How to tell when your Seiko watch was made (Part 1)

Hola Daniel,

Yo no hablo español pero muchas gracias por sus comentarios nice!

Thanks for your comments, Irma. I wrote the article with the layman in mind, actually. Glad you enjoyed it!

Quartzimodo.

Usted es muy bienvenido, señor!

Labas,

Atsiprašau, aš nesuprantu J?s? klausim? kaip lietuvi? n?ra mano šnekamoji kalba. Kas tai, kad esate prašoma iš tikr?j??

Quartzimodo Admin.

Glad you liked the post, Paolo! Grazie mille!

salute,
Quartzimodo Admin.

Hi Carlos,

I'm sure your watch is an original Seiko. What is the color of your watch dial?

Quartzimodo Admin.

Hello Debra,

Unfortunately I'm not very knowledgeable in vintage Seiko watches for ladies. Seiko made myriad calibers for their ladies' watches since the late 1960s and many of them I don't know about. From your description, your mum-in-law's watch has the 2517 movement or caliber in it. "Waterproof" is about right as Seiko labeled their products "water proof" until early 1971, when they switched to "water resistant" labeling instead.

I would say Jayhawk's database gave you the correct production date - April 1970. The watch also has a 6-digit serial number, which means it couldn't have been made earlier than 1968 (therefore 1960 is definitely out of the question).

Hope this sheds some light!

Quartzimodo.

Thank you, Joh... I'll take it as a compliment.

In all honesty, my writings are the result of years of spending time on watch forums and collecting watches, really. I don't think I will ever qualify as a "genius".

Quartzimodo.

Namaste, Amit!

As far as I know, there is no record of a Seiko with the caseback number "7T32-GMOO". Perhaps you read it incorrectly? However, there is such thing as a Seiko watch with the caseback number 7T32-6M00 (zeroes at the end, not the letter "O"). It's an old model dating to the early 2000s. However, the 7T32-6M00 is a generic Seiko 7T32 alarm chrono and does not belong to the Sportura family.

All Seiko products, inclusive of watches and clocks have their own unique serial number. There should not be duplication of serial numbers (for the same watch model) under any circumstances.

Please contact me via the form if you require further assistance.

Quartzimodo.

Amit, you'll have to provide a link to clear images of your watch (front and back) if you'd like me to ascertain if your watch is genuine.

best regards,

Quartzimodo

Hi Moji,

Without seeing actual photos of your watch, I think your Seiko's caseback was somehow swapped with one from a 7T32. For instance, the basic design of the generic Seiko SDWF83P (7T32) is identical to the SNA205P (7T62), which is attached to the Sportura family. Of course, the 7T32 would have a three-pusher and two-crown layout, unlike the 7T62.

I find it odd that a reputable store would sell a brand new watch with an incorrect caseback. Hmmm...

Quartzimodo.

Hi Richard,

I am glad that you've been able to find the production month of year of your Seiko 5 DX. Some old Seiko watches are tricky to date as nobody really knows when the movement was first introduced and ceased production. This is when anachronisms come into play and knowing the styling of the particular watch can narrow down the possible decades. For example, Seiko automatics were minimally produced in the 1980s in favour of quartz technology, which was Seiko's highest selling point at the time. The "DX" series certainly had long disappeared from the market in the 80s, so that would leave the 1970s and earlier.

And thank you for your generous comments.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Tom,

The 7T32 was one of Seiko's finest alarm chronograph calibers and many enthusiasts prefer 7T32s over the currently produced 7T62. I have three 7T32s myself. With regards to your 7T32-6A5A model, Seiko made 9 variants altogether. Out of the nine, three models were all-gold plated: the SDW510J, SDW444P and the SDW010J.

Since your dial states "7T32-6A7L", your model is either the SDW010J or the SDW510J (both share the same dial code). The caseback should indicate "SGP", meaning "Seiko Gold Plated". They were both assembled in Japan. 1991 should be the correct year for a 7T32 with the reference letters "SDW".

Hope this answers your question!

Quartzimodo

Ian,

Your gold plated watch was made in June 1990. It was one of the earliest 7T32 models and was 100% made in Japan. Kindly note that the reference number for your model is SDW020J.

I'm unable to give an accurate estimate of your watch's value, but generally dressy gold plated quartz 7T32 Seikos (more especially if they have integrated bracelets) aren't really sought after by collectors. Even in absolute mint condition I'd guess it's probably worth not more than USD250 on the used market.

Only solid gold Seiko timepieces (18 ct gold) from the past hold a much better value - however, the resale value is likely to be influenced by the current price of gold, rather than the watch's significance or rarity.

cheers,

Quartzimodo Admin.

Bonjour Tristan,

My sincerest apologies for the late reply as somehow comments (including my replies) go into my blog's spam folder. I'm trying finding a solution to this problem.

Here goes:

Your watch is a date-only, standard 32kHz quartz movement with 5 jewels. As with early quartz Seikos, yours was wholly made in Japan.

It takes a Maxell SR920SW battery and is rated to run for 3 years between replacements. It's not a well known movement and my guess is the 6539 caliber appeared between the late 70s to the mid 80s. In your case, your watch was made in July 1982 which is about right for the caliber's era. "SGP" stands for Seiko Gold Plated, which I'm guessing is a two-toned dress watch. "RC" is one of the many case size codes that Seiko uses (there are others, like "A0" and "KY" for example). The exact meaning to the codes is perhaps known only to Seiko Japan.

Seiko made lots of quartz models (especially gents' dress watches) during this period and many of them are not well known throughout Seiko collector communities. Jayhawk's calculator is based upon information on only the popular calibers that he knows, therefore the wealth of his database is not exhaustive. Many watches of lesser known calibers (especially quartz) from the 70s to the 80s do not survive to this day and their owners may have discarded them a long time ago. If existing owners of such watches don't take pictures of their timepieces and post them in watch forums, you can't find images or comments about them in search engines.

Espérons que cela vous a aidé!

