Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

This 7A38-7070, in decent used condition was listed this morning by an Israeli eBay seller as a 3-day auction with a sensible opening bid price of $150 US, which I'm sure will attract a few bidders. However, apart from possible concerns about the seller's low 80% feedback (worth checking) all is not quite as it should be. Their description does not tally with the photos, regarding: the date of manufacture, the fitment of a Yobokies repro' bezel insert (this watch appears to have an original Seiko insert) and (no) clasp extender. Then there's also the slightly incongrous (for an Israeli seller) French language part. It's been copied from a previous listing*.

Oh, and their eBay user ID is hollylandantique ('Holly' rather than 'Holy') ?? 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153538470183

SEIKO 7A38-7070 in overall great mint condition, all original, from August 1987. day - date

7A38 movement ,15 jewels ( World's First Analog Display Quartz Chronograph Movement dito 7A28 ) in full perfect total working condition. All functions are operational (start/stop/reset as it should)

Original bracelet fitted with a clasp extender , crystal with light scratches & tiny pits hardly visible (see photos).

Rotating bezel perfectly working in both directions and clicking properly, new bezel insert from " Yobokies ", original bezel insert available on request.

No sticky pushers, day in french & english (watch originally sold in France)

Brand new RENATA battery. No box , no papers.

made in 1983

Tachymeter

Model: 7A38-7070

Movement: 7A38 Quartz

CaseL Bead blasted stainless steel

Crystal: Mineral

Size 40m

SEIKO 7A38-7070 en excellente condition, entièrement d'origine datant d' août 1987.

Mouvement 7A38 ,15 rubis (premier chronomètre quartz analogique au monde identique au 7A28 ) parfaitement fonctionnel. Sur ce mouvement, la précision peut-être réglée si nécessaire.

Toutes les fonctions sont opérationnelles comme au premier jour.

Bracelet d'origine sur lequel a été ajouté une extension de boucle afin de l'agrandir, le verre comporte des rayures légères ainsi que de minuscules points d'impact difficilement visibles en conditions normales (les photos parlent d'elles même).

La lunette tournante bi-directionnelle tourne comme il se doit et l'on ressent parfaitement les crans. L' insert de lunette est neuf (provenance "Yokobies"- copie parfaite de celui d'origine), celui d'origine est disponible (le demander)

Les poussoirs fonctionnent parfaitement et librement, jours affichés en français et anglais (montre vendue en France)

Pile RENATA neuve. Pas de boîte ni papiers.

Prix du port sur demande pour les enchérisseurs hors UE.

we ship world wide. fast shipping.

*See below ....

Seiko7A38 at April 8, 2018 at 3:15 PM

This 7A38-7070 in average worn condition, fitted with a Yobokies repro' bezel insert and a bracelet clasp extender, was listed yesterday afternoon, by a French eBay seller, as a 10-day auction, with an opening bid price of £100 (Sterling - not Euros).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152974681151

SEIKO 7A38-7070 in overall good condition, all original, from August 1987.

7A38 movement ,15 jewels ( World's First Analog Display Quartz Chronograph Movement dito 7A28 ) in full perfect total working condition. All functions are operational (start/stop/reset as it should)

Original bracelet fitted with a clasp extender , crystal with light scratches & tiny pits hardly visible (see photos).

Rotating bezel perfectly working in both directions and clicking properly, new bezel insert from " Yobokies ", original bezel insert available on request.

No sticky pushers, day in french & english (watch originally sold in France)

Brand new RENATA battery. No box , no papers.

Waterproofing not guaranted.

Shipping cost for bidders outside EU on request.

SEIKO 7A38-7070 en excellente condition, entièrement d'origine datant d' août 1987.

Mouvement 7A38 ,15 rubis (premier chronomètre quartz analogique au monde identique au 7A28 ) parfaitement fonctionnel. Sur ce mouvement, la précision peut-être réglée si nécessaire.

Toutes les fonctions sont opérationnelles comme au premier jour.

Bracelet d'origine sur lequel a été ajouté une extension de boucle afin de l'agrandir, le verre comporte des rayures légères ainsi que de minuscules points d'impact difficilement visibles en conditions normales (les photos parlent d'elles même).

La lunette tournante bi-directionnelle tourne comme il se doit et l'on ressent parfaitement les crans. L' insert de lunette est neuf (provenance "Yokobies"- copie parfaite de celui d'origine), celui d'origine est disponible (le demander)

Les poussoirs fonctionnent parfaitement et librement, jours affichés en français et anglais (montre vendue en France)

Pile RENATA neuve. Pas de boîte ni papiers.

