Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Seiko7A38 at January 25, 2014 at 9:10 AM

This afternoon, I delved into the deep dark recesses of my 7A38 'Diver's collection box and dug out this beater 7A38-6060 SAA071J.

I haven't worn it since I bought the second, far better condition example back in September 2012. At that time, I'd earmarked this watch as one duplicate I needed to sell, but couldn't bring myself to put it back on eBay with such a badly scratched crystal. (The dial printing is actually perfect.) The original Seiko p/n 300WF2FK01 is obsolete and NLA. It's also a bit of an oddball - 30.0mm Ø x 3.5mm thick

and slightly domed. Good news though: I think I may have sussed out a substitute replacement crystal. Gonna order one next week. 

Yup. I reckon that works. 

This 7A38-7270 arrived on Jan 30th----And one crystal, one control board and one coil and lots of tlc and this

Seiko 7A38-7000 for me today

Glad to see you got yourself another one, Achim. 

Here's another 7Axx I haven't worn in a while. My 'Poor Man's Jean Lassale Thalassa 7A74-017. No Day window, but it's Sunday. 

Seiko7A38 at February 2, 2014 at 8:03 AM

Glad to see you got yourself another one, Achim. 

Thanks, Paul.

Your Jean Lassale is a very elegant watch. I really like this two-tone design.

Feeling a touch of the blues this morning.  Needed something to brighten my sombre mood. So I dug out 'Old Yeller'. 

Yema Spationaute III Aragatz on Morellato 'Kajak' (Gommatex) strap:

Orient J39001-70 'beater' for me, this afternoon. The case and bezel have seen better days; the Orient two-tone 'fishbone' bracelet is non-original, but that metallic champagne coloured dial still looks gorgeous when the light catches it right. Except I didn't capture it. 

Heading to the new office to finish preparing it before the inauguration, on the first week of March, I will take with me the nice but battered Seiko 7A28-703A on Nato Strap, really confortable...

BTW, we have 7°C today in Berlin, not so cold...

Managed to grab a quick one, between the squalls  - my 'Dinky Diver' 7A38-6000 on vintage Seiko 'Beads of Rice' bracelet.

I'm wearing this neglected old favourite today - a much modded 7A38-7270 which hasn't seen the light of day for a while.

(Compare it with Don's factory-standard, unmolested example of a stainless 7A38-7270 SAA093J higher up the page.)

I've probably detailed the mods elsewhere before on this forum; I certainly did here 4 years ago on RLT, but what the heck ....

The black chrome bezel (a NOS part - the first thing I ever bought from Cousins UK) is meant for a 7A38-7180 / 7A38-7290. The hour and minute hands are early 'polished edge' style as used on the 7A38-7070 / -7080 and the bright orangey-red sweep and constant seconds hands are normally found on the black-chromed 7A38-7140. The stainless bracelet with the matt black inlays is a Seiko p/n Z337 - as fitted (to somewhat lesser effect) by Worldwideweb66 to the two-tone 7A38-7270 that would-be profiteering eBay re-seller Martinachertok has been touting for 8 months. Except I fitted it properly, bending the little ears on the back of the spring bar tubes. 

Speaking of RLT (a.k.a. www.thewatchforum.co.uk ) - and WRUW threads ....

I really shouldn't knock it, because it was my 'Alma Mater' and 'home' watch forum for 3 years before I left to start this website ....

But they really do deserve it sometimes. You may remember I started off our only WRUW thread with this rather sarcastic paragraph:

A certain other watch forum, of which I have been a member, seems to rely for a lot their traffic on a (at least) thrice weeky dose of WRUW threads. As I have cynically pointed out, on more than one occasion, a few of of their established members (no names, but you know exactly who I'm referring to) would appear to have racked up inordinately high post counts by habitually starting such threads, on the stroke of midnight, and religiously posting in them three times a day. Not only that, but the watch photos they post are often the same old 'library' images, recycled over and over. 

Had to chuckle - No, I mean REALLY laugh my head off when I read this announcement (by said person) last week:

http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=88678 Changes To The Sunday Oldies Thread

After a discussion with William (aka Herr Flick) I've decided to bring forward the cut-off date for this thread, so from next weekend it'll be for watches made before 1990. This will allow watches from the 1980's to be included in the thread eg loads of Seikos ....

He must have been running out of (pre-1980) 'library images' to recycle !! 

Needless to say here's one who won't be going back - now I'm allowed to post photos of watches I'm actually wearing at the time. 

Another somewhat lacklustre shot (again due to poor available daylight) of one of my second string beaters - an Orient J39601-70.

Not the one I bought from German collector Kurt almost 4 years ago to the day, which was the first Orient J39 I ever clapped eyes on -

and incidentally is in much better overall condition. No this is the second such J39601-70 that I picked up on a whim on eBay Germany a couple of weeks before Christmas. The only thing it had going for it that was 'better' than Kurt's, was it was still fitted with the original ORIENT stamped short clasp closer (and had a couple more extra adjustment links in the bracelet). So after a strip-down and good clean, the respective bits got swapped around between the two. But this one still fits me comfortably. 

Yeah O.K. I know I'm an hour early - compared to the time the watch is showing. 

I don't wear this watch very often - if at all, simply because it was NOS and the risk of polishing up the matt black chrome finish.

This shot is just for you el Guapo. Took me all of 5 minutes to rattle it off and upload it to Photobucket - my 7A38-6010 SAA040J.

Today a 7A38-7020, which is new to my collection

Really Gufi style!

This is definitely NOT my style. Just call me a temporary fashion victim.  

Please excuse the tiny raindrops in this shot - but it is a tiny watch by 7Axx standards. The newly arrived Yema N7 based YSL TD-780:

Looks like a woman's watch, what do you think?

Don't get me wrong, Fabio - I've got nothing against 'girly' little watches.   I'm not averse to the odd smaller dressy Yema N8 ....

This is one - a Yema N81W43 I bought last August as NOS (boxed with tags) and to my mind was a far wiser purchase at the time.

Seiko7A38 at February 11, 2014 at 7:59 AM

Yeah O.K. I know I'm an hour early - compared to the time the watch is showing. 

I don't wear this watch very often - if at all, simply because it was NOS and the risk of polishing up the matt black chrome finish.

This shot is just for you el Guapo. Took me all of 5 minutes to rattle it off and upload it to Photobucket - my 7A38-6010 SAA040J.

You're witty, have excellent taste, and have a talent for insulting me in a way that's not insulting. Truly a love / hate, Paul, but in the best way possible.  My "greasy fingers" are unworthy of such a masterpiece. Hats off to you, my friend.