Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

They seem to just keep on coming lately.  Here's another well-worn 7A38-6000, fitted with a NATO strap, that was listed earlier this evening, about an hour ago, by an Italian eBay seller, as a 10-day auction, with an opening bid of 50 Euros. Note the damage to a couple of the pusher cups - indicating that they may have been free'd off by using pliers. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253553074585

Bellissimo cronografo al quarzo Seiko Spots100 funzionante ed in buone condizioni di conservazione.

Batteria appena sostituita.

Seiko7A38 at April 3, 2018 at 5:26 PM

This well-worn 7A38-6000, evidently in need of some TLC, was listed earlier this evening by a UK eBay seller, as a 7-day auction with an opening bid price of £99, but a reserve price set. Sounds familiar ?  Well, as soon as I saw the seller's first photo (the rest are of shall we politely say of 'somewhat variable quality'), I instantly got that feeling of Déjà Vu. It's not too long ago since it last put in an albeit very brief appearance. Just scroll back up the page to my posts of February 18th this year.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292509931095

The above 7-day auction for a well-worn 7A38-6000, by UK seller 4596mark ended yesterday evening, with bidding at £204 after 15 bids, but still with the reserve price not met. Given the apparent less-than-lovely condition of the watch (in his poor quality photos), I think it's safe to assume that the would-be seller's expectations are a tad unrealistic. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292509931095

He re-listed it almost as soon as that listing ended - just 10 or so seconds later:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292518833354

There have been no revisions made to the listing whatsoever, that I can see, and the description ends with the same ironic statement:

The watch also has a reasonable reserve as advised by someone with knowledge of these watches, as I would rather keep it than give it away.

So one assumes his 'reasonable' reserve price remains the same as before. 

For anybody who might be considering bidding on it, this time around, I strongly recommend they read my comments on the previous page, concerning the now damaged sweep second hand. I did message the seller last week, making a tongue-in-cheek enquiry about it. Here's the dubious reply I received from him:

If you were one of the bidders on that re-listed auction, you were clearly wasting your time, because this incompetent Irish eBay seller had clearly once again set his expectations (and the reserve price) way too high.   

Checking the listing's revision history reveals he'd changed the reserve price twice over the last couple of days - presumably (one hopes) reducing it. 

That 7-day auction re-listing was scheduled to end at 21:12 this evening UK time. The bidding appeared to have had stalled at £142 (after 8 bids) 2 days ago - with the reserve not met. So just after 7:00pm, with the bid price still the same and just over 2 hours of the auction to run, the seller ended the listing early, because of an error - presumably in the twice reduced reserve price. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292518833354

So here it is back once again, re-listed for the second time this month ....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292527556409

That 10-day Italian eBay auction for a well-worn 7A38-6000 on a NATO strap (see my earlier post at the top of this page) ended a couple of minutes ago, selling for a surprisingly high 253 Euros after 46 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253553074585

The latest re-listed 7-day auction for a not so lovely 7A38-6000, by UK eBay seller 4596mark ended a few moments ago, with the reserve price actually met this time, selling for £230 after 9 bids. Hopefully that'll be the last we see of that one. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292527556409

This 7A38-6000, in average worn condition, fitted with a tired looking non-original replacement Seiko bracelet, was listed yesterday evening by a UK eBay seller as a 7-day auction, with an opening bid price of £1. By 10:00am this morning, it had already been bid to £119. Not sure why the seller has started his listing title with 'Now'. Perhaps he edited a previous listing (possibly for a 6138), which might explain the gaff in the description.

There's no mention whatsoever of the bracelet in the seller's description, but I've since done a bit of digging. The 'ears' of the end pieces are stamped B1687.E, indicating it's a Seiko p/n B1687S (or possibly J suffix). These cheap folded link bracelets were used on a variety of Seiko '5' auto models (7009 or 7S26 caliber) from the 70's to the 90's. These particular Seiko 5's are 19mm lug width fitting, whereas of course the 7A38-6000 (original bracelet p/n G1157S) is 18mm. Zoom in on the 6 o'clock side of the bracelet in the first photo and you can see where the end piece has been roughly filed down to fit. Also, if you study the photo of the case-back, you can make out the impression left by the much bigger 'ear' of the G1157S's end piece, on the bottom R.H. lug. Whether this knackered bracelet has been with the watch long term, or recently cobbled together is anyone's guess. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173457031989

For sale is a Seiko 6138-6000 from November 1984 with Arabic-English day wheel.