Quartzimodo

Hi Charlotte,

You'll need to furnish me with the caseback code that's found on the rear of your watch. Its format is XXXX-YYYY. Without knowing the caliber, I am unable to determine the production year of your Seiko.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Joaquin,

Congrats on owning two 6139-6002s! I have one -6002 myself (dark blue dial with a Pepsi toned dial) and am wearing it as I write this. Dating 6139 watches is easy as they were only made in the 1970s. In your case, your watches were made on September 1973 and December 1974 respectively.

The last known 6139 caliber Seiko made was most probably in 1978. Seiko stopped making automatic chronographs since then (not until the mid 1990s) in favor of quartz watches. Hope your calendar quickset mechanism works because the day/date setting mechanism can be prone to failure in vintage 6139s.

Quartzimodo

Hi Louise,

I'm sorry to say that I'm not familiar with Seiko pendant watches. Without the caliber type, it's impossible for me to identify when your pendant watches were made. The caliber and case codes should be engraved at the back of the watches. As for the value of your items, if they're made of solid gold (not gold plated) their value would be based on today's gold prices. Have a look at eBay and browse for pendant Seiko watches to get an idea how much they're worth.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Aaron,

Your dad's watch is a generic men's quartz dress watch, and the 5-jeweled 8123 day/date caliber was one of the many forgettable quartz movements Seiko made in the 1980s. There's not much I can comment about this model - it's neither an ugly looking nor a unique and eye-catching watch. Seiko service centers generally do not undertake refurbishing jobs like independent watchmakers. In most likelihood the service center will just replace old parts as necessary (assuming the parts are still obtainable from Seiko Japan) and that's about it. The most they can do is to clean up whatever gunk on the dial and inside the watch case. Watch restoration is usually done by watchmakers.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Bob,

Your Seiko V701 watch takes Seiko or Maxell SR621W or Energizer #364 1.55 volt silver oxide cells. The V701's battery life is rated to 2 years.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Bobby,

I need to know the model numbers of your watch. It's on your caseback, in the form of XXXX-YYYY. The number you supplied is your watch's serial number. That would be like walking into an automotive spare parts retailer and telling the clerk you want a replacement headlamp for a Toyota without telling him what model your car is but only giving your vehicle registration.

Quartzimodo

Hola Javier,

El calibre 7T32 relojes Seiko son largos descatalogado y no se vende más. Tienes que buscar una que se utiliza como el modelo en eBay o en cualquiera de los sitios web de comercio como el reloj de pulsera SCTP.

Lo siento, pero no te puedo ayudar mucho aquí. El español no es mi idioma por lo que mi traducción no puede ser buena.

Quartzimodo

Hi Jim,

A Seiko watch's production year can be pinpointed or narrowed down when these two conditions are met:

1. Supplying the caliber and case code, which is found on the watch's caseback in the format of XXXX-YYYY
2. The six-digit serial number and optionally, the actual images of the watch.

Without knowing the caliber code, I can definitely rule out the 1960s because Seiko didn't invent quartz watches yet. Seiko "SQ" models only appeared from the late 1970s onwards up until towards the end of the 1990s and therefore the year 1976 would be an anachronism. Old Seiko quartz watches generally are not valued by collectors unless they are the 7548, 7549 or H line of Seiko diver's watches or at least, the famous Seiko Astron - the company's inaugural quartz watch. Gent's quartz dress watches usually don't fetch anything more than USD100 unless they were made of solid gold; but then the watch would be worth due to its gold metal and not for the watch itself. Gold plated old Seiko watches don't carry much value either.

When it comes to assaying the value of an old Seiko watch, it all boils down to what it is actually worth to the buyer and not to the seller. Even if the watch's condition is considered to be very good or excellent, if the type of watch is not collectible nobody's going to pay a high price for it.

You can think of watches somewhat like automobiles. All Porsche 911 and Ferrari cars, regardless of the year of manufacture are collectibles (think Rolex and Omega). Are all Honda cars collectible? No, unless you have a discontinued Honda NS-X supercar, a mid 1980's CR-X or certain Type-R Civics, Preludes or Integras. Seriously? Very few people if any at all, would be into collecting old 4-door Honda Civics or Accords from the past except for used car dealers.

Quartzimodo

Hi Jim,

I'm not familiar with the 5H23 caliber, I think it your 5H23-8029 may have been made on April 1986. It takes the Seiko or Maxell SR920W or Energizer #371 battery with a whopping 5-year battery life. As for your 7123-5109, it's from June 1981. It requires a Maxell SR1130SW battery, also rated for 5 years between battery changes. Both of your watches were 100% manufactured in Japan and were U.S. export models.

Quartzimodo

Hi Spyros,

Your watches are not Kinetic but automatic ones. The 4006-6040 is a Bell-Matic mechanical alarm watch and is dated August 1975. Its value depends on its condition but generally should be less than USD200.
As for your 6138-8020 chronograph automatic, it was made on January 1977. 6138s are generally worth more than 4006s. Again, depending on the condition, your 6138's value varies between USD150 to USD250.

Wishing you a Happy New Year,

Quartzimodo

Hi Dany,

I haven't heard of a 6020 caliber, but if it falls under the Cal. 60 family then you're likely to own a Seiko Goldfeather. If your caliber is actually the 6200, your watch might be the Seiko Liner series. Both are from the early 1960s although it was usual for Seiko to continue selling hand-winding models up to the very early 1970s. In most probability your watch was from March 1969.

Quartzimodo

Hi Eddie,

The 7320 is not a very well known quartz caliber and was used exclusively for Seiko gents' dress watches without any calendar. It's either from January 1985 or 1995 and true, it has 5 jewels in its movement. Vintage quartz dress watches generally have very low resale value as they are not exactly collectible. If it's gold plated its even less collectible as Seiko collectors generally shun gold plated models, preferring all stainless steel ones. The only people who would buy ours are ones who are looking for the exact model they once owned, for nostalgic reasons.

