The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

7A28, 7A38 and 7A48 (plus 7A34, 7A36, 7A07 and 7A54)
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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Seiko7A38 wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 10:35 amAfter my recent rash of re-branded variants, I thought I'd start the new week / month with a few 'classic' Seiko 7A38's.
Very remiss of me to have gone a whole week, posting wrist shots of 'classic' 7A38's and not to have included one of the variant that started it all for me personally - the stainless 7A38-7270 SAA093J. :oops:

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This is one of two NOS examples in my collection; I posted the other one earlier in the thread, here. I bought this one quite a long time ago, back in June 2011, from an Israeli eBay seller, who was listing a small cache of them. A few other friends and past forum members also bought them. The $176 Buy-it-Now asking price seemed expensive at the time ! :lol:

PS - It doesn't seem that long since I noticed this new WRUW thread had received 10,000 views. Today, it's @ 20,000. :D

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Normally, when I'm preparing to take a wrist shot, I'll wipe the watch's crystal and if I remember, give it a couple of quick blasts with my dust puffer to remove any lint. There didn't seem to be much point bothering with this one. :lol:
Here's a couple of distinctly unflattering shots of my bargain basement basket case beater Racer J39024-50.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

In case readers might be wondering, I've no plans to attempt restoring that Racer J39024-50. It's well beyond that. :roll: It'll get broken up and its dial / movement will be re-deployed, probably in a Franken, though I haven't decided what case to fit it in. I'm toying with a couple of ideas. For comparison, I dug out what was previously my worst condition Racer J39024-50, which I restored about seven years ago. It's no oil painting, with a well-worn case and scuffed bezel, but it's a damned sight better than that battered beater.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

By contrast - both in terms of dial colour and condition, here's my NOS white dialed variant of Racer J39024-50. I hadn't intended to post any more of these (there's already a couple of other NOS examples here on page 3 of the thread), but when I was going through that tray yesterday, checking them, I noticed this one doing the 'two-second two-step', so I've just replaced its battery this morning. Seemed a shame not to quickly try it on the wrist. Incidentally the 'mock croc' cardboard consistency leather strap is the original Orient branded fitment.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

I recently bought myself another gunmetal two-tone Orient J39601-70 off Yahoo Japan, for a fairly reasonable price. :)

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I must admit I was slightly ambivalent about it, because although the watch head was in decent well-cared for used, but otherwise almost mint condition, it was crucially missing its original p/n SA160 bracelet. It came fitted with an unworn olive green two-piece nylon strap (not a NATO). There was no mention in the YJ seller's description of the fate of the original bracelet. Regarding the strap, he wrote: 'The belt is new, but please consider it as a bonus'. Yeah right. :roll:

I'd placed a low opening bid on it, but was soon outbid. I left it for 5 days, till about 10 minutes before the auction was scheduled to end, before bidding again. At that point the high bid was 5,700 Yen. The auction was typically set up with YJ's automatic extension. The competing bidder took it 5 minutes into overtime. I was already considering letting it go, when he stopped bidding against me and I won the auction for a reasonable 11,550 Yen. :)

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The postman delivered the Buyee package this morning and I'm pleased with the received condition of the watch head. Though for the few minutes I wore it taking my wrist shot, I found the nylon strap coarse and itchy. Not sure yet what I plan to replace it with, but it may involve robbing one of my other lesser condition gunmetal J39601-70's of its bracelet.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Seiko7A38 wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 10:32 amI'd been mulling over this Franken combination for a while and finally got around to nailing it together this morning.

The black 709L dial is from a scrapped 7A38-7080; the hour and minute hands are those normally used in a 7A38-7029, topped off with a red sweep second hand. Yeah, I know that's a bit of a cliché, but given my other available options of Silver, Yellow or Orange, I simply couldn't resist. :P I think this latest iteration is probably going to be a keeper. :)
Wearing my modded 7A38-7029 Franken on this chilly Black Friday morning. So Yes, it's definitely going to be a keeper in this recently revised configuration, though I'm still in two minds about that slightly O.T.T. red sweep second hand. :|

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

I've been a bit lazy taking / posting wrist shots this month, so to make amends, I'm doing a double helping for Franken Black Friday. Here's this morning's rather more subtle sibling, that I built over 10 years ago and has remained unaltered since, which I still prefer. Same ethos - based on a re-finished stainless 7A38-7020 watch case, fitted with the same Seiko p/n Z1020S bracelet, but using the 709L dial from a 7A38-7070, with contrasting white day / date wheels.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

With hindsight, I probably should have taken a few more outdoor wrist shots before the weather broke. :roll: Winter has arrived in the UK with a vengeance - in the form of Storm Arwen. Right now the snow flurries are blowing horizontally. Checking for damage outside, wearing my trusty old beater Yema Spationaute III, which has obviously weathered some tough times. The fencing panel in the background is still standing. :)