The watch is in good used condition with new seals and battery.

As far as I can tell, the case has never been polished.

All functions work, all hands move.

This is a private sale, hence no warranty or returns!

I exchanged messages a few days ago with the seller of the one just listed on eBay and he wanted EUR300 for it (approx GBP267). Not for me at that price. Be interesting to see what it makes on eBay. 

Well it looks like the UK eBay seller got what he was looking for - and then some. The 7-day auction for the 7A38-6000 on a stretched non-original bracelet ended a few moments ago, selling for an astonishing (given the less than ideal condition) £336.99 after 18 bids !!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173457031989

I'd want an original bracelet on the watch for that money

Yeah - I have a problem reconciling that selling price with the condition. The World's gone mad. A couple of years ago you could have picked up a decent example on the original bracelet for that kind of money. Speaking of decent examples of the 7A38-6000, I'd forgotten to mention this one, posted by Filipino watch collector Ditoy_Eagle in his recent collection update thread on SCWF.

It's not quite as pristine as it might seem at first glance. The lugs appear to have been re-finished and the brushing pattern on the bottom R.H. lug is wrong. Here's another photo of it that Ditoy posted in a previous thread on SCWF:

This well-worn 7A38-6000, fitted with a non-original two-tone generic replacement bracelet, was listed yesterday evening, by a Venezuelan eBay seller, as a 7-day auction with an opening bid price of $179.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253844987548

Seiko 7A38 600L SPORTS 100 Chronograph Vintage Quartz Tachymeter VERY RARE

View seller's other items

Very Limited Quantities !!

Really Tough to find!!

NOTE: forget not qualify after receiving the product

Worldwide shipping through FedEx or DHL. Estimated arrival time of 7-14 working days

Not sent to: brazil, portugal, russia, israel, ecuador

Any tax that is generated upon arrival in your country runs through the buyer

(in Venezuela is necessary to give a phone number either as a prerequisite for delivery if like your name and address)

We invite you to ask any questions

Important Information:

Payment: PAYPAL ONLY ACCEPTED !!

within 5 days after purchase ..

Important: This operating from VENEZUELA (South America)

The above 7-day auction by a Venezualan eBay seller, for a well worn 7A38-6000, fitted with a non-original two-tone bracelet, ended late yesterday evening, selling for $181.50 after just 2 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253844987548

This 7A38-6000 in average worn condition, was listed yesterday evening by a Spanish eBay seller, with a possibly over-optimistic Buy-it-Now price of 475 Euros. There is currently no 'Make Offer' option.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153194941005

PRECIOSO RELOJ SEIKO CRONOGRAFO SPORT 100 MTS.

MODELO MUY ESCASO.

BUEN ESTADO DE CONSERVACIÓN Y DE FUNCIONAMIENTO.

Evidently that 475 Euros Buy-it-Now price was too rich for everybody's tastes. The listing ended about an hour ago - unsold. The Spanish eBay seller re-listed it soon afterwards as a 5-day auction listing, with an opening bid price of 299 Euros. Certain to sell this time around. He says confidently. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153207664786

The above 5-day auction listing for a 7A38-6000, by a Spanish eBay seller ended late yesterday evening, with it selling for the opening bid price of 299 Euros.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153207664786

This 7A38-6000 in decent used condition, was listed late this evening by an Italian eBay seller as a 10-day auction listing, with a sensible opening bid price of 280 Euros. Apart from normal wear, light scratches to the bezel insert, the only thing that's immediately apparently wrong with it is that its bracelet is sufferering from the common malady of twisted first joining links. There's a lengthy description (mostly in Italian, with a fair smattering of English), but at this time of night I simply can't be bothered to reproduce it in the seller's multiple hues. Plain Black will have to do ! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183638272176

Descrizione tecnica - Technical detail

Vintage Seiko 7A38 6000 Quartz Chronograph from the 7Axx Series, with a chrono and date complication. And an incredibly sporty look.

All the case and bracelet are in steel , the case measured diagonally is 37mm excluding the buttons, while it comes to measure 43mm to the connection of the loops, with a total lenght of 19cm. The dial is light silver without defects, splitted in 3 parts from 3 sub dials, first right split 1/10 sec with chrono function; second left count minute with crono function; last down count second continius.

Analog time on center is signed by HOURS and MINUTE black hands and central SECONDS is used by chrono functions.

All hands reset to Zero perfectly.

