Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Seiko7A38 at June 5, 2017 at 4:44 AM

Seiko7A38 at May 20, 2017 at 6:28 AM

Here's a Yema Spationaute III, listed by a deluded French eBay seller, yesterday evening, with a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now asking price of 612 Euros !!  No 'Make Offer' option, either.  Think of a number and treble it perhaps ? 

I'd noticed that a couple of days ago, the deluded French eBay seller had reduced their 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price to 'only' 512 Euros. So yesterday, I sent them a cheeky eBay message, suggesting that 212 Euros might be a more realistic figure. 

This morning I checked the listing to see if they'd responded. They had - by increasing it to a ludicrous 812 Euros !! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162522059987 

So, clearly, it's a case of think of a number, as long as it ends in '12'.  

The revisions so far - there's sure to be more: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemRevisionDetails&item=162522059987

Remember that ludicrously over-priced Yema Spationaute III, listed by a deluded French eBay seller, from the previous page ? 

I'd almost forgotten about it myself, although it was still on my eBay watching page. Seems that yesterday, the seller had reduced the Buy-it-Now price from the previous risible 812 Euros to 'only' 382 Euros - which is still way too much. I wonder why 382, not  412 or even 312 Euros (going by his previous form) ?  Anyway, looks like it finally sold this afternoon.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162522059987

Not for the 382 Euros Buy-it-Now asking price, but as shown by WatchCount.com's look-up tool for an offer of 320 Euros.

.... As confirmed by eBay's Offer History: http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&item=162522059987

Ignoring my deliberate lowball offer of 112 Euros, note that the other 3 offers had been for considerably less than 320 Euros. 

This Kamatz, supposedly a 517000, fitted with a hideous bund leather strap was listed in the early hours of this morning, by a US eBay seller, as a 3-day auction with an opening bid price of $59. Normally a Kamatz fitted with the rotary slide rule bezel (and matching inner dial ring) is a 518000 'Oscar Bravo'. But sure enough checking the seller's photos this one has a 517000 stamped case-back. Unlikely to have come out of the C.G.H. factory like that, so presumably it's been accidentally swapped at some point.  The bezel has lost some of the painted infill from the numbers. Not unusual for this model; I've seen, bought and re-painted worse. Note the badly fitted cheap and nasty Chinese made Alkaline battery in the movement shot. That needs chucking away before it starts leaking.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122625913078

Vintage KAMATZ 517000 Watch , "PARIS".

Very nice watch, keeps the time very good, but the second hand is not moving, the other hands works.

I don't know what happen or how old the battery is, as is, you get what you see, for parts or repair only.

You can see the size and cosmetic condition, if you have a question, please let me know before buying, thanks.

International shipping OK, just let me know your zip code before buying and I'll let you know the cost.

I have a confession to make. I bought that Kamatz. 

It went unsold in the 3-day auction; the seller re-listed it as a Buy-it-Now for $59 (same as the previous opening bid price).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122630729543

I'd already tried to find out more about the hand problem - whether it was a genuine fault or the seller's incompetence. 

Their reply implied it might be a recalcitrant sweep second hand. Undaunted I hit the Buy-it-Now button.

The watch arrived today and I immediately noticed that the constant seconds hand was doing the 'two-second two-step' - low battery indicator. When the chronograph was operated, the sweep second hand was twitching - obviously trying to move. I unscrewed the case-back to find that under-sized alkaline battery had almost fallen out of the battery well; obviously barely making contact with the negative terminal.  It was a Tianqiu AG6 cell - probably THE nastiest excuse for a battery you could fit in a watch. I googled them very quicky and it's the sort of cheap rubbish 'quality' that you can buy on a card of 10 for $1. It measured just under 9.4mm diameter, by barely 2.0mm deep. I guess it's meant to be a # 371 / SR920 equivalent. It went straight in the bin - followed closely my that horrible sweat-stained bund leather strap and the bowed spring bars that were barely attaching it. I fitted a new Seizaiken # 394 battery. Full functionality restored almost immediately. 

