's..

Wish list:
C60 FLE Scooter Blue, C70 MC, Steinhart Nav-B, C9-AUTO, 7a series Seikos & Maybe a Seiko Monster.
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by jimbo »

I have an old "sports 150" with a dodgy clasp, and I "fixed" it by bending it slightly with some (look away now Kip) pliers , it it did the job :D

Hope it carries on chugging away for a while yet
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Dancematt »

jimbo wrote:I have an old "sports 150" with a dodgy clasp, and I "fixed" it by bending it slightly with some (look away now Kip) pliers , it it did the job :D

Hope it carries on chugging away for a while yet
That may work, i have done the same with an old Seiko clasp also but had to be done in small adjustments to get it right.

As per sent PM Matt:

History

Originally released in 1983 the seiko 7a28 (which was released just under a year before its brother the 7a38) was the first ever analog quartz chronograph ever made. as was the 7a38.....So its quite an important watch as quartz watches go. The 7a38 differs from the 7a28 via the addition of a day, date complication intergrated into one of the chronograph sub dials (very cool).

The movements in these are still considered very worthy by modern quartz watch standards and can still be serviced by Seiko ( a service will cost around £90 to £120 i think), this is unusual because many brands (including seiko) have stopped servicing their older quartz watches. They are kind of over engineered really as they have a calibration pot that allows fine regulation by the owner/ watchmaker, which is rare in a quartz watch - also the jewel count is fairly high for a quartz movement.

You can check the year of the watch from the first two digits of the case serial on the case back- first number is year (it'll be 80 something, so if its a 4 it'll be 84) second number is usually month made.

Further Info:

The MOD had a contract with seiko through the 80's and 90s and choose the 7a28 (without day date that means basically) as an official RAF pilot watch (and later chose a seiko 7t27 quartz chrono which I now have). A yellow dial version of your watch (i.e with day/date) was supposedly ordered by the vulcan bomber team as their offical watch and it can now fetch around £1000 at auction - almost a ghost of a military watch, very mythical at least as there is no real evidence to support this theory and, sadly, it has now been possibly de-bunked by a real vulcan pilot on another forum (makes sense really):
Originally Posted by vulcanbob
Can I destroy a myth? I flew Vulcans from 1975-84. The yellow-faced Seikos were apparently purchased by the MOD in 1983. I read that some 700 were bought. By 1983, there was only 1 Vulcan squadron left (No 50, based at RAF Waddington) with just 50 aircrew officers.

Unfounded rumour has it that the yellow-faced Seikos were purchased because they were easier to see in the dim Vulcan cockpit. The Vulcan cockpit was `jam-packed` with black instrument dials of various shapes and sizes. There was always more than enough light to see them, AND our black-faced aircrew watches.

The Vulcan came into service in 1958 and the last squadron was disbanded in April 1984. It is illogical to think that the MOD would make a special purchase for watches in the last year of the aircraft`s military life.

The explaination that there are no military markings on the watch "because they were the subject of a "local purchase order" does not ring true. Supply Officers` cash limits for local purchases were highly-regulated and very limited. The cost of 700 Seikos would undoubtedly be well-beyond any "local purchase" limits.

As to the photographs in Charlie`s message. This is a modern-day watch and, unfortunately, I do not think that it has anything to do with the military, despite the stamped numbers on the back. I see no reason why the MOD would purchase an attractive coloured faced watch such as this one. An RAF Supply Officer I know has checked for me and, apparently, there are no such watches anywhere on the MOD inventory.

Sorry folks!
The rebutle is that some were made for the coast guard? (very doubtfull) - cool myth though.

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Whats more your watches brother the 7a28 was used in a bond film starring Roger Moore, very collectable in its own right:

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Your Model info:

It appears your model is a 7a38-7070 ;) - parts for these are hard to come by, especially the bezel/ bezel inserts (but you can find them at silly prices on ebay) also seiko no longer make the cystals for these watches and old stock supplies are pretty much dried up.

You can get the crystals here:

http://www.cousinsuk.com/
(you will need to create an account/ log in before viewing)

The crystal Ref you need is: (Seiko) 310W64GN00 - you can copy and paste that into the search box. If it is not available Cousins can hopefully offer alternatives.