Quartzimodo

Hi Eddie,

I don't know if Seiko still makes the SR616SW battery today but other manufacturers like Toshiba and Maxell does manufacture it. Have a look at this site for example. Find a nice leather strap that matches the design of the watch and you're all set. Finder's keepers, right?

best of luck with the watch!
Quartzimodo.

Hi Leonida,

Sure. You have a Caliber 1100A hand-winding mechanical watch (it's not automatic) that was introduced in the mid 1960s. It runs at 21,600 beats per minute (or six beats per second) which is considered the industry average today. Although this watch is considered rare, it might not be that collectible. Therefore it may not fetch as high as you might hope on the used market, unless your watch is made of 18ct solid gold. A solid gold watch would be worth based on the price of gold rather than for the watch's historical significance. Your watch was made on May 1971.

Quartzimodo

Hi May,

Yes, the watch you've bought for your father is a very recent model - the SKZ312J with a rose gold finish. Seiko didn't make watches with rose gold coating in 2000, therefore August 2010 would be the correct production month and year. The caseback actually reads 04S0. Seiko doesn't use the letter "O" as that can be confused with the number "0" (zero).

Very thoughtful of you to get this nice watch for your dad.

Quartzimodo

Hi Syamil,

It seems you have an old Sportsmatic 5 "DX" series with the 25 jeweled 7619A movement. This is a mid 1960s caliber therefore I would put the date at August 1965. If you want to wear it as your daily timepiece, have your watch serviced or overhauled by an experienced watch repairman or to the Seiko service center in Jakarta (I assume you're from Indonesia). Have all the gaskets replaced and the movement regulated at the same time.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Daniel,

The 7009 was a long running caliber that spanned over two decades. I don't know the exact year when the 7009 first debuted. Some say the first 7009s came out in the mid 1970s while others believe 1980 or thereabouts. Therefore there's also the possibility that your watch was made on May 1981 as well and not just May 1991.
When faced with uncertainty I usually look at the picture of the watch (front and back) to look for visual styling clues.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Dave,

I drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Coupe with the license plate "ABC 1234G". Can you tell me what color my car is? There's your answer.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Dave,

Sorry, that was a tongue-in-cheek remark. The answer would be NO. You only mentioned a "Seiko Premier Chronograph" and that's about it. I need the caliber and caseback codes to determine which Premier you're referring to. Then again, a Seiko Premier may have more than one dial color of the same caliber and caseback type. The serial number can only tell when the watch was made, that's all.

Quartzimodo

Hi Dave,

Now you're talking. The Seiko Premier SDWG43P's dial color is black with white hands, while its sibling model - the SDWG51P has a dark blue dial also with white hands. Hope the argument is in your favor.

Quartzimodo

Hi Jill,

The reason that you can't find anything on the Internet about your watch is because nobody bothers to write articles, reviews or publish photos of your model on the Web. Only the popular models and calibers get some form of mention by Seiko collectors. The Caliber 1320A appears to be a discontinued, 6-jeweled quartz movement from the early 1980s. Your watch's movement is rather unique as the hands are electronically set by turning the crown clockwise or anti-clockwise, unlike traditional quartz watches where the hands are mechanically set.

It takes a Seiko TR621SW or its equivalent battery, rated to 3 years between battery changes. I'm not familiar with this caliber. Without seeing photos of your watch, I'm inclined to think that your watch was made on November 1983. The number "0551" denotes the bracelet code for your watch.

I would suggest that you take the opportunity look into the watch at your next battery change, unless you have the proper caseback opener tools to open the back of your watch. If there are no notches on the caseback, there's a remote possibility that your watch case is of a monocoque (one-piece) design, in which access to the movement is from the front via the crystal (highly improbable).

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Small,

That's an easy question. Your 6139-7100 was made on February 1975. Wear it in good health, it's a good watch.

Quartzimodo

Hi Alex,

For $10, any working Seiko watch bought from a pawn store is a good deal. I'm not familiar with the 2-jeweled, Cal 7431 Seiko watches, but I guess it's one of the many Seiko simple gents' models with no calendar display. Do note that your watch takes the Seiko TR721SW battery with a 3-year battery life. It's possible that your Seiko was made on October 1983.

Quartzimodo

Hi Declan,

There was a period in time when Seiko briefly used 7-digit serial numbers, notably in the mid 1960s. By the end of the decade they reverted to the standard 6-digit serial number which is used to this day. Offhand I have no idea why Seiko used the 7-digit convention.

Your production date is correct though.

Quartzimodo

Hi Heather,

I'm not very familiar with vintage Seiko quartz ladies' watches. My best guess is that the Seiko 3Y03-0A29 is from Dec 1987 while the other one, the 2P21-5009 could date back as far as Mar 1977. I can't tell, as the photo of the 2P21 on your eBay listing page is too small for me to see. Both watches were meant for the U.S. market.

good luck with your sales!
Quartzimodo

Hi Clint,

The y150 quartz caliber was made specifically for ladies' models. I am not familiar with this caliber or how long it lasted in the market. This appears to be a movement from the late 1970s to the end of the 1980s. Your watch may have been manufactured on Sept 1980. For paying just USD1.50 for this watch I'd say you did well.

Quartzimodo

Hi Ingela,

What you have is a vintage hand winding (non-automatic) ladies' Seiko watch from the late 1950s. I'm not sure of the exact year when the Cal 1520 debuted but it appears to have lasted for a decade. Two versions were made - the earlier 1520A with 17 jewels and the updated 1520B with 23 jewels and both had a rather odd beat rate of 19,800 beats/hour (or 5.5 beats per second). Both calibers were manufactured by Seiko's Daini factory (the other being the Suwa factory) and are used for the Seiko "Fine" models for women.

I think your watch uses the 1520B movement and was made on May 1967. Unfortunately this is not a very collectible watch and a quick look on eBay reveals low asking prices of less than USD50.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Christine,

I'm not sure what you're asking from me, because you gave a description of your late grandmother's Seiko watch with no direct question. Could you kindly elaborate what it is that you want to know?