Reason I bought it was for the dial. I have 'a few' Kamatz's - both 517000 and 518000, including the variants with black dials / silver sub-dials and blue / gold sub-dials, but not black / gold sub-dials. Not sure yet whether I'm going to restore it as a 518000 (with the wrong case-back) or slip the movement into a NOS 517000 watch case. We'll see. 

In case any regular followers of this thread might be wondering why I haven't added any updates to it in the last month  ....

The reason is simple - I just haven't seen anything new listed.  

Most of the same stupidly over-priced watches that remain unsold are still being re-listed ad nauseam by their wishful sellers.

FWIW, here's a quick summary of them. All these watches have featured on previous pages of this thread:

eBay:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Yema-Chronograph-quartz-Herrenuhr-18kt-Gold-plattiert/152688008653

Yema N81W63, asking 349 Euros (originally 479 Euros). Been re-listed by the German seller since at least July 2016 !

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YEMA-Paris-Gold-Plated-Chronograph/262891071886

Yema N81W43, currently asking $450 (previously as high as $525 !!) Been re-listed by US seller since March this year.

LeBonCoin:

http://www.leboncoin.fr/montres_bijoux/1146410476.htm?ca=1_s

Yema Spationaute III, asking 450 Euros. Been re-listed since the beginning of July this year.

http://www.leboncoin.fr/montres_bijoux/812921812.htm?ca=1_s

Yema Spationaute III, asking 600 Euros. It's been re-listed since the end of May 2015 !!

http://www.leboncoin.fr/montres_bijoux/971273597.htm?ca=1_s

Yema N8 Flygraf, asking 580 Euros. Been re-listed since at least November 2016.

http://www.leboncoin.fr/montres_bijoux/1167219560.htm?ca=1_s

Yema N81W53, originally asking a risible 290 Euros in July. Since reduced to 220 Euros.

Chronomania

http://cda.chronomania.net/forum_entry.php?id=141879

Yema Spationaute III (Mission Flags dial), asking 600 Euros. Listed here since November 2015 (previously unsold on eBay).

Yahoo Japan:

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w181803103

Yema N81W63, currently asking 20,000 Yen (reduced from original 28,000 Yen). It's been re-listed since end of May this year.

At last, something new to report.  Unfortunately it turns out to be rather a disappointment - and probably one best avoided. 

This afternoon, a French eBay seller listed a Yema Spationaute III, fitted with a NATO strap, with a Buy-it-Now price of 285 Euros. Compared to some stupid prices we've seen asked previously, that price might almost seem reasonable, were it not for the fact that this watch has effectively been ruined by some incompetent botcher. This watch's lugs have been badly butchered. There's no other word to describe them. At least one appears to have been filed down and I suspect at least two have been bent inwards to reduce the lug with (to hold the fat bars and suit the 20mm NATO strap). I suspect this one will be added to the above list in due course. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202054571405

Rare Montre Yema chronographe Spationaute III

La pile a été changé le mois dernier en bijouterie. ( test étanchéité non réalisé )

3 petites rayures sur le verre ; Les cornes sont abimés ( voir photos 4 5 6 et 7 ) , petites rayures sur capot arriere , les pompes et le bracelet ne sont pas d'origine.

Montre fonctionnant parfaitement , remise a zero du chrono OK

Chrono quartz animé par un mouvement quartz 4 moteurs Seiko,

3 compteurs (3, 6 et 9 heures).

A 6 heures la trotteuse, aiguille du chrono centrale, à 3 heures le « 20e » de secondes, à 9 heures le compteur de minutes sur 30 minutes.

Double guichet des dates à trois heures.

Le boîtier est en acier inox à 43 mm.

Lunette tournante unidirectionnelle avec index.

Couronne vissée

3 poussoirs à 2, 4, 10 heures.

Verre minéral bombé.

Fond avec inscriptions commémoratives.

Envoi gratuit en colissimo des reception du reglement .

Les photos font parties de la description.

That Yema Spationaute III with the damaged butchered lugs sold yesterday evening - rather quicker than I'd expected. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202054571405

Thankfully, not for the full 285 Euros Buy-it-Now asking price, but as shown by WatchCount.com's look-up tool for 230 Euros.

As confirmed by the eBay Purchase History: http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&item=202054571405

The buyer may have saved himself 55 Euros, but that's not even going to begin to cover the cost of any laser welding repairs. 

It's been a while since I've spotted a Yema N7 offered for sale anywhere. This dressy N71X33 '7A28'  was listed yesterday afternoon by a UK seller as 'Spares or Repair' with an opening bid price of £25. Note the sweep second hand is missing. For anyone who might be interested, the seller is a member of this forum, with the same username. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182804930731

THIS IS A YEMA CHRONOGRAPH USING THE SEIKO 7A28 ENGINE AT A TIME IN WHICH SEIKO OWNED YEMA.

THE CASE AND ENAMEL FACE ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND IS REMINISCENT OF VINTAGE BREGUET.

THIS IS SOLD FOR PARTS OR REPAIR.

The above UK eBay auction for a 'spares or repair' Yema N71X33 ended last week, on Friday, while the forum was down. It sold for £49 after 11 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182804930731

Not difficult to spot this Yema Spationaute III, with 'Seiko 7A38' included in the title. It was listed yesterday evening by Italian seller estherbfdez, who has sold a number of 7A38's previously. The 7-day auction had a low start opening bid price of 0.01 Euros, but then it looks like it was shilled earlier today, in typical Italian fashion, by a Zero-feedback bidder who placed 7 bids, taking it from 40 to 70 Euros. Bidding is currently @ 112 Euros.

The seller describes it as 'NOS', but the watch isn't entirely original. The navy leather Yema strap appears to have been fitted with a 'generic' replacement buckle. The price tag showing 650,000 Italian Lira would have equated to around 420 Euros in 1990 (335 Euros at today's exchange rate). The seller mentions Jean-Loup Chrétien in their description, but has included a photo of Soviet cosmonaut Aleksandr Volkov wearing the watch. I haven't bothered to upload it. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372115039383

Raro Yema cronografo, modello Spationaute III, NOS, fondo di negozio, usato nella missione Aragataz nel 1988, dall'astronauta Jean Loup Chrétien, primo francese ad andare nello spazio,

calibro Seiko 7A38, centesimi di secondo e recupero, correttamente funzionante in tutte le funzioni. Cassa in acciaio, vetro minerale, ghiera girevole unidirezionale, W.R. 100Mt. Tested Sono ancora presenti le pellicola sul fondello ed il tag dell'epoca

Cinturino originale logato.

Dimensioni escluso corona : 43,00 mm

Prova impermeabilità non testata

Guardate bene le foto che costituiscono descrizione integrante dell'oggetto in vendita ; Se cercate la perfezione rivolgetevi ad altri venditori

Fate offerte solamente se siete interessati!!!!

NON E' PREVISTA LA CONSEGNA A MANO

SE NON ESPRESSAMENTE SCRITTO IN DESCRIZOINE SCATOLAE/O DOCUMENTI ECC..

SONO DA RITENERSI NON DISPONIBILI

RESITUZIONE NON ACCETTATA PENSA BENE PRIMA DI FARE OFFERTE

TUTTI GLI OGGETTI IN VENDITA SONO DI MIA PROPRIETA’.

The above Italian eBay auction for a 'NOS' Yema Spationaute III ended yesterday evening, selling for 421 Euros after 58 bids. The unusually high number of bids was inflated by 2 bidders: who placed 16 and 21 bids each in small increments (usually 2 Euros). I'd suspect the (3) feedback bidder was another shill, as like the previous Zero feedback bidder, they also had 100% bidding activity with the seller. There seems to have been plenty of genuine interest besides; the listing received over 800 views during the course of 7 days.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372115039383

As readers may have gathered from my post in the WRUW thread earlier today, 'twas I that won the above auction. My commiserations to the losing bidders whom I blitzed in the final minute's snipe-fest, but NOS is nice to have and there can't be that many NOS Yema Spationaute III's left out there. O.K., so maybe I didn't really need another one - blame it on the red mist and an affinity for these things. 

