Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Seiko7A38 at March 25, 2015 at 1:06 PM

That Italian eBay listing for the 7A38-701A ended earlier this afternoon - sold against a best offer. When I'd made a deliberately low-ball offer (of only 200 Euros, in an effort to see what figure the seller might counter with), there were already 3 other offers pending - two of whom had already received counter-offers from the seller. It was a good as sold by then.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm//281640233473

According to Goofbids's Best Offer History tool it sold for 250 Euros:

Looks like whoever made that offer has backed out - it's back on eBay again, re-listed 20 minutes ago:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281642683104

Before making an offer, remember what the seller wrote in their description:

Please look carefully to the pictures, they are an integral part of the description.

Indeed, look carefully at the seller's photos - apart from the lightly nibbled bezel inlay, check the dial near the 7 o'clock baton. 

Edit: in fact the seller has added a sentence to the description (which wasn't in the previous):

Note that the dial is a bit ruined, but averall it is a beautiful watch!

I'm new to this forum and to 7A38 watches; as soon as I saw one I started looking for one to buy, which doesnt seem the easiest of tasks..

Fantastic looking watches most of them though!

In any case, I have been eyeing this very watch, which I really like. What would say would be a reasonable price? Is it worth waiting for one in a better condition, or will that mean I'll never find one?

I'd be very happy for some feedback

Thanks, I suppose I'll keep looking then. I did receive a counter-offer of 250 EUR, if anyone with a spare dial might be interested.

Oscar. Be patient - you'll certainly never find a replacement dial for it, if you buy that one, regardless of price. 

The 7A38-701A dial has a very distinctive grid pattern to it, which I doubt any professional dial restorer could reproduce properly.

It will bug you no end, every time you look at the watch. If you're in any doubt, try asking the seller for a close-up photo of the dial. 

I note that they've since reduced their original Buy-it-Now price of 390 Euros down to 'only' 300. Hence their counter-offer of 250. 

Looks like no takers at €390. Relisted again, this time only €280…

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281650705123

And I'm assuming this is the same watch, dodgy dial around 7:00 o'clock, from "strega_68" (from December 2012).

Here's where I wrote about one 'suspect example', with dodgy lume and an even dodgier 'respray job' in the eBay section:

http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums/topics/show/7588308  Bad examples of re-finishing seen on eBay - Caveat Emptor

As Paul said: Caveat Emptor, indeed!

Well remembered, Paul - and certainly an interesting thought.  Whereas there are undenaibly some similarities between these two less-than-perfect examples of 7A38-701A - damage to the dial in the 7 o'clock area and the nicks in the lip of the bezel near 70 on the Tachymeter scale, I'm not 100% sure. It's difficult to make comparisons between strega_68's photos (which, at the time, convinced me that the case and bracelet had been re-resprayed) and areasettanta's images which are obviously trying to hide stuff. If it is the same watch then someone has made an attempt to clean up the staining on the dial (resulting in that dark patch where the grid pattern has been rubbed away) and the dial batons have since been re-lumed. In fact if you look again at one of areasettanta's photo's:

.... it appears they have been - not particularly well, either. The lume applied looks rather blobby, compared to the original thin veneer.

No - I think you're right. Flick back and forward between the two sets of photos (which I'm not going to re-post) and all becomes clear.

Definitely one to avoid (again)  - even at 280 Euros (or Best Offer)  - unless you're sat on a NOS dial. Run away, run away ! 

Edit: I note that the seller has made another slight amendment to their description. The part concerning the 'ruined' dial now reads:

As you can see from the picture, there is some light damage on the dial, I'm not able to say it is from sunlight ore perhaps from humidity, but if you look to the watch it in person is not evident like in the pictures.

Of course, the simplest way of confirming whether or not it was the same watch would be to ask Italian eBay seller areasettanta for the serial number of this 7A38-701A ....

But apparently:

More like a matter of withholding information and deliberate deception - just like their cleverly angled photographs. 

(Knew that was coming!)

Checking my eBay watching page, it appears that 7A38-701A with the dodgy dial sold (once again) this morning against a Best Offer:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281650705123

According to Goofbid's eBay Best Offer History tool the offer accepted was just shy of 190 Euros, maybe 189.55 ....

Let's hope it stays sold this time. 

Unfortunately it hasn't.  Turns out the buyer was yet another Italian would-be profiteering re-seller; none other than cmax-28762. 

This new listing appeared on eBay earlier this afternoon:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131519793344

Seiko Quartz modello 7A38-701A condizioni pari al nuovo tutto funzionante azzeramento perfetto vetro nuovo cinturino originale scatola contro scatola.