Quartzimodo

Hi Clint,

What you have is a Bell-Matic 4006-7006 automatic from Sept 1970 and a 7N43-9048 Seiko Quartz that's probably to have been made on April 1995. Wear them in good health!

Quartzimodo

Hi Julie,

Thanks for asking. Your 6106-7229 is a North American market Seiko watch. The 6106 was one of Seiko's old automatic movements that was able to hack (stop the second hand) upon pulling the crown to the time setting position. Your watch was made on Aug 1974.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Oscar,

Your 7T32 alarm chronograph was definitely made on Aug 1998 because this movement was discontinued by the year 2001 and replaced with the 7T62 caliber that is in production to this day. As for your 7002 diver, it's from June 1990. Back in 1980, Seiko was still using its predecessor movement for its classic divers - the 6309 caliber.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Sal,

You originally posted your question in Part 2 of my article. Please see my reply to you here thank you.

Quartzimodo

Hi mcbride,

If your Seiko watch has that many numbers in a row and that you got it from a yard sale or from a flea market, chances are you have a knock-off Seiko watch that's worth no more than what you paid for it. The numbers do not make any sense to me, sorry.

Quartzimodo

Hi Anna,

Sorry for the delayed response because I had to do some research on long discontinued Seiko Lasalle watches. The K. Hattori Watch Company (now known as Seiko Holdings Group) acquired the Jean Lassale brand in the early 1980s and produced a series of ultra-slim quartz watches for men and women. Seiko made the slim 9550A caliber quartz movement specifically for some Seiko Lassale watches. Your late husband's watch was likely to be made on Feb 1984.

As for its value today, I cannot give an estimate because what it's worth is based on the buyer's market. If the watch is made of solid gold (not gold plated), the resale price should reflect on today's gold prices. Please have a look on eBay and see what other people are selling Seiko Lassale watches for. You can see that their asking prices vary from $100 to $600. Very few people collect Seiko Lassale watches and thus, demand for them isn't much.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Barry,

Seiko made a number of 7A28 watches in the past and without the caseback code it's virtually impossible to know which model yours is. Your only recourse is to scout eBay or watch trading classifieds like SCTP for the same watch (or its equivalent) and buy one just to cannibalize its caseback. Sometimes people do sell junked 7A28s for cheaply on eBay for their parts.
That said, I doubt it if Seiko Japan has leftover stocks of the exact caseback for your watch as 7A28s have been long discontinued. It's a long shot but you can try contacting the nearest Seiko service center if they can check with Seiko Japan if one is available.

Good luck!
Quartzimodo

Hi Linda,

If I'm not mistaken, the symbol that you're referring to is the motif for the long discontinued Seiko Galaxy range of watches. The serial number which you provided points the manufacturing date to Dec 1988. Seiko Galaxy watches during the era were made in Japan by their Seiko Daini factory. The "RO" refers to the Seiko caseback removal tool and/or procedure for the Seiko technician to remove the caseback. Most jewelers and watch stores use generic case openers, therefore the "RO" code doesn't mean a thing to them.

Quartzimodo

Hi John,

The 7T32 has been said to be one of Seiko's ultra-successful models and the company made so many models based on this caliber in the past. The problem is that there isn't one like it and perhaps its closest cousin was the rare 7T42, which has an extra feature - a backwards counting 60-minute timer. Your safest bet is to find a donor 7T32 watch instead of settling for alternative calibers.

The best solution is to browse eBay and buy a fully functioning watch (the exterior condition doesn't matter).

Choose one that suits your budget and buy one (confirm with the seller that all of its functions work properly). When you receive the watch, take it to an experienced watch repairer and transplant your old movement with the other watch. I'm not sure if the Seiko service center will do the job because they may have a policy to use only new replacement parts.

good luck!
Quartzimodo

Hi Melba,

The V701 caliber is a quartz caliber that was also used in the long discontinued Seiko Galaxy series. It takes the Seiko SR612SW silver oxide cell (or Energizer 364) and runs up to 2 years between battery changes. While the caliber itself was nothing really special (it was one of the very many quartz movements used in Seiko dress watches), the Seiko Galaxy models may be collectible for some folks. You can find V701 watches on eBay from time to time.

Quartzimodo

Hi Barry,

The 4110 caliber was one of Seiko's early analog quartz movements which was introduced in the mid 1970s. There were two versions made; the original 4110A with 2 jewels and an updated one - the 4110B with 3 jewels. The 4110A/B movement uses the UCC 384 silver oxide battery. There are a number of battery manufacturers that make batteries compatible with the UCC 384 (click here for information).

Your grandfather's Seiko was made on Nov 1976 and is a model designed for the U.S. market. 4110s were fitted to dressy Seiko models and at least one model - the 4110-5239 was made from 14-carat solid gold. Technology wise, the Cal 4110 was considered very advanced for its era and not only the movement is ultra-thin, it is also endowed with a thermo-compensating device to correct for quartz oscillator drift caused by fluctuations in ambient temperature. (Quartz watches tend to run slightly fast in cooler environments and vice versa). Although today's mainstream quartz movements are more accurate without needing thermal compensation, in its time the 4110 was one of Seiko's High End Quartz (HEQ) movements.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Peel,

I'm sorry to take a long time to reply to your question. After doing some research, I found that I couldn't find much info on the 3Y03 quartz caliber, but I'm inclined to estimate your grandmother's watch's production date to be June 1980 making it exactly 31 years old. Other than that I can't tell much more. It was one of Seiko's numerous and forgettable ladies' quartz watches in its time.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Gustavo,

AFAIK, the 6309-7040 diver's watch was made for the international export market and was not sold in Japan itself. There is another version of this watch - it's the rare and highly sought after, 6306-7001 which looks exactly like your 6309-7040, except that it has a hacking movement, which allows you to freeze the second hand to synchronize the time. The 6306-7001 was sold only in Japan and therefore its calendar was in English and Kanji (Japanese). So far I have not seen an original, unmodified 6309-7040 diver with English/Kanji calendar.

