Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Pinch, punch, first of the month and top of another new page.  Just quickly trying on my slightly blingy US market 7A38-7069 SAA028J. It doesn't get to see the light of day very often. In fact, I can't remember when I last wore it. That I had to extend the bracelet clasp adjustment by another pair of holes to get it to fit my wrist might be an indication. Opened the collection box this morning and noticed this was doing the 'two-second-two-step' low battery indicator, so next job is ....

Another blingy one that I've just replaced the battery in.  My gold-tone 7A38-706B Italian market variant, which I'd tentatively fitted with a period Pryngeps leather strap; I've since decided to keep it on.

This morning, I've been evaluating a couple of the 'lesser' examples of the gold-tone 7A38-7260 SA100J in my collection (I have far too many of them). One of them is due for the chop - or a new lease of life, depending how you look at it.

Here's the dial / movement from the second, worst of those two well-worn gold-tone 7A38-7260's, now transplanted into my recently acquired salesman's sample case.

I've written up a 7A38-xxxx model-specific thread which documents my ownership of the various examples in my collection. It's not quite finished yet.

Another from the same row of the same collection box. My first stainless 7A38-7260 SAA097J. As purchased , it was quite a well-worn beater, but I re-finished the case (one of my earliest efforts) and fitted a NOS bezel and the matching dark grey teju lizard strap that it still wears to this day.

I was going through some old photo albums (taken with my previous camera, way back in January 2010) and found this one. It's exactly the same as it was back then.

Paul, what are the odds that your last post is actually exactly the same ref that I very recently acquired. Just wish mine was in as good condition as yours! It has a really beat up crystal and has a sticky seconds hands but the case and bezel are actually quite OK. I only found out after my purchase that the hands have been tampered with but it actually makes it much more legible compared to the original hands. And for some reason it came on a very fitting Seiko-bracelet, but from your previous posts this model only came on leather strap?

Slumming it today - wearing my relatively recently acquired, cheap but almost mint condition 'spares or repair' 7T32-7F80 - still running and keeping perfect time. 

Here's my original 7T32-7F80, which I've owned for 11 years or so. It's been mildly customized (a long time ago) by the fitment of a 7T62-0FY0 minute ring.

Yema N81X26 (avec bête grande couronne vissée) this damp drizzly morning.

I bought this blingy gold-tone JAZ N8YZ63 off eBay many years ago and because I was rather disappointed with its beaten up condition (and coincidentally needed a spare movement at the time), I broke it up for parts. It had lain in pieces, neglected in a takeaway container for years. Yesterday, I relented and re-built it. I'm beginning to wonder why I wasted my time. Pretty it ain't. 

For comparison, this is my other JAZ N8YZ63, in slightly better cosmetic condition.

Seiko7A38 at June 17, 2017 at 5:55 AM

Here's a Q&D (literally 'dirty' - as received) shot of another on my recent acqusitions - a second Jean Lassale Thalassa. Like my previous all-stainless example, this one's also a 'Poor Man's version of sorts, being a 7A74-019 in stainless with 'only' 14K gold.

Not the best of photos, but it does show the true colour of the dial - a quite pleasant pale cream. In many photos you see of this watch online, it often appears pink-ish or beige. Some of the 14K gold sections (particularly the bracelet) are badly tarnished. I need to figure a way of restoring their lustre, without dismantling the watch - so as not to risk damaging the gold screw heads.

Here's my other recently acquired 'bargain buy' Jean Lassale Thalassa 7A74-019 - which is almost identical, but cost a fraction of the price of the previous example.

I wanted to take another wrist shot of this 7A38-7010 SAA001J, which Simon had serviced for me last month, before I put it away in the collection box. Miserable weather today - literally not stopped raining all day, in my part of the UK.

Every time I stepped outside, to try and take another photo, I ended up with raindrops on the crystal. In the end I gave up. Wiped off the crystal (yet again), stood in the back doorway and used flash ! (I'm not really that amaemic).

It's finally stopped raining and the sun's trying hard to break though again. 

Nope - that yellow thing is actually one of my 7A38-701B SAA005J 'Vulcans'.

Saturday means Spationaute.  Wearing one of my 'beater' Yema Spationaute III Aragatz's with the 'limited edition' Mission Flags dial, fitted with a navy ZRC shark grain strap this morning.

Something amusingly topical.  I just dug out my 'cheap beater' Orient J39601-70, which I bought off eBay Germany for the princely sum of 42.50 Euros, way back in December 2013. According to a certain deluded Instagram poster, who's just gone and splashed out on a 'wrong un', it's got to be worth at least 5 times that today. 

I've recently been re-organizing my collection of RACER / ORIENT J39's (they're now spread across 3 of those aluminium suitcases). Came across a couple which needed battery replacements - this gunmetal J39723-70, one of that first trio of NOS Racer J39's I bought back in August 2013, was among them.

Another which needed the battery replacing was this NOS Orient J39701-70, which I bought in May 2019 from the Lebanese eBay seller haymaw. Normally, regardless of whether a watch is running, I habitually replace the battery on receipt. Seems I'd overlooked this one. The under-sized Sony battery fitted lasted a little over a year. Should be good for 4 years or so now, with the correct #394 size Seizaiken fitted.

An old favourite from the same 'new' collection box: my 'Wimstore Freebee' Orient J39701-70, fitted with a Seiko p/n G1410S bracelet and an Orient multi-hole clasp.

Last of these Orient J39 'Diver's for now, before I put the box away again. Probably the strangest colour combination in my collection - a NOS J39601-70 in gunmetal two-tone with a champagne dial. Needless to say, it doesn't get worn very often.