Prix du port sur demande pour les enchérisseurs hors UE.

Specifically, it's been copied verbatim from that one  partially quoted above (from page 7 of this thread), which was listed by a French eBay seller in April 2018. If one gives the Israeli seller the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they may possibly have created their listing by using eBay's 'Sell One Like This' feature. But why pick a year old listing ? They've changed their title and uploaded 6 photos. So why didn't they sort out the description ? Very strange. 

Besides previous revisions to their listing the Israeli eBay seller of that 7A38-7070 did subsequently make another final half-hearted effort at editing their 'borrowed' description yesterday morning.

They deleted the French language part and removed the references to the Yobokies repro' bezel insert, but still left in the 'clasp extender' and the wrong manufacturing dates of 'August 1987' and '1983'.   (The case-back serial number looks more like 43xxxx, which would actually make it March 1984.)

Presumably the discrepancies in the description (and the seller's negative feedback, which accused them of fraud) were enough to deter most potential bidders. No bids were forthcoming - right up until the final 5 seconds of the auction, when two snipers decided it might be worth the risk. It sold for just $157.50. Potentially this watch could have made a lot more, under different circumstances.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153538470183

Seiko7A38 at August 8, 2018 at 1:42 PM

Higher up this page, on 22nd June this year, I posted details of an eBay listing by US seller vanman2usa, of '4U2Fix' notoriety, for a 7A38-7070 fitted with the wrong bracelet - and a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of $450. I won't bother quoting from it, because if you didn't read it before and wish to do so, you can easily scroll back up the page.

That 30-day listing ended on 22nd July. Needless to say it went unsold. He's just re-listed it, earlier this afternoon - with a subtle difference. Seems he's managed to find the original bracelet - albeit with a few splashes of paint on it and loose hinge pins. I was amused to spot that he'd lazily re-used two of his previous listing's photos - the movement shot of course, still showing the incorrect B1074 bracelet fitted. Oh - and the price has now gone up to $495.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153131522768

Anybody else remember this 7A38-7070, first listed over a year ago, by US eBay seller vanman2usa ?  If you need to refresh your memory, the original longer versions of the two posts are back on page 8 of this thread. I'm not sure if he's finally actually managed to sell it, but earlier today, he ended the latest in a long string of re-listings as item no longer available. 

He hadn't actually.  

Turns out the bracelet he'd found was a Seiko p/n B1075S for the 7A28-7040/9, rather than the correct p/n B1241S. I guess that was near enough for him. 

No great surprise, really. I didn't seriously expect, with his feedback, that unholy Israeli eBay seller hollylandantique would actually honour the previous auction sale @ $157.50. That 7A38-7070 is back on eBay again, re-listed this morning, but now with a 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of $500, or the option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153547663306

The re-listing uses 4 of the same 6 photos from the original listing (see my post at the top of the page) and the same now much revised 'borrowed' description, but still with the same two incorrect manufacturing dates of 'August 1987' and '1983'. 

SEIKO 7A38-7070 in overall great mint condition, all original, from August 1987. day - date

7A38 movement ,15 jewels ( World's First Analog Display Quartz Chronograph Movement dito 7A28 ) in full perfect total working condition. All functions are operational (start/stop/reset as it should)

Original bracelet fitted with a clasp extender , crystal with light scratches & tiny pits hardly visible (see photos).

Rotating bezel perfectly working in both directions and clicking properly

No sticky pushers,

Brand new RENATA battery. No box , no papers. Mint condition all original watch mint condition

made in 1983

Tachymeter

Model: 7A38-7070

Movement: 7A38 Quartz

CaseL Bead blasted stainless steel

Crystal: Mineral

Size 40mm

This 7A38-7070, in decent used condition, was listed for sale on TZ-UK's Sales Corner yesterday afternoon, with a firm asking price of £360.

http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?453348  FS: Seiko 7A38-7070

This evening, the TZ-UK seller listed his 7A38-7070 on eBay at the same price - £360 as a Buy-it-Now, with currently no option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183874075766

(The 4 photos uploaded are the same as Nigel had used in his TZ-UK FS post).

Seiko 7A38-7070 (1986).

A good example of this fairly rare watch. The watch obviously shows signs of ‘wear and tear’, but nothing that diminishes from the overall 'niceness' of the watch.

I fitted a new battery two weeks ago and the timekeeping is 0s. It’ll no doubt drift a little eventually, but not by much. These movements are incredibly accurate.

In the not too distant past, I did a ‘case’ service whereby I fitted all new gaskets and a new crystal.