Your watch may be for the Middle East market. The secondary language is most probably Arabic, if not Farsi (for the Iranian market).

Quartzimodo

Hi Freddie,

Thanks for the comments. Your Seiko 5 DX uses the first generation 6106A caliber, which was fitted with 25 jewels. There are two other variants of the 6106 caliber family - the 6106B with 17 or 25 jewels and the 6106C, with 17, 23 or 25 jewels depending on the watch model. The "jewels" in a watch are actually industrial grade gemstones with no value, such as synthetic ruby and its primary function is to provide a permanent lubrication of moving parts. Without these jewels, the metal bearings of the essential moving parts would wear out prematurely. Jewels can also increase the accuracy by reducing friction in the escapement.

In some cases, these jewels are also used to increase the "jewel count" for marketing reasons. In the olden days, watchmakers put in extra and unnecessary jewels to increase its perceived value. In this case, the additional jewels don't serve any purpose at all. In the 1960s, watch manufacturers were in a race to put more jewels which actually serve no real purpose. A notable example is the Waltham 100-jewel watch, which actually needed only 17 jewels for lubrication while the remaining 83 jewels were merely decorations on the oscillating wheel.

Since then watch manufacturers no longer use the jewel count excessively as a marketing tactic, although a lesser known example is Seiko's current 7s36 caliber (found in Seiko 5 Sports models) which has 2 jewels more than its "lesser" sibling - the 21 jeweled, 7s26. The extra two jewels in the 7s36 served no real purpose other than to make the 7s36 "an upgrade" over the 7s26.

Just search Google Images for the 6106-5410. You'll find some pics, which will lead to their respective websites.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Burton,

That is a rather unusual looking watch you've sold. This is the first time I've laid eyes on a 2P20-5359 (this appears to be an U.S. export model) and I don't even know how to begin to describe the watch. It was most likely to match the fashion trend of the 80s'.
Perfect for those reliving the glory days of Knight Rider, The A-Team, Duran Duran, New Romantic music, Dynasty, big hairdos, shoulder pads, et al. This watch represents a horological icon of the 80s, it's certainly collectible but would appeal to very few people. I think it should be worth at least USD30. May 1986 is about right for this watch though.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Mark,

Seiko made quite a few automatic calibers with 17 jewels before the year 1996. You need to furnish the caliber and caseback numbers which is in the form of XXXX-YYYY. Flip your watch over, it should be on the caseback. If it's too small to read, use a digital camera set on macro mode and take a snapshot of the caseback. If you don't have a digicam, use a powerful magnifying glass. The serial number alone cannot identify when your grandfather's watch was originally made.

Quartzimodo.

Hi CB,

My sincerest apologies for the belated reply as I had some trouble with my WordPress blog installation comment reply; just had it fixed yesterday. The 7123 was one of Seiko's early analog quartz movements from the 1970s to the early 80s. I had to look at examples of other 7123 based Seiko quartz watches to get an idea when your watch was made. You can rule out 1961 because the quartz movement wasn't even invented yet that early.

I would put the production date of your watch at May 1981 from the styling of your watch (found a photo of the 7123-8420, which is similar to yours). The 7123 was also one of the few calibers that found its way into the short-lived Seiko 5 Quartz models. Yours is a model meant for the U.S. export, which perhaps found its way to the Army PX in Vietnam. Though I haven't heard of Vietnam market-specific Seiko watches, it's highly plausible that a number of 7123-8429s were sold in Vietnam (hence the dual language English/French calendar).

hope this helps and sorry for the late reply,
Quartzimodo

Hi Jonathan,

I believe your particular model was made on Jan 1993 by the Seiko overseas production facility in Hong Kong. The 7009 movement in your Seiko 5 however, was assembled by the Daini factory in Japan.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Kevin,

Without seeing your watch in question, it's impossible for me to guess what you actually have. What I do know that old Seiko watches from the 1950s were labeled "Seikosha" instead of Seiko. Please contact me via the "Ask Quartzimodo" contact form, thanks.

Quartzimodo

Hi Meredith,

The 1N00 quartz was one of Seiko's earlier generation movements for women's watches. It had a sister movement - the 1N01 caliber which had three hands (with a perpetual ticking second hand) while the 1N00 only shows the hour and minute. Neither has a date display. Your watch takes a Seiko or Maxell SR516SW battery, which will power it for 3 years straight. Your watch was made on April 1981.

Other than that, there's nothing special about 1N00-series; they were one of Seiko's many generic ladies' quartz dress watches from the late 70s.

Quartzimodo

Hi Patti,

The 1520-series Seiko watches were hand-winding mechanical (not automatic) watches designed for women. I am not familiar with the history of 1520 caliber, but looking at some examples online, they are most certainly from the early 1970s. Some 1520 models were marketed under the range "Fine Seiko" for ladies. Hand-winding Seiko watches mostly disappeared by the late 1970s (in favor of quartz technology) and it's possible that your particular watch was a late model, 1520. Therefore it's plausible that yours was manufactured on June 1978 by Seiko's Daini factory.

Most mechanical Seiko watches for ladies from this era are not water resistant, therefore take care not to get your watch wet. You'll need to take this watch off before rinsing your hands and wrists.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Sue,

You may have quite an old watch. The Caliber 21 family first debuted in 1961 and probably lasted till the early 1970s, possibly replaced by its successor - the Cal 22 in 1970. Your grandmother's watch is not an automatic but a hand-winding type (the large crown gives the clue that it's not an automatic, plus the fact it won't rattle when you shake it next your ear) and therefore it requires to be manually wound daily.

As I have never seen a Cal 21-7520 ladies' watch (are you sure your reading is correct?), your watch could have been made as early as Oct 1963 or as late as Oct 1973. I need to see pictures of your watch to be very sure.

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi Polly,

I had to do some looking up on the Seiko 14-6259 before replying to you. This watch is rather rare by Seiko's standards and may be highly collectible. I said "may" because it depends on the buyer's market and how much they're willing to pay for a used one - that is, if they're interested in the first place.