Cronografo al quarzo vintage Seiko 7A38 6000 della serie 7Axx, con complicazione crono e data. E un aspetto incredibilmente sportivo.

Tutta la cassa e il bracciale sono in acciaio, la cassa misurata in diagonale è di 37 mm escludendo i pulsanti, mentre misura 43 mm per il collegamento del bracciale alle anse, con una lunghezza totale di 19 cm. Il quadrante è di colore silver opaco senza difetti, suddiviso in 3 parti da 3 quadranti secondari, primo divisione destra 1/10 sec con funzione crono; secondo contatore sinistro per minuti con funzione crono; ultimo in basso è il contatore dei secondi continui.

L'ora analogica al centro è segnata dalle lancette nere triziate per ORE e MINUTI, i SECONDI centrali sono utilizzati dalle funzioni crono.

Tutte le lancette si azzerano perfettamente.

Dettagli di funzionamento e ulteriori considerazioni - Operating mode and considerations

Research by serial number, datind was manufactured in SEPT. 1984, so you can expect it to have some dents and scratches, but you will wondering when you will see this watch, you can find only fiew little hairline.

I do not know if the watch has been serviced, but it works flawlessly, and keeps excellent time even after 2 years I bought.

The dial is in excellent condition. The movement is working perfectly in all its functions and there aren't traces of rust.

Even water resistant watch with all vintage watches, it is forbidden to submerge; water resistance is neither warranted or guaranteed due to the age of the piece.

The watch is sold in the state it is, used, and without time guarantee.

Da una ricerca sul numero seriale, l'orologio è stato fabbricato nel settembre 1984, quindi puoi aspettarti che abbia qualche ammaccatura e graffi, ma ti puoi sorprendere quando vedrai questo orologio, puoi trovare solo qualche piccola hairline.

Non so se l'orologio è stato revisionato o riparato, ma funziona in modo impeccabile, e mantiene un tempo eccellente anche dopo 2 anni che l'ho acquistato.

Il quadrante è in condizioni eccellenti. Il movimento funziona perfettamente in tutte le sue funzioni e non ci sono tracce di ruggine.

Anche se l'orologio è resistente all'acqua con tutti gli orologi vintage, è vietato immergersi; la resistenza all'acqua non è garantita a causa dell'età del pezzo.

L'orologio è venduto nello stato in cui è, utilizzato e senza garanzia di tempo.

Shipping mode - spedizione:

Watch come from my private collection, is shipped from Italy by express currier; Who buy overseas additional costs can be add by your custom and rules in your country. However shipping mode less sure and slower to avoid custom can be postal registred mail. You can choose your favorite service in shipping options.

Registred mail Shipping in ITALY … 8euro

Registred mail Shipping from ITALY to Europe … 16euro

Registred mail Shipping from ITALY in WordWild … 24euro

L'orologio appartiene alla mia collezione privata, viene spedito dall'Italia, tramite corriere espresso; Per chi acquista dall'estero potrebbero essere calcolati dazi doganali imposti dal paese d'importazione, tuttavia un modo di spedizione meno sicuro e più lento al fine di evitare le imposte d'importazione, potrebbe essere la posta raccomandata. Potete scegliere il servizio più comodo nelle opzioni di spedizione.

That 7A38-6000 listed by the Italian eBay seller as a 10-day auction sold yesterday afternoon, much quicker than I'd expected it to. Caught me napping. Evidently it sold against a 'Best Offer', but obviously not for the Italian seller's opening bid price of 280 Euros, as misleadingly shown by eBay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183638272176

The eBay Bid History doesn't provide much more information either. 

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that it actually sold for 400 Euros. Don't ask me how I worked it out, but I'm pretty sure that's right.

This was a rather brief case of 'Now you see it; now you don't', at the beginning of this week. This 7A38-6000, in average worn condition, fitted with a tired-looking non-original replacement Seiko bracelet (possibly off a Seiko '5') was listed not once, but twice on Monday by US eBay seller jdmhunter.

The first listing was supposed to be a 7-day auction with a laughably over-optimistic opening bid price of $550 !! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143098040143

That was replaced later in the day with this even more ludicrously priced Buy-it-Now listing for $800 !! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143098555016

Vintage Seiko Chronograph - 7A38-6000 - Nov 1984. Everything works perfectly. Keeps accurate time. chronograph starts and resets back to zero. Bezel rotates bidirectional. Case and crystal are unpolished and ahows normal signs of wear. This watch is also being sold on my ID, jtarcheology and other local postings. Dont miss your chance to own this beauty. Let me know if you have any questions.

