- Seiko ELNIX
I'm wearing my 1975 Seiko Elnix again today, as I've regulated it and I thought a peep inside might be of interest to vintage fans. The Elnix was the last of a series of four EB (Electronic Balance) models from Seiko launched in 1969 and the rarest. The previous model EL330 sold well in the US but the Elnix was JDM only. The EB watch, a mixture of mechanical having an escapement and gear train, and electronic in that the balance wheel was powered by magnets and a coil controlled by an IC and needing a battery, was the future when it first appeared in the 1957 Hamilton Ventura - famously worn by Elvis Presley in the film Blue Hawaii. Many manufacturers produced electronic balance models, the best known perhaps being by Bulova and Omega but when Seiko launched the first quartz watch, the Astron also in 1969, that tolled the bell for the Electronic Balance. I paid £250 for my Elnix a few months ago: it was a display model which had never been been sold so I got the full set including owners manual and even the original sales tag!
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- EB with regulation adjustment screw at 8 o'clock
The watch is in pristine condition as you'd expect apart from the fact that it was running -22spd but with my trusty B&M rubber ball (borrowed from Crunchie but rinsed under the tap before use!) and a 0.6mm non-magnetic screwdriver I've unscrewed the back and regulated it by the adjustment screw on top of the balance wheel which you can see at the 8 o'clock position in the picture. As a matter of interest I don't have a Timegrapher as they're difficult to set up and give varying readings unless you're an experienced user, so I have to be patient and do the adjustment incrementally over several days. As the spec for this watch is ±25spd, the +2spd which I've got it down to will do! As a footnote, the date wheel is in English and Kanji but I prefer the latter which reads 'Doyoubi', meaning Saturn for Saturday – just thought you'd like to know . . . .
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- Seiko ELNIX in watch box, Nb. Price tag from 1975!
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- The rubber ball - to unscrew the back
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- And finally, the rightful owner of the rubber ball