The "sapphire" on the knob is called a "cabochon crown", which is usually an artificial gemstone used for decorative purposes. The design of this watch looks very 1980s and I think your Seiko was made on Oct 1989. It's very likely that your watch was marketed exclusively to the U.S. and Canada. As for the value, it can range between USD750 to USD1k - again, this depends on its condition and how much people are wiling to pay for this watch.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Ralph,

I think you have a hand-winding (not automatic) Caliber 11 ladies' mechanical watch. If I'm right it's from January 1971. I'm unable to put a price on your watch but generally vintage Seiko watches for women go for less than USD200 on eBay.

Quartzimodo

Hi Linda,

Retail stores generally do not stock watch bracelets as they're very slow moving stock and pose a business risk. They will however, order one for you only upon request. Quote the part number 30B6-1B for the metal watch bracelet plus the caliber code 7T32-7H80 to be doubly sure. The first thing you should do is to email custserv@seikousa.com (Seiko USA's service center in New Jersey) and ask them if they can get it for you.

Quartzimodo

Hi Emma,

There's not much information I can give you other than it's one of Seiko's countless generic quartz dress watches for women and that it uses the Seiko/Maxell SR516SW battery, rated to 3 years between battery changes. I'm not familiar with the history of the 4N00 movement but from some pics I found on the 'net, your mum's watch may be from Dec 1993.

Quartzimodo

Hi TJ,

I wouldn't know how your mum's Seiko looks like as there were probably various models made in its time. But I can tell you one thing though: You're right that her watch is a manual winding one. The Cal 11A movement appeared in 1970 and lasted till nearly the end of the decade, probably between 1977 and 1978. Thus from the serial number you supplied me, your mum's Seiko was made on May 1970. My own mother still has her Cal 11A ladies' watch and it's from 1971.

Quartzimodo

Hi Roland,

If you ask me, it's a waste of your money to buy a watch winder for Seiko watches - whether vintage or contemporary. The 7019 is a simple complication movement and you don't really need a watch winder. I have dozens of Seiko automatics in my drawer - including ones dating as far back as 1969 and none of them require to be perpetually wound. When you're not wearing your Seiko 5 Actus, it's better to leave it in a state of unwind as you'll be reducing the wear and tear in the movement.

That said, watch winders are best used for certain Swiss mechanical watches with very complicated movements, e.g. a mechanical perpetual calendar. It's a hassle to set their calendars when the watch runs down therefore owners need to keep them running at all times, so they would invest in a watch winder. Seiko movements from the old days are very robust and long lived - they do not need to be kept running constantly. However, if you feel that you must keep your Actus running, look into Sharper Image watch winders.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Joe,

I'm not that familiar with the 7813 quartz caliber; it's a simple movement for gent's watches. I don't have any photos of your particular model, but the styling of a few 7813s suggest that they were from the 80s. It's possible that your watch was assembled on April 1989.
The value of 7813 watches can vary between a paltry USD45 to USD150, depending on its styling and condition. I've seen a seller asking for USD150 for his like-new 7813-6009 and one eBay seller wanting less than twenty bucks for a 7813-8009 (watch head only).

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi Julius,

Jayhawk's Production Calculator is offline as its author John G., has graduated and received his PhD at the university he was formerly pursuing his studies. His program scripts and his huge watch photo database were hosted by the university's servers. Since he had graduated, he may have left the university and the server admins had thus removed his content.
I don't have photos of your particular 6309 (Seiko made lots of models based on this caliber) but if you can see the fine print "JAPAN" on the dial and "JAPAN" stamped on the caseback, your watch would be an early model 6309. That would be from Sept 1983.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Julius,

I don't know the exact years of the 6309 because when it comes to this particular movement, I only follow the popular first and second generation Seiko divers based on the 6309 caliber, i.e., the 6309-704x and the 6309-729x models. I've seen examples of 6309-7040 divers dating to 1979 (I happen to own one) and I've seen pictures of 6309-7290 divers dated at 1993 or 1994. My best guess is that the 6309's era could have been from 1977 to 1993. Entry level movements which continued included the 7002 and 7009 calibers.
The absence of "JAPAN" on your dial means that your watch was assembled by Seiko's Hong Kong plant instead of Japan. Seiko shifted production of their 6309 watches outside Japan from the middle 1980s onwards to save assembly costs. In that case you have a watch from the year 1993 and not 1983.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Mikael,

Both the SKX007K and SKX009K divers appeared in 1996 when the 7s26A automatic movement was introduced. The Pepsi bezeled, SKX009K is also called the SKX175 in North America, to distinguish it from parallel imports from Southeast Asia. Both the SKX009K and SKX175 are identical except for certain markings on the dial and caseback.
I am not aware whether the SKX009K has been discontinued as I've read online discussions on the 009K purportedly to be taken off the market as far back as 2007. Discontinuation of models is largely a marketing decision by the Seiko company. If a certain model is not selling as well as it had been before, Seiko is likely to reduce production of that model or totally cease making it.

All SKX009K watches are assembled in Hong Kong (China). The earlier 7s26A movement was made by the Seiko plant in Singapore while the current 7s26B, in Malaysia. Completed movements are then shipped to China for the final encasement/assembly. Because the 7s26 caliber has been around for 15 years, the only way to know the year of production of your watch is to remove the caseback. Look at the oscillating wheel for the text "7S26". If it says "7S26A" then your watch is from Aug 2000; if it says 7S26B then it's from Aug 2010.

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi lala,

Without seeing actual photos of your watch, I cannot tell if you have a genuine Seiko. But if it looks 100% exactly like these photos then you have an authentic watch.

The styling of the 7009-5019 is very seventies but I don't know when Seiko introduced this particular model or how long it was in the market. If your dial has "JAPAN" below the 6 o'clock marker and on the caseback, I would put its production date at Feb 1978.. If there's no mention of "JAPAN" on the dial or the caseback, then your watch is from Feb 1988. Seiko made early 7009s in Japan and later batches in Hong Kong (where there is no mention of the "JAPAN" text.