As for the bracelet a service may rectify the issue on that also but look into bending with pliers if it seems simple (i.e the locking tabs on the clasp itself...not the hinged bits...they are tricky to get right :)

Bloody cool watch though! Godfather had great taste.
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Matty75 »

Dancematt, I'm extreamly grateful for all that info, including the debunking of the yellow myth and the RAF connection.. My Godfather did indeed have very good taste.. He had a number of Seiko's - autos and Quartz but this was the one i always coveted.

It is THE watch that got me into "watches" so all of this stuff means a great deal to me.. so Thank you.. I really appreciate it..

Top stuff :)
C60 TRIDENT AUTO #1556, C11 MSL BLACK MANTA #0891, 1984 Seiko 7a38, Tag Heuer 2000 professional(my daily grind) and other Seiko's..

Wish list:
C60 FLE Scooter Blue, C70 MC, Steinhart Nav-B, C9-AUTO, 7a series Seikos & Maybe a Seiko Monster.
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by jimbo »

I sent my sports 150 to Bracknell (Seiko HQ for the UK) and they serviced my watch, refitted a small hand that had fallen off, pressure tested it, and sent it back with a certificate of the pressure test for about £45, this was about 2 years ago. It has been running very well since then, and is now my "Gardening/DIY" watch.

I also use it as a stop watch when umpiring table tennis matches, and swimming in...it's great
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Matty75 »

jimbo wrote:I sent my sports 150 to Bracknell (Seiko HQ for the UK) and they serviced my watch, refitted a small hand that had fallen off, pressure tested it, and sent it back with a certificate of the pressure test for about £45, this was about 2 years ago. It has been running very well since then, and is now my "Gardening/DIY" watch.

I also use it as a stop watch when umpiring table tennis matches, and swimming in...it's great
:thumbup:
C60 TRIDENT AUTO #1556, C11 MSL BLACK MANTA #0891, 1984 Seiko 7a38, Tag Heuer 2000 professional(my daily grind) and other Seiko's..

Wish list:
C60 FLE Scooter Blue, C70 MC, Steinhart Nav-B, C9-AUTO, 7a series Seikos & Maybe a Seiko Monster.
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Dancematt wrote:It appears your model is a 7a38-7070 ;) ....

Bloody cool watch though! Godfather had great taste.
Agreed. :D

Here's my three 7A38-7070's (bottom one is slightly modded with an all-black 709L dial and hands off a 7A28-7040):

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SEIKO 7A38 - by the numbers http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums/
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Matty75 wrote:Dancematt, I'm extreamly grateful for all that info, including the debunking of the yellow myth and the RAF connection..

Top stuff :)
Ahem. I believe the 'Yellow Myth' about the 7A38 RAF Vulcan was comprehensively debunked (in a very long thread on another UK watch forum whose proprietor uses his initals as a brand) a good few years ago. But what do I know. 8)

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Still a very desirable watch though. :D

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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Dancematt »

The link I found for the VB myth explained it best for me and was all I could find at the time. Still prices for these are crazy high no? Or have they come down since being myth busted?
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Seiko7A38 »

I was only pulling your leg. :D
That post you quoted from MWR, if memory serves, is certainly a lot more concise than the other mega-thread (on RLT) which I alluded to.

Yes, sanity has been restored, price-wise, though you'll still probably have to pay around £500 for a decent one.

Funnily enough the 'Vulcan' myth was finally well and truly blown thanks to unintentional input from 'CharlieChuckles' - a.k.a. 'Charlotte' who just happened to be an employee of Anchor Supplies in Ripley. They allegedly had a cache of NOS Vulcans for sale, so naturally had absolutely no 'vested interest' in perpetuating the myth.

This is a quote from their website:
Sometimes also available as the Yellow Face variety which was a special issue for Vulcan Flight Crew...
but a substantially higher cost. If you would like a "Yellow Face" please email us... we will add you to our waiting list.
NOTE: we have seen only TWO Yellow faced Seiko "Vulcan" watches in the past 5 years...
both were used and were individually sold in excess of £1000 each !!!
We are reliably informed that a Seiko Vulcan yellow Face fetched over $2600 in eBay USA recently.
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Re: seiko aficionados please :)

Post by Dancematt »

I see, prices in line with the Alien/ Bishop styles now? (Seems to be a fair few of them around at the moment) good to know the originals etc of all this stuff. Watch myths are one of the more fascinating parts of this (hobby?) Obsession.
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