The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

[Seiko7A38]

Those of you who've previously been members, contributed to, or just browsed as a visitor, will no doubt, like myself, fondly remember what was by far the most viewed thread on the old forum: The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread ....
It was one of the first threads I started (on 28th January 2012) and ran for nearly 9 years to 90 pages, during which time it received some 239,500 plus page views. I like round numbers. It would have been great if we'd made it to 100 pages and a quarter of a million views. But general apathy, declining contributions and circumstances dictated otherwise.

I began that thread by taking a well-deserved pop at my 'Alma Mater' - the RLT UK Watch Forum, which I referred to as 'a certain other watch forum, of which I have been a member'. I hardly ever visit it nowadays. I've never been one for holding back, so in a similar manner, in starting our WRUW 'continuation' thread, I'm first going to take the opportunity to point out 'an anomaly' on another watch forum that I do still frequent.

The SCWF (Seiko & Citizen Watch Forum), otherwise known as TheWatchSite has literally dozens of forums and sub-fora, many of which are redundant, including a NON-JAPANESE WATCH DISCUSSION section. Perversely 80% of forum activity takes place in THE JAPANESE WATCH DISCUSSION FORUM. There they have DAILY WRUW threads.

I've just scrolled through their first three daily WRUW threads of February. Apart from various Seikos (nearly all 'Divers') and a smattering of Citizens (and Casios), various contributors have posted photos of watches by: Bulova, Doxa, Glycine, Hamilton, Helson, Marathon, Omega, Oris, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Tissot, Vostok and Zodiac. Those are all included in three WRUW threads in their JAPANESE forum. Really begs the question why they have a NON-JAPANESE section, doesn't it ?

The point I'm trying to make is, like its predecessor, I'd like to keep our new ONE and ONLY WRUW thread ON TOPIC.

[Seiko7A38]

My second paragraph in the original WRUW thread began:

As we all know, WRUW is supposed to stand for 'What Are You Wearing?'. So please, Gentlemen, can we stick to the original literal meaning of the phrase. Please post your WRIST shots of your 7Axx's in this thread - and if it's a 7A38 - ideally with the correct day / date showing. Call me a pedant if you like.
and continued ....
I will be wearing this 7A38-706A later today, when I take a couple more photos of it.
But in the meantime, here's one of my library shots - just to test uploading a photo.

For this new WRUW thread, as I've since had some practice at uploading photos (using the attachment feature) I really should post a new photo. So here's one of that same almost mint stainless 7A38-706A SAA017J, which I took yesterday.

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In case it looks vaguely familiar (apart from being the watch that started off the old WRUW thread) another head-on photo of it was used the basis for the 'clock' on the old website Home page - and is now also the new forum logo.

[Seiko7A38]

By rights, this forum and the replacement WRUW thread should have gone live 2 months ago. My sincere apologies to everyone. People are still viewing the old Webs forum's thread, where I'd last posted on 19th January. Yesterday, Sunday 4th April, forum member BigPogue-a (Tyler) posted this, somewhat belatedly. I've since deleted his post.

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In fact, I'd already seen Tyler's photo of his newly acquired 7A38-7080, when he'd posted it here on Instagram yesterday.

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Here's the larger uncropped version of the photo hotlinked from his ImgBB gallery that didn't work in his old forum post.

[Seiko7A38]

It's been a while. So I'd better see if I can kick-start this thread - as I just did with this watch.

Wearing my 'beater' 7A38-706A SAA017J, fitted with a dark navy blue TSS Aerosport Mk2 leather strap this afternoon, having just replaced the battery. Not before time.

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[Seiko7A38]

A bit of bling for this sunny Sunday morning. Wearing my comparatively recently acquired Italian market gold-tone 7A38-706A. I bought this off eBay Italy, in mid-January this year, thanks to the generous assistance of Instagrammer @queenseiko (Domenico). It's the last example mentioned at the bottom of the old forum's model thread. Initially, I'd purchased it direct from the Italian eBay seller (after he'd agreed that he was willing to ship it to UK). At the time, the post-Brexit policy was still a bit up in the air. The Italian eBay seller quickly decided that he couldn't be bothered with the hassle of completing the Customs paperwork and cancelled the transaction ! He re-listed it almost immediately. After a bit of head-scratching, I asked Domenico if he'd buy it on my behalf and ship it to the UK. He kindly obliged.

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The tan leather strap it came on wasn't original. I've since fitted a Seiko p/n BRJ36G (normally used on 7A38-726A and one of the 7A38-7260 variants). As I've mentioned before, these Italian market 'specials' aren't documented on Seiko's database, so I've no idea what the correct strap should be. Goes without saying, like all previously seen examples, it has an 8Dxxxx case-back serial number.

[Seiko7A38]

Just quickly trying on my recently acquired NOS Racer J39027-70 BreitBling clone that I'd mentioned in this earlier post.

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[Seiko7A38]

As all good Trekkies (sorry Star Wars fans) know, today is an auspicious date in the calendar - May the Fourth.

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So naturally I'm wearing my fourth recently re-built (with a NOS watch case) 7A38-6070 SAA073J.