My purpose in adding this postscript is not to boast or gloat, but to add a cursory warning. You may remember I wrote in my original summation of the listing:

'The seller describes it as 'NOS', but the watch isn't entirely original. The navy leather Yema strap appears to have been fitted with a 'generic' replacement buckle.' ... It was just visible in (only) the Italian seller's second photo:

Some eBay sellers, notably the Italians, can sometimes be economic with the truth, when it comes to describing NOS watches. I'd already sussed the non-original buckle; I had a spare correct style original Yema buckle in my strap drawer, so I wasn't unduly concerned. Though, having paid that much for the watch, I would have been extremely p!ssed off if their fitting the aftermarket buckle had caused any damage to the leather strap. Here's a post facto shot, after I'd replaced it with the Yema buckle.

As you can see, not only is the Yema part a much more slender affair, but the tang of the replacement buckle they'd fitted was about twice as wide !  Fortunately, they hadn't notched the strap to accept it - just forced it in there. With a little bit of gentle prodding and kneading I managed to restore the cut-out in the end of the strap to something like it's original shape, before fitting the Yema buckle. The moral of the story being - always study all the photos - even if it is 'NOS'. 

This Yema N81X26 in average worn condition, was listed on LeBonCoin this afternoon, with an asking price of 220 Euros. As stated by the seller, in his description, its strap (some sort of synthetic leather - not original) is clearly in need of replacement. That said, given the popularity of this model, I'm sure it'll sell fairly quickly - if not for the full asking price.

http://www.leboncoin.fr/montres_bijoux/1331292647.htm?ca=1_b

Chrono Yema Tricompax Quartz

If you click on the link in my above post, you'll now be met with the error message:

Cette annonce est désactivée - which usually means an item has been sold.

I missed out something else on LeBonCoin earlier this week, although the listing is still currently live.  It's something of limited appeal to only 'Yema Spationaute' collectors like myself. 

http://www.leboncoin.fr/montres_bijoux/1332482972.htm?ca=1_s

Bracelet montre Yema Spationaute

I messaged the seller, asking if he was prepared to ship to England, but typically, he didn't reply. So I contacted French forum member Renaud (whom it transpired lived 'only the next street away') to ask if he'd act as intermediary. He phoned the seller who told him it was already sold, awaiting payment. 

I've never seen a Yema strap exactly like this one before and am not sure that it was ever supplied with a Spationaute III. Obviously not in pristine condition, but being Kevlar / Velcro, rather than just a nylon NATO strap, it would have been a nice thing to have, although I'd probably never have worn it. It could have been useful to send to Carl Evans of GasGasBones, for use as a pattern to make a copy. Oh well. C'est La Vie. 

Speaking of NATO straps ....

This Yema Spationaute III fitted with a NATO strap (of more anon) was listed yesterday evening by a French eBay seller, with an opening bid price of only 1 Euro, but a borderline extrortionate shipping charge of 50 Euros !  Although the seller states the item location as 'France', if you read the small print, it actually states: Bouillante, Guadeloupe, France (métropolitaine mysteriously appeared after I'd taken my screen print). Guadeloupe certainly isn't in mainland France - it's a small French colonial island in the Carribbean !  That might go some way to explaining the shipping cost, but it's certain to deter a few potential bidders.

The watch head itself appears to be in reasonable used condition. The bezel and hands lume have yellowed slightly with age. Closer examination of the photos reveals there are a few minor dings on the bezel and lugs. The seller has stated '1988' in the title and description, but the 3-xxx prefix serial number indicates it was actually manufactured in the third year of production - 1991. Note also the much deeper bezel engraving, as found on later production. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222711902349

Montre Yema Spationaute 3 fabriquée en 1988 pour la mission spatiale Franco-Russe Aragatz.