As for the value, have a look at eBay to get a rough idea the going second hand prices for 7009s.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi confused,

Your watch is a genuine Seiko 7009-2020. The absence of the text "JAPAN" on your dial simply means that it was assembled by Seiko's Hong Kong factory, perhaps in the early 1990s. Early 7009 Seiko watches were Japan-assembled. Your movement was sourced from Seiko's Daini plant in Japan.

Rest assured, if your watch looks exactly like the one in the example (in your link), it's NOT a fake.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Bill,

I'm truly sorry to hear about the break in and your loss of your gold Seiko watch (are you certain it's solid gold and not gold plated?). Unfortunately Seiko made more gold and gold-plated models than anyone could track of. Even if you asked Seiko Japan's customer service to help you, they would need the caliber and caseback codes to narrow down to the possibility of models matching your stolen watch. At best they might email you their old catalogs (if they still keep them) of their long discontinued models and I would imagine it would be a very long list.

However, Seiko makes fewer solid gold models than gold plated ones - and if yours was especially part of one of Seiko's Historical Collection series (they made quite a few limited editions), it would help to narrow down to your exact model.

Quartzimodo

Hi Per,

It is most likely that your watch was made on April 2011 and not 2001. The Seiko Monsters are very easy to sell and it is highly improbable that you've gotten one that's 10 years old, unless you bought a used watch.

That said, a 2011 production SKX781K orange Monster should have the following characteristics:

- English/Roman day-of-week calendar (not English/Spanish)
- A 7s26B movement and not 7s26A. This can only be confirmed if you remove the watch's caseback and look and the markings on the oscillating weight.
- A fully polished caseback. Earlier Monsters had a matte/satin raised Tsunami logo with polished surroundings.
- The letters "KG" on the caseback, which would not be present in an early Monster. I have no idea what "KG" means.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Geoff,

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad's passing. All the same, you are lucky to inherit his Seiko watch and hope you'll take good care of it in his memory.
I'm not familiar with Seiko 6020 quartz watches although it was one of Seiko's calibers from the late 1970s. It appears that Seiko made quite a few 18-karat solid gold models using the 6020 movement, while the remainder from stainless steel.

Seiko used various model numbering systems in the old days, unlike from the 1990s onwards. For the 6020 caliber, Seiko used several codes like "GQ", "GKGT" and "SAGT". As there are very few examples of 6020 watches on the Internet, the exact production lifespan of this movement is unknown. 6020 watches were made by Seiko's Suwa factory (the other being their Daini plant) in Japan. Your dad's watch must have been a rare model made for the U.S. market and "GQ280" is an official model code.

Rest assured, you have a genuine vintage Seiko watch. Its value today is dictated by the current price of gold, rather than its collectible status. Production month/year for your dad's watch would be January 1981.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi John Barton,

I don't have any record of a Seiko caliber named "6207" but I think you meant the "6201". Sometimes the "1" can be mistaken for a "7", especially when the caseback engraving has worn off from age.
If your watch is indeed the 6201, then it would be 46 years old. It was made on August 1965 and may have the "waterproof" marking on the back.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Jerry,

I would not advise you to swim with the watch, unless it is specifically rated to at least 50 meters. Seiko watches without any depth indication are rated to 30 meters. For a better explanation, I have an old post about water resistance in watches.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Cangco,

Good question. So far I have not seen any examples of fake 4205-series ladies' diver's watches. It's an automatic watch with hand-winding capability. Shaking it will just cause the movement to make the usual mechanical noises associated with the spinning oscillating weight - you cannot distinguish between an original or a fake watch by merely shaking one.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi daningley,

Calculator watches were a fad in the seventies. The C153-series Seiko digital watches were introduced in 1977 and therefore your dad's watch has to be from May 1978. As for its value, please have a look at eBay to get a rough idea. There's one listing that's selling a never-used, immaculate condition C153 calculator watch for slightly over USD1,000, but this is an exception than the norm. Most people wouldn't pay that much even for a new-in-box (NIB) piece.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Donna,

Sorry for the late reply as I was overseas when you posted your question. You didn't mention the caliber but since you did say it's a manual wind-up Seiko watch with a 7-digit serial number (I assume you made no mistake), it would probably be from December 1969. I am unable to assess its present value without the caliber and caseback numbers and whether the words "SGP" or "18kt Gold" are printed on the reverse of the watch.

Quartzimodo

Hello Victoria,

I apologize for the late response as I was traveling when you posted your question. What you have is a late model 7009 Seiko 5 automatic from September 1991 and not 1981. This is because the word "JAPAN" is not printed on this watch's dial, which meant it was assembled by Seiko's factory in Hong Kong, using the 7009 movement from Japan. Seiko 5 automatics from the early 1980s were 100% Japan assembled and would have "JAPAN" engraved on the caseback and printed on the dial.
The "A1" refers to the caseback tool for Seiko technicians to use for opening up the watch. "25IR R" would be the dial code specific to this gold plated model. And that lightning symbol means the watch parts were made by Seiko's Daini factory in Japan.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Melanie,

I'm sorry to read about your misfortune. The details which you provided makes no sense to me, but I'm guessing your watch was the mid-sized SKX013K automatic diver (7s26-0030). Depending on the vendor, the SKX013K would have been selling between USD130 to USD160 some years ago. As for today's going prices, just Google for SKX013K and check eBay.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo.

Hi Wade,

The V701 caliber was one of Seiko's movements that was fitted to its generic gents' dress watches. I'm not sure when exactly the V701 first appeared on the market, but some of the models look like they originated from the early or mid 1990s.
Yours is most likely to come from May 2000 and its model # is either the SFW048P or SWF038P. Generic Seiko quartz dress watches usually do not fetch a high value on the second hand market. Look at the Buy-It-Now offers on eBay and you'll see what I mean.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Tom,

Many thanks for the glowing compliments, much appreciated! I try to help folks whenever I can

Quartzimodo

Hi Judanne,

Your old Seiko Quartz 6532-5250 appears to be from the 1980s, judging from its styling and the movement module's design. To be precise, it's from August 1985 and certainly not as early as 1975 - although Seiko had released a few early quartz models ten years earlier.