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[Seiko7A38]

For want of anything better (seems that it's most people's favourite 7A38 lately), I'm wearing my default 'grab and go' stainless 7A38-7020 SAA009J cheap beater this morning. 'Cheap' simply because I bought it off eBay UK in June 2017 for the bargain basement Buy-it-Now price of £100 Quid. My how times have changed.

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[Seiko7A38]

Back to my roots today - though not my very first 7A38 (which is the same model). I'm just quickly trying on this NOS stainless 7A38-7270 SAA093J this morning. Bit of a long story to this one (that I've recounted before on the old forum's WRUW thread on page 86). I already had half a dozen of these in my collection, including a NOS example, so certainly didn't need another. I actually purchased this for a work colleague, who'd expressed a desire to own one. It was listed as a US eBay auction, in March 2020, described as needing a replacement battery. I won it for $305, which isn't bad when you see the ludicrous prices some eBay sellers are asking nowadays. It was offered via eBay's dysfunctional GSP programme, so once again I enlisted the invaluable assistance of my faithful US forwarding agent (Paul in Vegas ). Paul duly did the honours, but it took a little longer to arrive than usual, thanks to COVID-19.

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Unfortunately, when I tried fitting a new battery, it didn't fire up as expected. I could have just slotted another dial / movement from one of my other watches into it, but thought about it and informed my work colleague of the problem, explaining there would be an additional cost for the service to get it running properly again. He was already having second thoughts (having originally given me a maximum bid of $300), so declined and reneged on the transaction.

I sent the movement to Simon 'Sir Alan' to be serviced. Transpired it wasn't just a case of the usual 'old sticky oil' syndrome; the movement had a damaged 3rd wheel. Note the accuracy achieved after Simon's work: +/- 0.00 sec.

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I hadn't put the watch away with the rest of my collection; it was still in its burgundy plastic Seiko presentation box. Remembering that it had been a year, I opened it to find it was still showing the correct time, to the exact second.
Funny thing though, my original 7A38-7270, which has never been serviced in 35 years, keeps almost as good time.

[Seiko7A38]

Something simple and restrained - wearing this NOS condition stainless 7A38-7289 SAA109J this afternoon.

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[Seiko7A38]

I do like blue SATurdays. Here's one I prepared earlier (literally, in more ways than one) - my two-tone (Palladium and Gold plated) Racer Team Collection J39028-70 on a dark blue 19mm Di-Modell 'Bali' alligator grain mock croc strap.

I'd written about it a couple of weeks ago, in this aptly titled thread: I got dem ol' Racer J39 Blues again Mama! when I'd replaced the overly thick non-original replacement domed crystal, with another that wasn't so glaringly obvious. Fortuitously, I took this wrist shot last Saturday morning, when the weather was less inclement than today.

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Although they're quite visible in that wrist shot, my quandary about the originality of the sub-dial hands remains.

[Seiko7A38]

Needed a bit of faux bling to brighten up this dull overcast Sunday morning. Wearing my recently acquired 'pre-loved' Made in Korea gold tone 7A38-7060 - subject of this thread: Snagged a cheap 'Made in Korea' gold-tone 7A38-7060.

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[Seiko7A38]

I've been wearing this decent second-string stainless 7A38-7000 SAA007J today, while I've been busy keyboard bashing. I had intended to take the wrist shot this morning, but first had to put my camera battery on charge for a few hours.

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[Seiko7A38]

Sun's out. Wearing this two-tone 7A38-702A SAA012J this morning, subject of my rant in another recent thread.

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[Seiko7A38]

Swapped that for a two-tone US export market 7A38-702H SAA014J this afternoon. Spot the difference ? 'Cos I can't !

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[Seiko7A38]

Wearing this 'restored beater' 7A38-7070 SAA031J (fitted with a Yobokies' repro' bezel insert) this morning. Next job (after finishing off a couple more posts) is to replace the battery in this one. It's doing the two-second two-step.

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[Seiko7A38]

Wearing this well-worn Junghans 24/4610 High Tech Chrono 'beater' this morning, while I'm working on another resto' project, which will hopefully turn out looking rather better !

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I probably haven't worn this particular example in nearly 10 years, by dint of the bracelet being uncomfortably tight on my wrist. It needed just one additional adjustment link, now conveniently donated, courtesy of the watch I'm currently working on. From memory, this was originally the 24/4610 that I purchased off eBay Germany in November 2011 from seller bergjodler58 (who also kindly supplied an almost mint case and bracelet 'gratis' as a surprise Christmas present), but fitted with the dial / movement from another donor.

[Seiko7A38]

The original dial / movement from the above Junghans 24/4610 was used to build up Klaus's generous 'freebee' case and bracelet into a complete watch. Until very recently, it was probably one of the best examples in my collection.

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[Seiko7A38]

Continuing with my blue SATurdays theme, here's another I prepared earlier - a rather ratty Racer J39908-70. The strap is a vintage 19mm Barington in dark blue Ostrich.

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[Seiko7A38]

What follows blue SATurdays ? Red SUNdays, naturally. Cartier Ferrari Formula Cal. 531 model # F6094801.

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