All watch functions/buttons operate correctly. All hands zero bang on – though, as with all these chronos, they can move about a little on station, but we’re talking microns.

The bracelet is long enough to fit a 19.5cm wrist with one hole left to go on the clasp.

The only minor ‘flaw’ I can pick-up on, is that the bezel rotation click isn’t as 'crisp' as it probably would have been when new.

This well-worn 7A38-7070, fitted with a non-original (classic 'Feiko' 20mm repro') replacement bracelet, was listed earlier this afternoon, by a French eBay seller, with a laughable 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 290 Euros and currently no option to make an offer. As the seller has apparently had the watch completely overhauled (and that it's fitted with an aftermarket repro' bracelet), I'm a llitle suprised that he didn't opt to fit a Yobokies' repro' bezel insert, which, for an additional $30, would have made the watch a more attractive proposition. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123827691391

Vintage Seiko 7a38-7070 Original Chronograph Watch overhauled. État : Occasion

Révisée entièrement en mai 2019 avec facture. Elle est complètement d'origine sauf la boucle deployante qui est neuve de chez seiko. Tout fonctionne (chrono, date, jour, changement rapide...etc) sauf la seconde rattrapante car il doit y avoir un faux contact dans le poussoir de 10h

Overhauled in May with invoice for proof. Completely original except the buckle that is new from seiko. Everything works but the 10h button which serves only for the split second function.

Nice patina.

Yesterday lunchtime, Nigel amended the last line of his TZ-UK FS post to read:

£360 (firm) £310 to get this one moved on, including shipping via RMSD.

It's also been listed on SCWF's Trading post, with the same reduction to £310:

http://www.thewatchsite.com/8-seiko-citizen-trading-post/330501-fs-seiko-7a38-7070-310-reduction.html

Regarding my post higher up this page, dated 26th June, referring to US eBay seller vanman2usa's much re-listed 7A38-7070 (which incidentally, is still fitted with the wrong bracelet - just a different one), where I'd speculated:

I'm not sure if he's finally actually managed to sell it, but earlier today, he ended the latest in a long string of re-listings as item no longer available.

Evidently not, because it's back on eBay again this afternoon.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163779450139

Seiko7A38 at May 17, 2019 at 7:37 AM

This 7A38-7070, in no better than average worn condition, was listed yesterday evening, by a Canadian eBay seller, with a ludicrous 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of $1100 CAD (equivalent to $815 US), thankfully, with the option to make a much lower more sensible offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133054200267

In summing up, in the longer complete version of my partially quoted post from the previous page, I'd written: IMO, given the condition, this 7A38 deserves to sell for no more than half his asking price. The would-be Canadian eBay seller had re-listed his 7A38-7070 a couple of times, reducing his original 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of $1100 CAD to 'only' $750 CAD. Yesterday afternoon, he ended the most recent re-listing as item no longer available.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133114791894

Whether he's just simply withdrawn it, or possibly succumbed to a 'back door' offer outside eBay, your guess is as good as mine. 

Seiko7A38 at July 7, 2019 at 12:13 PM

This evening, the TZ-UK seller listed his 7A38-7070 on eBay at the same price - £360 as a Buy-it-Now, with currently no option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183874075766

(The 4 photos uploaded are the same as Nigel had used in his TZ-UK FS post).

Yesterday Nigel had updated both his original TZ-UK FS thread and the mirror thread he'd created on SCWF's Trading Post as **Now sold elsewhere**. This afternoon, he ended the above quoted eBay listing as item no longer available.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183874075766

This 7A38-7070, fitted with an olive green canvas strap, in place of the original bracelet, was listed earlier this afternoon, by a German eBay seller, as a 7-day auction, with an opening bid price of 50 Euros, or the option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303252994018

Vintage Chronograph

Die Uhr ist gebraucht und hat altersbedingte Tragespuren-

Hergestellt in den 80er Jahren, seltenes Sammlerstück

Funktioniert einwandfrei

Privatverkauf, deshalb keine Garantie und keine Rücknahme

Seiko Chronograph Sports 100 7A38-7070. Zustand: Gebraucht.

Versand mit DHL Paket bis 2 kg.

Well, that didn't last long - that 7A38-7070 sold earlier this evening for a best offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303252994018

As confirmed by the eBay Bid History (except it certainly didn't sell for 50 Euros).

Unfortunately that annoying eBay API feed 'glitch' means WatchCount.com look-up tools still can't provide any clue as to what price it may actually have been sold for.