No mention of the water damage to the dial in the deceptive description, but you don't have to look too closely at the photos to spot it. The case-back serial number appears to be 393410, confirming Paul's (PHK) earlier detective work - the very same 7A38-701A first listed on eBay in December 2012 by strega_68.

Well, after re-listing it umpteen times (I lost count a while back), it seems that profiteering eBay Italian re-seller cmax-28762 finally found a 'mug punter' buyer for the ex-strega_68 ex-areasettanta 7A38-701A with the distinctly dodgy dial. It had dropped off the bottom of my eBay watching page last weekend and I hadn't even noticed. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131587527567

Meanwhile, earlier this week, another Italian eBay seller, estherbfdez, listed a 7A38-701A. Thankfully not the same watch again ! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371429297359

Raro Seiko Chrono day date ref. 7A38-701A primi anni '80 disegnato in collaborazione con Giugiaro, correttamente funzionante in tutte le funzioni, cassa in acciaio satinato mai lucidata o altro, fondello a vite, vetro minerale, quadrante nero.

Braccciale originale coevo con tutte le maglie disponibili.

Dimensioni escluso corona: 39,50 mm. 

Prova di impermeabilità non testata.

Seems I spoke too soon.  It's back on eBay again, this evening - for the Nth time !!  

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131597062654

Seiko7A38 at September 5, 2015 at 7:28 AM

Meanwhile, earlier this week, another Italian eBay seller, estherbfdez, listed a 7A38-701A.

That eBay auction ended yesterday evening, selling for 303.78 Euros (approx. £220.70) after 29 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371429297359

Time for a 'quick' update (or two) to this thread, methinks.

In case anybody who might be watching the umpteenth re-listing of the ex-strega_68 ex-areasettanta 7A38-701A, by would-be profiteering Italian eBay re-seller cmax-28762 hadn't noticed, the Buy-it-Now price has since crept up to 400 Euros. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131642295835

Yesterday, it was joined by another one-day auction listing for a 7A38-701A created by another Italian eBay seller:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/272035832071

Vintage Seiko cronograph calibro 7a38 modello 701a anno 1983 ottime condizioni completo di scatola originale.

The poor quality photos don't show much - other than the watch appears to be fitted with the wrong case-back off a 7A38-7010.

And another 7A38-701A was listed yesterday by Filipino eBay seller apol_of_your_eyes as a low-start ($0.01) 10-day auction:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391311361860

SEIKO QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH STEEL DAY/DATE MEN'S WATCH 7A38-701A

The above eBay auction for a 7A38-701A, by Filipino seller apol_of_your_eyes ended in the early hours of yesterday morning, selling for $142.49 (approx. £94.31) after 17 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391311361860

The previous one, offered by an Italian eBay seller continued to be re-listed on a daily basis, latest price now down to 140 Euros.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272040369860

I suppose I should make a mention of this extremely tired looking example of a 7A38-701A which was listed on eBay midweek by Filipino watch-botcher restoredwatches (a.k.a. jfm_watches and nippontime). It's ironic that he chose to use this particular user ID, because often as not his watches have usually been restored messed around with, in the best (read worst) Filipino watch-botching tradition. But apart from the case-back having been skimmed, this watch appears to be in almost completely original unmolested - if somewhat knackered condition ! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141836660005

Unless you're looking for a parts donor (the watch appears to have a nice set of original hands) or a restoration project ....

In the words of The Bard ....

The above eBay auction for the very well worn looking 7A38-701A ended in the early hours of this morning, selling for $94.89 (approx. £63) after 28 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141836660005

Something of a belated addition to this thread (due to problems with uploading images to Photobucket at the time) ....

This average worn condition 7A38-701A was listed on eBay last Sunday evening by Filipino seller clm1002. Compared to some of their other over-polished offerings, this example was generally unmolested, apart from the case-back which had been skimmed.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311532711905

The 5-day auction ended yesterday evening with the watch selling for $160.50 (approx. £111.55) after 22 bids:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311532711905

Seiko7A38 at November 4, 2015 at 6:03 AM

Time for a 'quick' update (or two) to this thread, methinks.

In case anybody who might be watching the umpteenth re-listing of the ex-strega_68 ex-areasettanta 7A38-701A, by would-be profiteering Italian eBay re-seller cmax-28762 hadn't noticed, the Buy-it-Now price has since crept up to 400 Euros. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131642295835

Something of a belated update to the long-running saga of this particular 7A38-701A with a dodgy dial. 

This morning I was going through my eBay watching page, clearing out some 'old crap' (ended listings) to make room for more crap, when I noticed that this hadn't been re-listed. Seems it finally sold (again) on 23rd January - for 250 Euros this time.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131701823436