En très bon état de fonctionnement, tous les compteurs, date et jour sont OK. Boutons poussoirs fluides et réactifs.

Le boitier est très propre, le verre est en bon état mais pas irréprochable (pas de rayures profondes)

L'envoi se fera en colissimo recommandé pour la France et en chronopost pour l'étranger.

Jean Loup Chrétien, spationaute français, portait ce modèle.

La montre est gravée "Vol spatial longue durée - CCCP - FRANCE".

Montre chrono quartz animé par un mouvement quartz 4 moteurs Seiko (7A38)

3 compteurs (3, 6 et 9 heures):

à 6 heures la trotteuse, aiguille du chrono centrale

à 3 heures le « 20e » de secondes

à 9 heures le compteur de minutes sur 30 minutes

double guichet des dates à trois heures

le boîtier est en acier inox de 43 mm

la lunette est tournante unidirectionnelle et retrouve des index

la couronne est vissée et est située à 8h

3 poussoirs répartis à 2, 4, 10 heures

verre minéral bombé

cadran avec logo,

fond vissé avec gravure commémorative "Vol longue durée Aragatz CCP-France. N° 8 OP 76"

N° de série 3-961

Épaisseur du boîtier: 13mm

Largeur du bracelet: 22mm (Bracelet nato neuf + bracelet cuir en bon état)

Now I've never made any secret of my dislike of NATO straps. I've always thought of them as a cheap and tacky alternative. Particulary supposedly 'Regimental' coloured straps, like this seller has fitted. Plus when fitted using normal spring bars, as most people seem to, in other conventional 'civilian' applications, they aren't particulary secure. The good thing about fitting one to a Spationaute III are the rigid pin and tube fixings, which make it less likely to get dropped.

It goes without saying that I think the watch looked better on the non-original navy blue leather strap which he has removed. I'm also going to take this opportunity to have a poke at the seller about his poor choice of NATO strap. He's obviously chosen a Blue, White and Red 'regimental' design to appeal to his compatriots. You may have noticed I haven't bothered to upload the last two images from his listing: one is of a page from a period French magazine advert; the other is a cropped scan that I have posted in this thread.

So the seller quite possibly browses this forum. Note the ribbon in the advert. 

I mean, if you're going to do the patriotic French thing how hard is it to find a proper tricoleur NATO strap ? It took me about 30 seconds of googling to find one:

Not wishing to labour the point, but .... 

Here's another NATO strap (going by the slightly odd company name, presumably cheap Chinese made) in something closer to the correct shade of French bleu.

But if you really want to fly the French flag, you can even get tricoleur NATO's made in France ! 

http://www.ets-lecuyer.com/bracelets-montre-nato

This Yema Spationaute III 'Head Only' was listed on LeBonCoin yesterday afternoon, with an asking price of 130 Euros. The seller openly describes it as non-functioning and sold as seen. As he stated, the crown / stem is missing.

Apart from that, the crystal is scratched and chipped; the hour hand appears to have been re-lumed at some point (its colour doesn't match). If you look at the movement backplate, the area above the battery well appears stained, indicating it has suffered a battery leak and the case-back is a mess, with a couple of nasty graunches. I wouldn't touch it at half that price, even as a project watch - not that I need another one. 

http://www.leboncoin.fr/montres_bijoux/1336164302.htm?ca=1_s

montre yema spationaute 3

I haven't had much success in spotting any (let alone poorly listed) Yema N7's and N8's on eBay recently. My 'big' worldwide search, which I tended to run only once or twice per week, kept falling over when it got to 499 line items. Today it ran the full course, bringing up 782 line items, including it has to be said, a lot of irrelevant crap. So I need to add a few more exceptions to the search parameters. After all that, it only returned one watch worthy of mention which I hadn't seen before. 

