Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

This 7A38-701A, which appears to be in decent used condition, came up in my eBay saved search notifications overnight. It seems to have been 'missing in action' for a couple of days. It was actually first listed by a Zero-feedback Italian eBay seller at lunchtime on 30th April, as a 10-day auction, with a typically Italian over-optimistic opening bid price of 280 Euros, or the option to make an offer. It has to be said, a couple of the photos are absolutely crap, but I've uploaded the full set of 12 anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402248800826

Seiko Quartz Chronograph “missing seiko” 7A38 701A James Bond Rare. La condizione Usato.

Not exactly a surprise disappearance, earlier this afternoon the Zero-feedback Italian eBay seller ended his short-lived listing for a 7A38-701A as allegedly no longer available. Presumably, he succumbed to a 'back door offer'. Unless of course, it's just 'gone missing'. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402248800826

Over the last few days, an Italian eBay seller ervin.pepa listed a number of 7A's. He appears to be selling off a collection. Generally speaking, they're all typically speculatively over-priced for their condition, regardless. His favourite price point appears to be an exceedingly ambitious 600 Euros. Yesterday evening, among other 7Axx watches, he listed not one, but two 7A38-701A's.

The first is in average worn condition and fitted with the correct original Seiko p/n Z1118S bracelet. Probably realistically worth about half the seller's standard risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now asking price of 600 Euros.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124186263796

The second isn't in quite such good condition, with a few small dings around the rim of the bezel and similar nicks in the inlay. The chronograph hands are more faded - to almost yellow. A small Ferrari (nose badge) logo has been added to the dial - presumably a waterslide transfer. The watch is fitted with an incorrect Seiko p/n YA17A bracelet, normally found on the JDM 7A28-701A SPEEDMASTER.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124186268114

His descriptions of the two 7A38-701A's are identical, with no mention whatsoever of the Ferrari logo nor incorrect bracelet fitted to the second one:

Vendo dalla mia collezione privata questo bellissimo orologio in ottime condizioni. 

Seiko Quartz Chronograph Ref. 7a38-701A

Meccanismo al quarzo con batteria nuova perfettamente funzionante.

Cassa in acciaio inossidabile. Cinturino originale in acciaio inossidabile.

Privo di scatola e documenti.

Spedizione tracciata.

Both those 7A38-701A's (the correct example and the other with Ferrari-logo'd dial, fitted with the wrong bracelet off a 7A28-701A) listed by the Italian eBay seller ervin.pepa sold earlier this week.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124186263796

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124186268114

Neither sold for the seller's 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 600 Euros. Both were sold against best offers. Unfortunately, due to eBay's current deliberate obfuscation of best offer selling prices (as explained in this thread - which I updated on Friday), I'm presently unable to determine what prices they actually sold for.

Edit - Belated Update:

I'm pleased to announce that the alternative eBay best offer 'true selling price' link appears to be working again - and can reveal that those two 7A38-701A's sold for 500 and 350 Euros respectively:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?viewitem&item=124186263796

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?viewitem&item=124186268114

This well-worn 7A38-701A, fitted with a non-original replacement Seiko bracelet, was listed at lunchtime today, by a German eBay seller, with a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 649 Euros, with the option to make a much lower more realistic offer. Nice teak Seiko presentation box, though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293613111300

Seiko 7a38-701a Chronograph Quartzuhr mit Box. 

Uhr läuft einwandfrei und hält die Zeit. 

Chronographenfunktionen alle gegeben. 

Totalisatoren nullen korrekt. 

Batterie neu. 

Versicherter Versand innerhalb Deutschlands inklusive. 

Privatverkauf daher keine Garantie oder Rücknahme.

This 7A38-701A, with a familiar Ferrari logo'd dial, fitted with a non-original incorrect replacement (JDM) Seiko 7A28-701A Speedmaster bracelet, which was sold last month by Italian eBay seller ervin.pepa, for a best offer of 350 Euros, re-appeared on eBay earlier this afternoon, listed by a would-be profiteering Greek re-seller, with a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of £549 (Sterling).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283924140837

The Seiko 7A28/7A38 family of watches introduced the first analogue display quartz chronograph movement to the world. Seiko launched the series in the early 1980s, and the movement went on to appear in many notable watches. The company marketed the series to high-end consumers and featured the watch propped against the dashboards of luxury vehicles such as the Porsche 911 and Audi Quattros. Not to mention the initial advertisement that read “Watch history being made”. The Seiko 7A38 differs only from its 7A28 stable mate by addition of the day and date function. Internally, the movement stayed with a total of 15 jewels. 

The watch on sale was most likely produced in December of 1983 (watchsleuth date finder was used). The dial is a real beauty and has a Ferrari logo. The crystal is in very good condition as it appears on the high resolution photos, the case, bezel and case back have signs of wear. The bracelet (ref YA17A) is not the one that originally came with the watch, however it is a genuine seiko bracelet stemming from a 7A28-701 model and looks great.The watch measures 40mm in diameter without the crown, it is 12mm thick and has 20mm lug width. The watch is in working condition, with the chronograph functioning as should and resetting properly, but cannot guarantee water tightness and time keeping, since no service record is available. There are no extra bracelet links, will fit upto 17cm wrist. 

The photos are of the actual watch on sale. Feel free to ask any questions.

This well-worn non-running 7A38-701A head only, missing a pusher, was listed yesterday evening, for parts or repair, by Italian eBay seller akarides, as a 10-day auction with an opening bid price of 1 Euro. Note the badly scratched case-back - the mark(s) of a true botcher. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114279160870

Dalla mia collezione vendo al miglior offerente cronografo SEIKO 7A38 701A, modello molto raro della serie 7Axx, il primo cronografo al quarzo al mondo analogico prodotto dalla Seiko alla fine del 1982 (questo esemplare è del Settembre 1983). 

Questa referenza è sicuramente una delle più rare: l'orologio è tutto originale in ognuna delle sue parti (da notare il quadrante con la particolare lavorazione); purtroppo però non è funzionante e viene venduto nello stato in cui si trova per riparazione o per parti di ricambio.

Il quandrante è in ottime condizioni; il movimento non ha tracce di ruggine o corrosione da acido di batteria; uno dei pulsanti del cronografo è mancante. 

Ripeto che l'orologio è non funzionante e viene venduto nello stato in cui si trova, come raffigurato nelle foto (che fanno parte integrante della descrizione) e descritto, ovviamente senza alcuna garanzia e restituzione. 

L'asta parte da 1 euro e valuto proposte di acquisto. 

Chiedete pure per qualsiasi domanda.

==========================================================================================

From my collection I am selling a SEIKO 7A38 701A chronograph, a very rare model of the 7Axx series, the first quartz analog chronograph in the world produced by Seiko at the end of 1982 (this is from September 1983). 

This model is certainly one of the rarest: the watch is all original in each of its parts (note the dial with tits particular processing); unfortunately, however, it is not working and is sold as-is for repair or spare parts.

The dial is in excellent condition; the movement has no traces of rust or corrosion from battery acid; one of the chronograph buttons is missing. 

I repeat that the watch is not working and is sold as-is, as shown in the photos (which are an integral part of the description) and described, obviously without any guarantee and return. 

The auction starts at 1 euro and I evaluate purchase proposals. 

Feel free to ask any questions.

The above 10-day Italian eBay auction for a well-worn non-running 7A38-701A head only 'for parts or repair', which was missing a pusher, ended a few moments ago, selling for 107 Euros after 33 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114279160870

Seiko7A38 at June 23, 2020 at 11:40 AM

This 7A38-701A, with a familiar Ferrari logo'd dial, fitted with a non-original incorrect replacement (JDM) Seiko 7A28-701A Speedmaster bracelet, which was sold last month by Italian eBay seller ervin.pepa, for a best offer of 350 Euros, re-appeared on eBay earlier this afternoon, listed by a would-be profiteering Greek re-seller, with a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of £549 (Sterling).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283924140837

Checking my eBay watching page, I see that the ex-ervin.pepa 7A38-701A, with a Ferrari decalled dial, fitted with an incorrect replacement Seiko JDM bracelet, listed by a would-be profiteering Greek re-seller, had sold early this morning. Not for his heavily marked-up 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of £549, but ....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283924140837

As revealed by the alternative 'true selling price' link, for a best offer of £400:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?viewitem&item=283924140837

I snagged the Ferrari 7A38, what bracelet would that model go to? I'm planning on refinishing the bezel, the case and caseback seemed in decent condtion, but the dial, hands and bracelet is everything on these watches. I almost snagged the part/repair 701A until I saw the caseback and the missing pusher... yikes.

Hey Tyler. If you read higher up the page, you'll see that it's fitted with a Seiko p/n YA17A - normally found on the JDM 7A28-701A. Sorry, but your chances of finding a correct p/n Z1118S bracelet are slim to remote (to none). They're like rocking horse manure. Hence why so many 7A38-701x's, like the one you just bought, end up fitted with various random replacements.

Oh well! Still not a bad match for the overall appearance. I think I did alright on the price for something that you don't see too often. I might just engrave the Ferrari logo on the caseback as well.

This 7A38-701A in average worn condition, with badly discoloured lumed dial batons, was listed earlier this morning, by an Italian eBay seller, with a 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 375 Euros and also the option to make an offer. I've only bothered to upload half of the seller's dozen photos as they're a trifle repetitive.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114384689947

Seiko 7a38 All Original. Great Dial. La condizione Usato. Perfetto function. Service in August. Datario Italian.

This well-worn 7A38-701A head only was listed earlier this afternoon by a Spanish eBay seller, with a Buy-it-Now price of 249.99 Euros and currently without the option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274478460132

Seiko 7A38-70A1 [A3] Yellow Hands, no strap

Used conditions. Scratched cristal. Scratches and knicks on the bezel.

