The ONE and ONLY WRUW thread - Part Deux !

[Seiko7A38]

The last time I took a wrist shot of this brown coated 7A38-6020, I wrote ....

Its darker sibling, the brown PVD coated 7A38-6020 SAA043J is even more difficult to photograph ....

It doesn't get any easier !

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[Seiko7A38]

A rare outing for my NOS condition 7A38-6010 SAA040J today. I don't think I've posted this watch in this forum's WRUW thread before. It's been in my collection since February 2012. There's an 'unboxing' thread on the old archived forum.

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[Seiko7A38]

Another of my smaller 7A38 'Diver's making a rare first? appearance in the WRUW thread - my 7A38-6030 SJS028. This watch is the JDM equivalent of yesterday's 7A38-6010, but all-over black chrome coated, without the gold plating.

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[Seiko7A38]

It's been raining constantly this morning, with no sign of abating, so I've resorted to indoor flash photography for today's wrist shot. I'm wearing my stainless JDM 7A38-6040 SJS038. The harshness of the flash does it no favours.

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[Seiko7A38]

Remiss of me; I forgot yesterday was Le Quatorze Juillet - 'Bastille Day', so to make amends, albeit a day late, I'm wearing one of my Yema Spationaute III's with the commemorative Aragatz mission flags dial. Vive La France !!

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[Seiko7A38]

It's not surprising that I haven't posted many wrist shots of these attractive variants. I'd forgotten how difficult it is to photograph, with its domed crystal and dark dial. Here's a couple of shots of one of my mint JDM 7A38-6050 SJS058's.

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[Seiko7A38]

Wearing one of my better condition 7A38-7070 SAA031J's this morning. This early example has the 'polished edge' hands.

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[Seiko7A38]

Here's a couple of shots of another nice example of the 7A38-7070 SAA031J. This one's a later production version with the white painted hour and minute hands. Haven't worn this one in a long time - not since August 2021.

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[Seiko7A38]

You may have gathered that I'm working my way through a collection box that contains the bulk of my 7A38 'Divers'. A problem sometimes arises where I have multiple examples of the same model (and in the case of the 7A38-7070, also an everyday wearer / 'beater' which lives on my bedside tray). The upshot is that some 'lesser' examples never get worn - just taken out for battery changes. This next watch is one such. I honestly can't remember when I last wore it. This was my very first 7A38-7070 SAA031J. I bought it from erstwhile fellow Seiko 7Axx collector Dave Swan back in August 2010. Thinking back, it wasn't wisest of purchases; the watch had a few issues and I ended up swapping out the movement.

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It's easy to distinguish from my other 7A38-7070's by the small blemish in the silver coating on the top L.H. corner of the watch case and the residual traces of rust around the bezel rim knurling. Here's how it looked originally when it came up on eBay in April 2009, before Dave bought it and cleaned it up:

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[Seiko7A38]

Here's another scarce variation on the 'Diver' theme - a couple of shots of my Brazilian-built ZFM 7A38-7075. The most obvious visible difference (from a 7A38-7070) is the cheap-looking locally sourced bracelet, which is stamped IND BRAS. and p/n A102. Being manufactured in August 1989, it has the later production white-painted hour and minute hands. Case-back is stamped PROD Z.F. MANAUS 542AM IND. BRAS. and there's no 'JAPAN' printed at the bottom of the dial.

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[Seiko7A38]

Black Friday is still months away. Regardless, I'm wearing my NOS condition 7A38-7080 SAA033J this morning.

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[Seiko7A38]

Wearing something a bit different this blue SATurday - this 7A38-6060 SAA071J; a NOS watch head fitted with a notched Cousins' aftermarket silicone strap, for want of anything better.

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[Seiko7A38]

The next one follows on logically, as does a red SUNday: one of my better examples of the black chrome 7A38-6070 SAA073J. Again, this example is a NOS watch head, fitted with another of those notched aftermarket silicone straps.

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[Seiko7A38]

A wet and miserable Monday morning here in UK. I snatched this Q&D shot of my 'grab and go' 7A38-7070 SAA031J beater in between the showers. Seems I wasn't quite quick enough. So excuse the couple of tiny raindrops.

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[Seiko7A38]

I'm wearing my 'cheap beater' stainless 7A38-7020 SAA009J this morning. I hadn't planned to, but I opened up the wrong collection box and noticed this one (and a couple of others besides) were doing the 'two-second two-step'. Lately I've been seeing amazing battery life from Seizaiken 394's I've fitted. The battery in this one has lasted 6 years plus - since May 2017, when I bought the 'SIEKO' for a mere £100 quid.

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[Seiko7A38]

One of the other watches in that collection box, which also needed a replacement battery was my long-time favourite self-built franken, which has featured in this thread many times before. It's a re-furbished 7A38-7020 case, fitted with the 709L dial from a 7A38-7070 and a Seiko p/n Z1020S bracelet.

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[joedevivre]

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My well-worn daily.

[Seiko7A38]

Delving into the same collection box, I dug out another of my almost mint 7A38-7029 SAA013J's, which I'd re-housed in a salesman's sample case, many years ago. Don't think this example has featured in this forum's WRUW thread before.

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[Seiko7A38]

I'm being a bit lazy this morning (choice-wise). Here's another of my 7A38-7029 SAA013J's. Different watch to yesterday, but similarly, one I've also re-housed in the past, using a salesman's sample case (and partial bracelet).

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[Seiko7A38]

I'm wearing this NOS condition Yema Spationaute III Aragatz on this blue SATurday morning. Incidentally, this is one of three NOS examples I bought from US eBay seller izeldor between August and October 2012, possibly the first of them.

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