Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Being a US market model (only), the 7A38-7069 SAA028J is one of the more commonly found 7A38's Stateside. There are usually 2 or 3 listed on eBay every month. Often, like this one (which appears to be missing one bracelet end piece), they're in average or well-worn condition. Although I've got a mint example in my collection - and absolutely no desire to buy another, I still flick through the photos, out of curiosity, and habitually add the item to my eBay watching page. This one, which was listed by a US eBay seller earlier this afternoon as a 5-day auction, with a sensible opening bid price of $69.99, or the option to Buy-it-Now for a reasonable $90.99, turned out to be worth a second look.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383134519321

There are more photos (12 in total) which I can't be bothered to upload. As the eBay seller correctly states in his incomplete ?? description, the manual (and also the box and tags) are for another model - (S)PV008M, which is the US market 7A48-7009.

But what he fails to mention is the watch's case-back serial number in his 9th photo:

It's 7O0001 !  

With the number of views it had attracted in the first couple of hours (60+), I didn't expect that 7A38-7069 s/n 0001 would hang around unsold for very long. It didn't.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383134519321

I had intended to write this next one up a week ago, when I first saw it listed on eBay, but have been otherwise preoccupied, with rather more important stuff. 

I must admit, I generally don't pay a great deal of attention to the over-priced 7Axx offerings by German eBay seller silversurfer365 (a.k.a. Ketap 'Carlo'), other than to pass occasional sarcastic comment about them, in a couple of the 7A38-xxxx model specific threads, as he continues to re-list them ad nauseam. Here's a link to his current batch (of 9) 7A38's, the majority of which are re-listings.

'Carlo' (real name Carsten) is a small time profiteering re-seller, who regularly buys 'low end' 7A38's off eBay Germany for resale - often using 'back door' offer tactics. In an effort to disguise these activities, he usually deliberately obscures the watch's case-back serial number in his own photos. A week ago, he listed (or re-listed) a two-tone 7A38-7060, in average worn condition, fitted with one of those naff 2-stitch 'faux vintage leather' straps that he seems so fond of, with a typically over-optimistic Buy-it-Now price of 199 Euros, or the option to make an offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274018987056

I've only bothered uploading 3 of his 6 photos, most of which are very 'samey' ....

Note the case-back serial number 650001.