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

I'm pretty sure I haven't posted a wrist shot of a stainless 7A38-6080 SAA089J in this new forum's WRUW thread before. It may be bright and sunny on this Sunday morning, but it's a bit chilly outside (only 2°C) so I was quick - one shot ! :P

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Seiko7A38 wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 10:35 amAfter my recent rash of re-branded variants, I thought I'd start the new week / month with a few 'classic' Seiko 7A38's.
I missed a few 'classics' during that little run, so to end this month, here's another omission - the 7A38-706A SAA017J. This is my original beater, fitted with a very dark blue TSS Aerosport Mk2 leather strap.

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Checking my records, I've owned this example for more than 12 years, since October 2009; purchased off eBay Germany. I had a quick browse through my photo archive to remind myself and found the original (and only) eBay listing photo ....

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The seller's caption translates as: 'picture unfortunately a bit out of focus - sorry !'. :lol:

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Not a 'classic' 7A38 for a change, but the only 7A28 in my collection - my 7A28-7040 SPR013J. It doesn't get worn much, so I thought I'd give it a quick outing. I couldn't decide which was the better of these two photos; both are a bit grainy due to the poor natural light, so ....

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Just for a quick comparison and sanity check (if that's the correct expression), I've dug out my original Racer J39027-70 'Panda' BreitBling clone, which I purchased off eBay Germany reasonably cheaply (€40.94) way back in November 2013, thanks to a 'heads up' from forum member Lawrence ('Konkordski') and with the assistance of Andre ('Nova'). It needed some refurbishment - as documented in the old forum's Racer 'Spanish Inquisition' thread. But I think it still looks OK. So No, I definitely don't need another.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Yesterday afternoon, I replaced the batteries in a couple of my Puma Y19 variants. This gunmetal two-tone Y19201-70 didn't actually need doing, but when I took it out of my collection box to check it, I had to advance the date from 17, which just shows how long it had been since I did. :oops: Anyway, as it's one of my better examples of the breed, and I hadn't before (at least not in this forum's WRUW thread) I thought it was about time I posted a wrist shot of one.

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Forum member Jonas owns some better condition examples of other Puma Y19 variants than mine. Perhaps one day I'll manage to persuade him to post some wrist shots. ;)

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Speaking of Jonas reminded me of this Yema Spationaute III Aragatz that he (abetted by his wife Audronė) kindly helped me to acquire. :) It's still fitted with the same distinctive REWA 'rally' strap that it came with, which makes it easy to recognise. See page 13 of the old forum's Yema N7s and N8s spotted thread for the full intriguing 'film noir' story.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by jamesam »

Wearing automatic winding model 6139-8029 from the 1970s.
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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Just trying on my newest incoming - and certainly what will be my last Seiko 7A38 acquisition of 2021 - an almost mint example of the two-tone Italian market 7A38-706B which arrived earlier in the week. It's fitted with the original Seiko tan leather strap and is in rather better condition than my previous. Needless to say, like all other examples of these Italian market 'specials', seen to date, it has an 8Dxxxx serial number.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

Chilling at home, keeping warm on this SATurday afternoon, still wearing my dressing gown and slippers and what else but a Yema Spationaute III Aragatz. :) Pretty sure I've posted a wrist shot of this one before (indeed I have, here) - it's my earliest production example, case-back s/n 1 004, fitted with a RIOS shark strap.

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

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Wearing one my self-refurbished 7A38-7029 SAA013J everyday 'beaters' on this dull overcast Christmas Eve morning.

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Not the best of photos (poor natural light) nor one of my better examples. Far from it. Gotta be said though (tongue planted firmly in cheek), given some of the ridiculous prices asked (and occasionally achieved) on eBay this year, for examples in much poorer condition, this one must be worth at least £500 quid. :P

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Seiko7A38 »

This stainless 7A38-7000 has been in my care and custody since July 2012, though I never really regarded it as belonging to my collection. It was consigned to me for repair and refurbishment by a member of the old forum, who, from lack of subsequent correspondence, appeared to have since forgotten about it. This morning, I received a long overdue rather poignant reminder. It will be reunited with its rightful owner in the New Year. ;)

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Re: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

Post by Pascal S »

Look who's back!

Image

Thank you Paul for making this miracle happen. I feel just like I did when, alongside my dad, I first exited the shop with this marvel on my wrist. I believe it was in 1984. My father had bought another 7A38 for himself as well, and I believe my mom now has custody of this watch, that she kept when my dad passed away in 2004. One day, I'll inquire about it, and hopefully be able to post of picture.

I'm overjoyed!

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