Belated Update (26th August):

Over the last couple of days, I've been working my way back through all the affected threads, updating dozens of such inconclusive posts, by using the latest eBay 'BO workaround' to uncover the previously missing best offer (actual sold for) prices. In 99% of the cases, the alternative eBay link worked, revealing mostly credible prices. This one didn't - giving the same result. 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=303252994018

This well-worn 7A38-7070, suffering from degraded lume, was listed earlier this morning, by a Peruvian eBay seller, as a 7-day auction, with an opening bid price of 9.00 Euros (rather than USD). There are a few more additional photos embedded in the description, besides the 12 eBay hosted images. I've interleaved them below.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163819579978

Seiko7A38 at July 7, 2019 at 1:22 PM

This well-worn 7A38-7070, fitted with a non-original (classic 'Feiko' 20mm repro') replacement bracelet, was listed earlier this afternoon, by a French eBay seller, with a laughable 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 290 Euros and currently no option to make an offer. As the seller has apparently had the watch completely overhauled (and that it's fitted with an aftermarket repro' bracelet), I'm a llitle suprised that he didn't opt to fit a Yobokies' repro' bezel insert, which, for an additional $30, would have made the watch a more attractive proposition. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123827691391

Yesterday evening, the French eBay seller ended his listing for the above well worn 7A38-7070, fitted with a non-original 'Feiko' bracelet, as item no longer available.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123827691391

Seiko7A38 at June 30, 2019 at 5:40 AM

No great surprise, really. I didn't seriously expect, with his feedback, that unholy Israeli eBay seller hollylandantique would actually honour the previous auction sale @ $157.50. That 7A38-7070 is back on eBay again, re-listed this morning, but now with a 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of $500, or the option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153547663306

I can't say I'd noticed (or if I'm honest that I'd even looked at it again since), but throughout July, the Israeli eBay seller made a number of revisions to his listing.

Apart from generally screwing around, re-ordering his photos (and ending up with 3 very similar wrist shots), the final upshot being that he'd reduced his Buy-it-Now price from $500 to $450. It sold in the early hours of this morning.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153547663306

The eBay Purchase History only shows 3 declined offers, pointing to it eventually having sold as a Buy-it-Now for $450. Note one of those 2 user ID's, whose offer was declined, has since been banned. 

Unfortunately that annoying eBay API feed 'glitch' means WatchCount.com look-up tools still can't provide any clue as to what price it may actually have been sold for.

Nor with yesterday's development (see revised small print) is it ever likely to. 

Belated Update (26th August):

Never say never. Using the latest eBay 'BO workaround', I'm now able to confirm that 7A38-7070 did indeed sell for $450 as a Buy-it-Now, as I'd previously implied. As shown by this alternative eBay link:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=153547663306

Seiko7A38 at August 15, 2019 at 4:28 AM

This well-worn 7A38-7070, suffering from degraded lume, was listed earlier this morning, by a Peruvian eBay seller, as a 7-day auction, with an opening bid price of 9.00 Euros (rather than USD). There are a few more additional photos embedded in the description, besides the 12 eBay hosted images. I've interleaved them below.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163819579978

The above quoted 7-day eBay auction for a well worn 7A38-7070, by a Peruvian eBay seller, ended this morning, supposedly selling for 350 Euros after 63 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163819579978

It was won by a newly created Zero feedback bidder. If you take a moment to check the bidding history, it's immediately obvious the auction was blatantly shilled, with the last evidently genuine bid by a pukka bidder of 249 Euros, well down the order, made 2 days ago. I wonder who's going to get the second chance offer ? 

This 7A38-7070, in average worn condition, was listed yesterday evening, by a UK eBay seller, as a 10-day auction with an opening bid price of £0.99.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323912099202

Vintage Seiko Sports 100 Chronograph. Model No 7A38-7070.

The case is in great condition for it's age, the bracelet is 195mm, it has a small twist in one of the links.

Quartz movement running strong and keeping good time.

There are still 2½ days of that 10-day UK eBay auction for a 7A38-7070 still to run. Last time I checked, the bidding appeared to have stalled @ £230.

Meanwhile, late yesterday evening, another example, in a similar average worn condition came and went. It was listed by another UK eBay seller as a Buy-it-Now for £325, just before 9:00pm yesterday evening.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183962927739

Seiko 7A38-7070 Quartz Chronograph. Condition is Used. Dispatched with Royal Mail 1st Class Large Letter.

The listing was live for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, during which time it received 36 views, before the 7A38-7070 sold for the £325 Buy-it-Now price.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183962927739

As confirmed by the eBay Purchase History: