Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

I received an email from Jules Borel yesterday. I presume the same message has gone out to anyone who's ever dealt with them.

Jules Borel & Co. will be updating our e-commerce website effective 5.11.16. The new website will be designed to better serve your needs with enhanced features which will improve your on-line experience.

To accommodate these changes, our website will not be functional from 6:00 pm on May 10 to 8:00 am on May 11.

At 8:00 a.m. on May 11, our new website will be available, each customer will be requested to log in with their email address your password will be J**********!. Password will be required to be changed after initial log in.

We are very excited to provide a better e-commerce site and thank you for your business with Jules Borel & Co.

A similar message has been posted on their home page: http://www.julesborel.com/

I personally haven't purchased anything from Jules Borel in the last few years, but when I did phone them, I always found them very helpful (much more so than Cousins UK) - particularly a lady named Debbie and Chris (another female), their crystal specialist.

One feature I hope will still be available, post website re-vamp, is their Watch Material Database Search. 

Currently it resides in the left-hand sidebar, lower down the home page: 

Here's a direct link as it exists today: http://cgi.julesborel.com/

It's not the most user friendly tool and you need to carefully interpret the results returned* ....

Mostly because the search does not discriminate between different Seiko 7Axx models with the same case-back #.

Here's an example where the seach result has rolled together parts data for the stainless and two-tone 7A38-706A's:

http://cgi.julesborel.com/cgi-bin/matcgi2?ref=SEK+CS%237A38-706A&submit=Search

Reason I picked that example (apart from my current revived interest in obscure 7A38-706x variants) is that one of the very first NOS Seiko 7A38 spare parts I ever purchased - from Jules Borel, was a gold-tone bezel, Seiko p/n 82334361, way back in 2009. 

*That said, it sometimes provides useful alternative parts information that you won't find on Seiko Oceania's database. 

They are up and running and they did keep their Watch Material Database Search.  I use them all the time for my crystals. And Paul, you are right they are very helpful. And convenient…being on this side of the pound. 

Indeed they did, Paul - and it's even easier to find on their new home page. 

I needed to look up a subsitute crystal this morning - or at least see whether they listed one.

You just click on the far right hand tab in the header bar: JBC Watch Parts Database

Which takes you to the same link as before: http://cgi.julesborel.com/

PS - I guess that last phrase of yours 'being on this side of the pound' was a freudian slip.