Note the little possibly unintentional giveaway above. A freudian slip ?

That second Buy-it-Now listing ended in a similar manner to the auction. 

I'm struggling to keep all these threads updated with all the recent eBay activity. 

Another 7A38-6000 was listed briefly by an Italian eBay seller yesterday (Sunday afternoon) and before I even had the time to post the details, it had already been sold.  Had I written it up in a timely manner, I would have opined that the seller was being a tad optimistic with his Buy-it-Now price of 490 Euros, given the watch's little better than average worn condition. He was also being a little economic with the truth on a couple of points: The 7A38-6000 SAA039J was a normal Export model - not JDM. Then there's his claim of 'running perfect'. I really fail to see how the chronograph can have been, with the 2 o'clock pusher jammed in like that.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153354680497

LEGGERE SEMPRE TUTTA LA DESCRIZIONE GRAZIE

FEEDBACK -5 CONTACT ME BEFORE OFFER!

Ultra rare Seiko chronograph sports 100 ref 7A38-6000.

VERY COLLECTIBLE!

Wristwatch in beautiful conditions-have all original parts-original complete bracelet ! ref bracelet G1157-original clasp-case 37mm excluding crowns and push.original rotating bezel-quartz movement 7A38 super clean and working ALL perfect!

very little scratch on glass (see pictures in high definition).

With original Blue box Seiko

leggere bene quanto segue !!!

read the following carefully !!!

prego i signori utenti di non chiedere rimborsi parziali a consegna avvenuta.ebay non è un gioco anche se divertente, grazie.

Non si effettuano restituzioni e cambi di nessun tipo,siete pregati di guardare bene le foto e se avete dubbi chiederne altre.

Oggetti usato, venduto con formula AS IS (visto e piaciuto nelle condizioni in cui si trova).

Gli oggetti usati in vendita,non sono coperti da nessun tipo di garanzia

Secondo il codice civile ( art.1510,1527 e successivi) non posso essere in alcun modo responsabile per danni o smarrimento durante il trasporto

Garantisco la massima cura nell’imballo

Il pagamento deve essere effettuato secondo le regole di ebay,ossia entro massimo 2 giorni lavorativi dalla chiusura dell’annuncio

Il feedback è molto importante perché contribuisce a nutrire fiducia nei confronti della controparte.Per qualsiasi tipo di problema vi invito a discuterne insieme,senza macchiare la reputazione di un venditore onesto

Per eventuali commenti feedback negativi ingiustificati,sarà mia premura contattare un legale per la risoluzione del problema indicando i dati della controparte

Tutti i miei oggetti sono contrassegnati per renderli riconoscibili ai fini di eventuali denunce presso le forze dell'ordine,onde evitare eventuali truffe sulla restituzione di oggetti diversi o di altra provenienza.

It sold late on Sunday evening, around 5½ hours or so after first being listed:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153354680497

WatchCount.com's Look-up tool reveals it sold for a best offer of 400 Euros.

The eBay Purchase History shows the seller declined 3 earlier offers:

Seiko7A38 at January 26, 2019 at 6:16 PM

This was a rather brief case of 'Now you see it; now you don't', at the beginning of this week. This 7A38-6000, in average worn condition, fitted with a tired-looking non-original replacement Seiko bracelet (possibly off a Seiko '5') was listed not once, but twice on Monday by US eBay seller jdmwatches.

The first listing was supposed to be a 7-day auction with a laughably over-optimistic opening bid price of $550 !! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143098040143

After two false starts, it's back on eBay again, re-listed this afternoon - same as it was (albeit briefly) first time around, as a 7-day auction, with a laughably over-optimistic opening bid price of $550. 

I'm not going to bother re-posting the details of the listing, but this time I will add something I had omitted to comment on previously, simply because by the time I wrote up the two previous listings, they were already 'history'.  And that is, the re-emergence of this particular 7A38-6000, fitted with a non-original replacement bracelet is of course yet another instance of Déjà Vu. 

Well it looks like the UK eBay seller got what he was looking for - and then some. The 7-day auction for the 7A38-6000 on a stretched non-original bracelet ended a few moments ago, selling for an astonishing (given the less than ideal condition) £336.99 after 18 bids !!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173457031989

So he (over)paid the dollar equivalent of $440 for it, 6months ago. More fool him !

Needless to say, their case-back serial numbers are one and the same - 4N0459.