Working conditions, all the functions works perfectly

New battery inside. No strap. 

Any doubts just ask before buying

Customers from US please ask shipping availability

Will ship via UPS on the UE.

This average worn condition 7A38-701A, with an engraved case-back was listed late this afternoon, by an Italian eBay seller, with a 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of $650, or the option to make a much lower, more realistic offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124325969096

RARE Seiko 7A38-701a Chronograph Watch Vintage

Used but in good storage conditions

Completely original Seiko

It works well. Small signs of the time.

Personalized BASE incision Seiko Grand Prix (S.G.P.)

Seiko box.

Earlier this afternoon, irksome profiteering Italian eBay re-seller simone00simone listed this 7A38-701A as a 10-day auction, with an opening bid price of 1 Euro. This is of course, yet another case of Déjà Vu (as are the majority of his eBay listings). See my 2 posts at the top of this page and compare the case-back serial numbers.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114404872321

Seiko 7A38-701A vintage quartz chronograph watch in excellent condition, completely original, the watch has been checked by my watchmaker and is perfect, buttons and chronographs are perfect. Any customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer.

Needless to say, Simone's 7A38-701A case-back serial number 302312 matches that of the previous inexperienced (Zero feedback) Italian eBay seller, who readily succumbed to his presumably lowball 'back door' offer at the beginning of May.

The above 10-day Italian eBay auction for a 7A38-701A in average worn condition, by profiteering re-seller simone00simone ended a few moments ago, selling for 351 Euros after 44 bids. Not an outrageous figure (compared to some of his earlier exploits), but the auction was almost certainly shilled in the best Italian tradition. It only takes a quick glance at the bidding history to find four bidders (including the winning bidder, a Zero-feedback bidder and two others with the same feedback rating of 23) who all have 100% bidding activity with this devious eBay seller.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114404872321

Seiko7A38 at June 14, 2020 at 7:39 AM

This well-worn 7A38-701A, fitted with a non-original replacement Seiko bracelet, was listed at lunchtime today, by a German eBay seller, with a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 649 Euros, with the option to make a much lower more realistic offer. Nice teak Seiko presentation box, though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293613111300

Most recently he changed a couple of the photos and removed another. That rather nice teak Seiko presentation box has been replaced by a cheap plastic one, with the velour insert missing from one side.

Seiko7A38 at August 31, 2020 at 12:07 PM

This well-worn 7A38-701A head only was listed earlier this afternoon by a Spanish eBay seller, with a Buy-it-Now price of 249.99 Euros and currently without the option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274478460132

Earlier this morning, Spanish eBay seller scufutzz ended his listing for the above quoted well-worn 7A38-701A 'head only' as allegedly no longer available.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274478460132

No great surprise, it was back on eBay a re-listed a few minutes later ....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274514800757

In normal circumstances, I wouldn't have bothered posting this, as this dubious practice is fairly commonplace. I would have written 'exactly the same as before' - indeed the photos and pricing are exactly the same as his previous listing, complete with the same 7A38-70A1 error, in both title and description. But the listing page format has changed slightly (in the grey box area) - something I'd noticed recently on a few other 'new' listings. I've tried various screen resolutions, in an effort to reproduce 'the old look', without success. eBay appear to have now updated their .co.uk site in line with other domains.

Belated Edit: Indeed, I really don't know why I bothered posting that. The Spanish eBay seller ended the above re-listing a month later, in a similar manner - once again as allegedly no longer available. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274514800757

This suspicious (too-good-to-be-true) looking 7A38-701A was listed earlier this afternoon, by a keyword spamming* Italian eBay seller, as a 10-day auction with an opening bid price of 249 Euros. If you're considering bidding on it, I would advise extreme caution. Firstly the seller doesn't accept any other form of payment than Postal Order or Banker's Draft and doesn't accept returns. Now study the photos carefully. The seller describes it as 'all original'. Compare the fairly worn condition of the bezel insert and faded chronograph hands with the case and bracelet. I strongly suspect they've been refinished. The swage line on the L.H. side of the case looks wonky - as if a ding has been blended in (or filled), before it was re-sprayed.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164469230348

Privata, vendo Seiko 7A38-706A vintage Quartz chronograph in ottime condizioni, orologio perfettamente funzionante in tutte le sue funzioni.

Il chrono funziona ed azzera perfettamente.

Completamente originale e con il suo bracciale originale compreso di tutte le maglie.

Casaa e bracciale in acciaio satinato, ottime condizioni.

Unici segni sulla ghiera.

Il tutto come si vede in foto. 

Si preferisce consegna a mano altrimenti posso spedire tramite corriere a spese e rischio dell'acquirente. 

PAGAMENTO TRAMITE BONIFICO BANCARIO O ALLA CONSEGNA IN CASO DI SCAMBIO A MANO. 

Vendita fra privati con esclusione di garanzia.

Non si accetta restituzione.

*I've deliberately omitted copying the last line of his description for obvious reasons.