Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Seiko7A38 at May 25, 2020 at 11:11 AM

Here's a couple more 7T32 BreitBling clones that I've added to my burgeoning 'little' collection recently ....

Except it's not quite so 'little' any more (this isn't quite all of them, either - I still have a couple of other re-build projects, but they would only be duplicates of variants in this display case, so I'm not too worried).

They're all different - in either case / bezel / quarter marker finish / dial or hands colour, apart from the two RACER HFA019-70 'Panda's (bottom row, entre), which came with different colour Tachymeter rings. About half of them are on the original Orient cardboard consistency leather straps. Almost all are fully functional, apart from a couple whose alarms don't work. That doesn't bother me, because I never use that feebly warbling function - instead I keep the main hands set at GMT, with the alarm sub-dials displaying BST. Oh Yes - and in case any eagle-eyed reader spots it, the date changeover wheel on the Orient HFA042-70 (second in from right, bottom row) is buggered and needs replacing.

In case anybody's interested the case-back model number variants are:

ORIENT - HFA001-70, HFA701-70, HFA901-70 and HFA042-70.

RACER - HFA018-70 and HFA019-70.

PUMA - Z7A001-70.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank forum members Andre (from Germany) and Andrei (from Romania), for their assistance in extricating quite a few of these from intransigent sellers in their respective countries.

Seiko7A38 at March 5, 2020 at 12:48 PM

I may have just snagged myself a comparatively bargain priced 7T32, in almost mint condition.  It wasn't as if I really needed another 7T32-7F80. But I've always liked this model ....

Fitted a new battery and away it went - with full functionality, including the alarm. 

It has registered what the seller had written in her description:

.... it's been in the box untouched for many years until it was brought back into use recently, but failed to work after a few weeks of having a new battery.

Let's wait and see. I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever changed the battery last time may have omitted to do the AC reset afterwards.

My assumption was absolutely spot on. I'd meant to check on it after 2 months, but forgot. Finally remembered this morning, some 3 months on and opened up the box to find it had kept perfect time since I'd put it away. OK, admittedly I needed to advance the date and the time by an hour for BST, but otherwise job's a good 'un.

Here's a slightly different wrist shot to the one I just posted in the WRUW thread.

New member here, I wanted to share my latest acquisition. #4 at the moment, a beautiful 7T32-6M69 in good condition.

I bought it for the movement as the pictures were not very good but the price was right for a working unit. While lightly scuffed, the crystal is perfect and the watch is beautiful with a solid metal band, not folded, so I will keep it and wear it instead