Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

hi this just came on the bay i am new to 7a38s but it looks like a lot of money to me see item number 190791511087. not sure if is a rare one .all the best woody.

Not rare at all Woody.

Dead common, in fact - you'll often see more of these Cartier Ferrari Formula's on eBay than certain rarer versions of Seiko 7A38's. 

This is the listing Woody was referring to:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190791511087

The seller's description reads:

Vintage Ferrari Chronograph watch Stainless and gold color case, Please look at the pictures as they illustrate the cosmetic condition of the item. keep in mind the item is used and has some minor scratches. Item is sold as is without return, so be certain you want the item before bidding. It is working and the chrono functions work as they should. Based on what I have looked up online this particular model was made By Cartier however I have not seen any markings to that effect on the case or the movement, but please do your research before bidding. The watch keeps good time and works great, but I am selling as is and as found. It measures approximately 41.00mm by 45.00mm lug to lug. Thank you and good luck.

I suggest you start here:

http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums/topics/show/7394242-ferrari-formula-fever-when-the-red-mist-comes-down-

That one is fitted with non-original (small round) pushers. A commonly seen modification - also well-documented in this other thread:

http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums/topics/show/7548343-cartier-ferrari-missing-pusher-buttons-if-push-comes-to-shove

hi paul thats the one, i can not do links not very good on computers took me a long time just to work out how to use one a bit .

all the best woody.

Woody. I presume by now you've read and digested the content of those two threads. The first one should give you a pretty good idea of the prices these watches actually sell for - or at least the more desirable red-dialed versions. Though if you follow them, you'll come across plenty of other examples listed on eBay with ridiculously high speculative B-I-N prices, like the one above that you pointed out. 

Rather than leave your thread with your original rather ambiguous topic title: 'just seen this on the ebay', I've since re-named it.

Hopefully it will serve as a pointer to other readers browsing this section.

By the way, despite their (deliberately) naive description of this watch and innocent sounding user ID hockey_mom12 ....

this US eBay seller clearly regularly deals in used watches. You only need to check their feedback to see plenty of evidence.

I strongly suspect they know exactly what they're selling and that they themselves may have fitted the non-original pushers. 

Caveat Emptor, Gentlemen - as always. 

Thankfully no-one suffered a rush of blood to the bidding finger (even at the opening bid price of $495) and it went unsold. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190791511087

Originally posted by Donwatch on February 26, 2014 at 11:23 PM as a new topic in this section entitled:  Fair offer--?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stunning-vintage-Ferrari-Chronograph-Chrono-/221348014752

Originally posted by Seiko 7A38 on February 26, 2014 at 11:47 PM in response too the above:

Whoa there, Don. Suggest you save your money for a proper one. 

Read this: http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums/topics/show/7548343-cartier-ferrari-missing-pusher-buttons-if-push-comes-to-shove

If you can't be bothered to read all of it, scroll down to February 1st 2013. Look familiar ? 

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Better still, that one's already got it's own dedicated thread ! 

http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums/topics/show/8582353-cartier-ferrari-formula-non-standard-pushers-caveat-emptor

@ Don.

As you can see, I've just merged the content of your newly started thread into Woody's pre-existing topic which I'd already re-titled. 

The second link that I'd posted last night being this thread.  So don't click on it - it'll just take you back to the top of the page. 

As soon as I clicked on your eBay link, I instantly recognised the watch from the seller's photos. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221348014752

Stunning Ferrari Chronograph from 1980's beautiful bright red dial in working condition. please note that the 3 pushers dont seem to be original to the watch but do function as they should. I am selling the watch as is and as found the watch has not been checked for time accuracy or waterproof capabilities. Please look at the photos for the cosmetic condition of the item ....

From my post dated January 30 2013:

Hopefully it will serve as a pointer to other readers browsing this section.

By the way, despite their (deliberately) naive description of this watch and innocent sounding user ID hockey_mom12 ....

this US eBay seller clearly regularly deals in used watches. You only need to check their feedback to see plenty of evidence.

I strongly suspect they know exactly what they're selling and that they themselves may have fitted the non-original pushers. 

I had no idea this watch was still kicking around over a year later. It hadn't come up in my eBay saved favourite search notifications, but I suspect that's probably due to eBay having messed around with the 'Worldwide' visibility settings at the end of last year.

Clearly the same watch. They may have changed the title and their description now almost admits to the pushers being non-original.

The seller is now a1992Ss (1009) instead of hockey_mom12 (97), but as they both state location as Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ....

I'd suspect they're one and the same person too. 

Nuff said ? 

Sometimes eBay sellers choose the most inappropriate user ID's. 

This allegedly 'like new' Cartier Ferrari Formula was listed by a German eBay seller everything.original earlier today. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161240541452

No mention of the humongous after-market replacement pushers that have been fitted. Though I suspect they are probably 'like new'.

Unlike the rest of the watch; in the photo above you can see gold plating on the inside of the bracelet has been corroded by sweat. 

Hopefully the pie-in-the-sky asking price of 1775 Euros will be enough to deter most unwary punters, but there's always the chance they'll get lucky and find a totally clueless one, with more money than sense, who hasn't done his homework.

Here's an interesting example, listed on eBay Germany - one of the more desirable stainless two-tone red-dialed Ferrari Formulas.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161302476234

The seller's brief German desciption:

Angeboten wird ein Ferrari Chrono von 1987 mit Box und Papieren. Aus der Formula Serie von Cartier. Funktion einwandfrei, Drücker links oben wurde mal ersetzt. Guter Zustand mit Tragespuren siehe Bilder die auch Teil der Beschreibung sind. Habe eine zweite Uhr bekommen und deshalb wird diese wieder verkauft.Versand D 6,90€, EU 30 Euro, Schweiz und den Rest der Welt bitte anfragen.

Which Google translates (badly) as:

Offered is a Ferrari Chrono 1987 with box and papers. From the Formula series of Cartier. Function properly handle was replaced times the upper left. Good condition with wear marks see pictures that are also part of the description. Did get a second clock and therefore please inquire this verkauft.Versand D € 6.90,  EU € 30, Switzerland and the rest of the world again.

Although the seller has sort of disclosed the fact that it's fitted with a (non-original) replacement pusher, it's not the best of English. 

The photos certainly are worth studying. At first glance, everything looks to be in order ....

The photo above clearly shows the non-original pusher. But what's also interesting is the well-worn condition of the other two pushers. I'd known for some time now, that these fragile buttons were made of metal skinned resin injection mouldings (the same technique was used on certain Orient J39 watch cases), but this is the first time I've seen such an obvious instance of them wearing right through.