This Yema N71X31 '7A28', which appears to be in decent condition, fitted with a replacement leather strap, was listed about a week ago, by a French eBay seller, with a Buy-it-Now price of 100 Euros or best offer. There's no mention of a model number (or the 7A28 connection) in the description. The title translates as 'used Yema watch'. I guess that makes a change from 'montre Yema ancienne'. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm//253242856986

Bonjour, je vend une montre yema homme, bracelet marron .

Occasion vendu dans une boîte Seiko.

Well, what can you say about this non-functional 'head only' Yema N8 Flygraf listed yesterday evening by a French eBay seller ?  The opening bid price may only be 20 Euros, but apart from not running, it's missing its bezel, has a badly scratched crystal, the extremely manky dial and hands lume indicates moisture ingress and the case-back engraving has been all but obliterated. Speaking of the case-back, could that rust stain have possibly leached through from the inside ? If so, it might give a warning of what lurks underneath.  

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152787455724

La montre ne fonctionne pas les aiguilles d'heure et minute ne tourne pas, seul la trotteuse fonctionne.

Mouvement quartz Shimauchi V906 est le même identique que le Seiko 7A38.

Manque la lunette et le verre est a changé (très mauvais état.

Diamètre 42mm hors bouton.

There's really only two words of advice I can give ....

Another Yema Spationaute III was listed by a French eBay seller this morning, as a 7-day auction with an opening bid price of 1 Euro. At least this one's actually located in France.  It comes with a rather dog-eared copy of the period Yema magazine advert. The watch itself is in average worn condition. I'm not sure whether the bezel may been polished, in an attempt to remove scratches, but it looks unnaturally shiny. It's also missing some of the inlay paint. The blue leather strap fitted, which is overdue for replacement, is not original. I had to chuckle to myself about the mis-informed French seller's inclusion in his description of the phrase: édité en série 500 exemplaire - because his example is case-back serial # 1 566. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112644775875

RARE MONTRE CHRONO YEMA SPATIONAUTE III , SEIKO , Montre Yema , chronographe

en très bon état

pile changé et garanti deux ans

montre chrono quartz animé par un mouvement quartz 4 moteurs seiko ( 7A38 )

montre à aiguille 3 compteurs 3.6 et 9 heure

à 6 heure la trotteuse , aiguille du chrono central

à 3 heure le "20" de secondes

à 9 heure le compteur des minute sur 30 minutes

doubles guichet des dates à trois heures

le boitier et toujours inox mais passe à 43 mm

la lunette tournant unidirectionnel et retrouve des index

la couronne et visé et est situé à 8 h

3 poussoir repartis à 2.3.1 heures

verre minéral bombé

font vissé gravé avec gravure commémorative " vol longue duré aragazt CCP france N 8 OP 76

épaisseur du boitier 13 m

bracelet en cuir bleu en mauvai état a changé

édité en série 500 exemplaire

colis pour la france 8 euro

colis pour europe 18 euro

paiement pour la france et europe par chèque ou virement bancaire

colis sérieux

That French 'colonial' eBay auction for a Yema Spationaute III on a NATO strap ended yesterday evening, selling for 212.11 Euros after 16 bids. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222711902349

The 212 Euros selling price it achieved isn't so bad; I suspect a few potential bidders were put off by the 50 Euros shipping costs. However I later noticed something else about the listing which the seller had inadvertently done, that probably didn't help his cause. It's normal to list watches under the category: 

Jewellery & Watches>Watches, Parts & Accessories>Wristwatches

Sometimes canny sellers will list them under a second category, say for example:

a Yema Spationaute III under Collectables>Scientific>Space Exploration

or a Seiko 7A28-7120 RAF Gen. 1 under the category Collectables>Militaria

Nope, our French seller clearly had other things on his mind at the time, because he just listed it (only) under Collectables>Breweriana>Other Breweriana 

That French eBay auction for a non-functional 'head only' Yema N8 Flygraf ended a few moments ago. Much to my surprise, it sold for 40.50 Euros after 4 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152787455724