Thank you so much for taking the time for such a comprehensive and informative reply.
When my interest for a 7A watch had been piqued, and I spent quite some time attempting to educate myself, but consider me an absolute novice. FWIW, I've been interested in quartz chronos for a while and, unsurprisingly, have mostly seen items that are still readily available. Mostly 'discovered' via reviews and postings in watch forums, like e.g. WUS. As I've told in my introductory post, I narrow my initial selection via a combination of price and aesthetics. When I limit my interest to recent chrono offerings from Seiko, I'm invariably disappointed by the (IMHO) fact that so many good-looking watches (think the current Prospex Speedtimer line) are, upon closer inspection, let down by Seiko's current quartz movement of choice, the calibre V192. Whatever its qualities may be, I
hate that useless 24 hr AM/PM register at 3 o'clock, and don't much like the date at 04.30 either. I'm very picky, and that's deal-breaker territory.
So movements that show 3 (or 2, for that matter)
useful registers in 'standard' layout (no date necessary AFAIC, but acceptable at 3 or 6 o'clock), I'm interested. And when I repeatedly read that Seiko's 7A series featured movements that have been built with an attention to quality and QC that has rarely, if ever, seen since, I knew where to spend my time.
So here I am. FYI, I don't want to become an expert to the level that I can discuss these watches with some confidence with
true aficionados and hard-core collectors. I'm just someone who likes what he sees and needs some guidance as to how to go about acquiring such a watch. The finer specs differences will, I think, not make much difference. You've seen I'm not concentrating my initial selection on a particular model/type. I'm not (yet) into selecting on regional releases, their respective differences, and the pros and cons thereof.
Serious and very knowledgeable collectors would want to use these parameters to refine their choices, but that's not me.
That said, I don't want to make an impulsive purchase, only to find out that I made a (preventable) wrong choice: deceived by manipulated images, inaccurate descriptions or promises, prices that do not reflect the quality of the watch on offer by
any stretch of the imagination.
A very long write-up that, I hope, makes my position and interest a little more clear. And your help is invaluable with that. I realise your guidance and feedback about what's seen online doesn't offer ironclad guarantees. But it's, IMHO, far better to have your considered opinion added to my knowledge, than to blindly click that 'Buy' button.
I've studied your comments carefully and hope, in the light of the above, you'll forgive me such comments as 'I don't mind the strap'. I know that a collectible watch that's not in original condition isn't worth it in the eyes of a true collector. But I'm not into bracelets
at all and, while you may snub that 7A28-7040 seen on a strap in the image, I'm not concerned at all (provided the actual watch is up to scratch, of course)."Heresy!", I hear you yell. But not to me, I'm afraid. You may disqualify such a watch as being a '
Frankenwatch', instantly worthless, but not using an original bracelet/strap is acceptable to me.
Of course, I'll gladly take your advice to look into 'reverse panda' models, and if I've found one for consideration, I'll be back here, soliciting your considered opinion again. And, of course, explore other (equally unfamiliar) sources. FWIW, Yahoo Japan displays this @
https://www.yahoo.co.jp/
From Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Yahoo! JAPAN is no longer available in the EEA and the United Kingdom
and the likes of
Rakuten scare the living daylights out of me. Even with the help of e.g.
Buyee I'm not much at ease. Frankly. English-language sites, familiar navigation, and 'safe buy' options attract me very much.
Finally: I'm extremely grateful for your illuminating remarks (and outright warning) regarding that 'rare' RO model. Without years of experience, it's a rookie mistake to trust a 5-star write-up by a seller at first sight (perhaps on a subconscious level). I've been online long enough to know better, but still.
I'd like to end this by apologising beforehand if any of my remarks have offended you in the slightest. I've just written my points of view from the heart and did not intend to dismiss superior knowledge or disparage (parts of) your feedback in any way. I know I may come across as superficial (and maybe that's true), but I'll not start collecting 7A watches. I'd just love to acquire one I can enjoy wearing from time to time. But I'm not in a hurry.
You could easily find a much better example on eBay (or Yahoo Japan) for that price, with a little patience and legwork. I don't use Chrono24 very much (if at all), but I do monitor 7A38 asking prices on there and generally they're much higher for the condition.
