Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

This morning, a 'warts and all' close-up wrist shot of one of my Orient J39 'beaters' (taken to illustrate a point in another thread). 

Orient model # J39001-70:

Another 'Diver Chrono' this afternoon - Seiko's equivalent 7A38 model, which would been a direct competitor to the Orient J39 above.

Seiko 7A38-7070 SAA031J (this is the later version which used the same narrow white handset as the 7A38-7270 and 7A38-7290):

That watch is one which I'd count as a particular success, when taking the odd gamble on fuzzy eBay listing photos, as one does. 

According to my records, three 7A38-7070's were listed on eBay in June last year. I decided to throw caution to the wind on this one:

This is a rather sharper photo I took, soon after receiving it - and giving it a cursory clean-up, which better shows the white hand-set:

Here is my latest, a 7A38-6010 all the way from the USA:

The more astute reader (I think that means everyone!!) will no doubt recognise where I picked this up from. 

There is some wear to the bracelet links and the clasp, but it's pretty minimal. The bezel, crystal, dial, hands and pushers are all in superb condition. I like it. 

I'd got my Yema / C.G.H. collection storage case out this morning, attempting to re-organise it, so I thought I'd wear this one while I was doing so. I've a personal pet name for this one: La Grande Couronne à vis bête - for obvious reasons. The ridiculously over-sized double O-ring 6.0mm diameter screw-down crown is totally at odds with other (less waterproof and non-functional) elements of the watch's design: weedy 3.0mm diameter pushers; tension-ring acrylic crystal and non-rotating fixed 'divers' bezel, to name but a few. 

The strap is not the original Yema (which I have, and is actually tan), but an Italian one of a very similar style. Yema model # N81X26:

This afternoon, another quirky one, from the same collection box - indeed manufactured in the same Yema / C.G.H. plant, and fitted with the same Shimauchi V906 signed 7A38 movement. With those tricolour sub-dials, it couldn't be anything but French, really. 

Kamatz 518000 'Oscar Bravo':

PS - Excuse the tiny raindrops on the crystal - I had to lean out of the back door to get better light for the shot, and it was drizzling. 

Can't you just tell it's a Bank Holiday weekend - overcast, drizzling ?  Hardly ideal for photography, let alone wrist shots. See above.

This morning, one of my favourite Yema N8 beaters - a Yema Spationaute III (38mm reduced) model N80A66 on Fleurus Shark strap:

Another quirky Yema N8 'Pseudo Plongeur', this afternoon. Odd, but at least the 'Divers' bezel rotates on this particular model. 

The push-in onion crown probably isn't very water-tight, though.  Yema model # N8 OP8 96 on tan Mabro ribbed leather strap:

Yeh - O.K. I know. I need to 'get with the program' - back to the Seiko 7A38's next week. 

A couple of slightly unsual Seiko 7A38's today - both SQ100 models. 

This morning's wear: the all-stainless white-faced 7A38-6080 SAA089J:

This afternoon, the rather blingy two-tone waffle-dialed 7A38-6090 SAA116J:

Something Stainless, Silvery, Simple .... Seiko 7A38-7060 SAA015J:

One of my favourite self-built 7A38 Frankens today, which originally started life (with me) as a £50 'spares or repair' 7A38-7270:

Bit of a 'Grandfather's Axe' this one, which has gradually evolved over the last three years, as I robbed parts from the original watch, and donated other 'alternative parts' in return.  About all that's original now (of the watch as purchased), is the case and case-back.

For the parts spotters amongst you:

The hour and minute hands are the 'polished edge' type from a 7A38-7070. The orangey-red sweep and second hands are the same as used on a 7A38-7140. The black chrome bezel is NOS, as used on the 7A38-7180 and 7A38-7290; the bracelet is a NOS Z337S.

At some point in the near future, the Tachymeter ring and crystal gasket (neither of which are the best) will both be replaced. While I'm at it, I'll probably swap the watch case for another one (this was one of my first efforts at re-finishing) with better defined corners. 

So all that will remain of the original 7A38-7270 will be the case-back !! 

A common or garden two-tone 7A38-728x beater for me today. Everybody's got one of these, right ? This one's actually a 7A38-728A SAA122J, rather than the more usual 7A38-7289 SAA110J. No obvious differences between them (other than case-back stampings).

This was another of those eBay 'fuzzy photo gambles' which paid off. The eBay seller's (only) listing photo from July 2009:

If nothing else, I had a pretty good idea the gold plating would be in good nick.  Ended up costing me £30.50 plus £5 postage. 

My latest arrival, a 7A38-7270:

it arrived today with a seriously dead (and erupting) battery and a scratched crystal but in otherwise good health!!

I was surprised that after a stripdown and clean,  new battery and crystal that it worked (the pcb had corroded away at the battery contact point and cracked). 

I checked photos of a good pcb and it didn't look like any tracks had gone or been broken so I thought it was worth putting it back in.  A good result. 

Sounds like you were lucky, Simon. 

If it's the eBay item I'm thinking of, the sellers description did include something along the lines of:

Most of the time, the watch laid in its box in the cabinet. The watch needs a new battery, which has been flat for some time.

I bought my own two-tone 7A38-7270 on a similar basis, in need of a new battery, back in January 2009. It came as a job lot with a dressy 7T32. The 7A38-7270 was fine inside, but the internals of the 7T32 had suffered as a result of leakage from its old battery. 

Friday 13th. Unlucky for some.  Possibly this old friend - soon for 'The Chop' - or a 'New lease of Life', depending how you look at it.

My 7A38-725A beater (on a cheap lizard grain strap):

Apart from being devoid of its original p/n G1285E bracelet, this watch isn't quite right. Can anybody spot the deliberate mistake ? 

Day/Date disc are not the original? It should have black letter on white background?

Correct, Arpad. 

The gold on black day / date discs are from a scrap 7A38-6090. Here's how it looked before I modded it slightly:

Here's how the 7A38-725A SAA082J should look, on its correct original Seiko p/n G1285E bracelet - or should I say a couple of them:

Past experience has taught me, that even on an overcast day like today, taking photos of watches with domed crystals, let alone wrist shots of them, is a royal pain in the neck - because of all the different reflections. I really don't know why I bothered.  My 7A38-7040:

Another from the same collection box gets a brief outing this afternoon - the Giugiaro-influenced (not-designed) 7A38-7140 SAA051J:

My latest 7A38-7130 today:

not a great photo (I'm on a loan iPhone at the moment while I wait for a replacement for my dead Blackberry) and it's raining today