When Seiko collectors refer to vintage watches, we always use the caseback numbers as the identifier, NOT the ones on the dial. This is because the dial number refers to the exact dial color and styling for the model. That is why the caseback and dial codes generally do not tally with one another. Seiko may make a few variations based on the 6532-5250 design. To differentiate the dial part, a different number is issued to the different dials - that's why your particular model's dial was named as 6532-5360 instead of 6532-5250. However, if you're ordering a replacement dial from the Seiko service cent

The "T" after 6532-5360 is believed to stand for Tritium, a mildly radioactive paint that is used to coat the hands and hour markers. Seiko had also used Promethium-147 luminous paint besides Tritium paint in the past. The watch company has stopped using either materials ever since they developed their proprietary, non-radioactive and non-toxic LumiBrite luminous compound in the mid 1990s. LumiBrite also lasts longer and glows brighter than Tritium or Promethium-147 compounds.

Hi Pat,

You have an automatic watch dating to November 1974. If it doesn't work, have the movement checked by a competent watch repairman, overhauled if necessary and regulated for accuracy. Note that the 7005 is a mechanical watch and thus is NOT powered by a battery. Old mechanical movements are generally serviceable as their parts can easily be disassembled, cleaned and lubricated whereas quartz movements are usually replaced if they have major faults.

cheers,
Quartzimodo Admin

Hi Jimmy G,

Sorry for the late reply as I had missed your post. With regards to your SKX781K Orange Monster, it's definitely from 2008 based on your description of its all-polished caseback. All Seiko 7s-calibers from 2007 onwards are the 7s26B version and are factory assembled by Seiko's plant in Malaysia. I don't know what the additional letters "KG" mean as they were not present on the earlier Monsters with the matte Tsunami logo.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Johnny X,

It's OK, I found some photos of the Seiko 5 7009-8761 similar to the one that you have. None of them had the word "JAPAN" (not to be confused with "Made In Japan", which was for the Middle East market) on the dial, which meant the 7009-8761 was made by Seiko's factory in Hong Kong.
Your watch was manufactured on August 1987. The 7009 is a robust movement and unlike the 7s26 caliber, its internal components had all metal parts. There must be millions of 7009 Seiko 5's that are still happily ticking to this day, if their owners took good care of their watches.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Justi,

What you have is a perfectly genuine Seiko watch, if all the essential identification and markings add up. You have one of the Seiko 5 models with the prefix SNK3xxK or SNK5xxK.

Seiko makes about a dozen variants based on the 7s26-02v0 caseback type. The reason why you can't find any info on your watch online is because sellers do not refer to Seiko watches by their technical reference codes but the model codes.

For instance if yours has a white dial with a red racing stripe in an arc stretching from the 12 o'clock to the 4 o'clock marker, that would be the SNK369K. If you Google for this reference code, you'll find images relating to this exact watch.

On the other hand, if you search for "7s26-02v0" instead, this leads to ambiguity as the above caliber/caseback code could mean any model from this series.

To keep an automatic watch running perpetually, all you have to do is to wear it normally. Don't shake the watch vigorously too frequently as this would cause your watch to speed up and gain time.

Hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Chad,

I found some images of the 7N43-9048 and saw that it's a quartz dressy-sports watch with a full luminous dial. There are no nicknames for this particular model although some sellers called it a "Flieger" (or "flyer" in German) but in my opinion, it hardly resembles one. The Arabic numerals on the dial makes this watch look like one of those "Railroad Approved" Seiko models that the company used to make (they're long discontinued).

Your watch is indeed one of the several variations from the 7N43-9048 series (there are black, silver and green dials) and your model could be an SGF3xxP or SGF4xxP model. The problem is that the 7N43 caliber had been around since the 1990s and it's hard to pinpoint the exact year of production unless I see how it looks like. Try to use Google Image search and type in "Seiko SGF" and see if you find any watches that resemble yours. If your watch has "Seiko Quartz" printed on the dial, it's likely to be from 1996. By the late 1990s onwards, Seiko stopped using the word "Quartz" for their quartz watches.

On the other hand, if yours looks more like the SGF204 model, it looks like the Rolex Perpetual Datejust with its Rolex-esque bezel and its Jubilee bracelet.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Marlene,

I don't collect clocks although my wall clocks are from Seiko.
The trouble with mantel clocks, especially quartz ones from Seiko, Citizen and Orient is that they are hardly collectible. Unless you have a vintage, hand made, mechanical one from Switzerland or Germany , Seiko wall and mantelpiece clocks don't really have much value on them.
Mostly used quartz clocks are sold at flea market and garage sale prices. Generally people prefer to buy a brand new ones except if that clock bears some horological significance, e.g. made by a famous clocksmith.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Shirley,

I had to do some research on the 1E20 caliber to find out what it is. It's one of Seiko's early quartz movements specially designed for ladies' wristwatches and pendant watches, which was possibly first introduced in the late 1970s. The problem is that I don't know its exact production lifespan but it seems that all of them were Japan-made, with different styling varying with the trend. So this rules out the mid 1990s to present day, where quartz Seiko watches (except those for the Japan market, like the Seiko Lukia lineup) are manufactured in Singapore.

My best estimate would be March 1986. Women's Seiko quartz watches are much harder to pinpoint their exact production date compared to men's watches from the 80s.

hope this helps (somewhat),
Quartzimodo

Hi Orion,

You have one of the rare, Seiko 5 Actus models which was first introduced in the very late 1960s, but your uncle's watch was a later model sold in the 1970s. Production date would be February 1978. As for your Seiko 5 7s26-3040 automatic, Seiko made many versions based on this caseback type. Is the caseback stainless steel or the see-through glass type? If it's the solid stainless steel kind, then it would be from April 1998.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Justi,

A Seiko 5 with a 7s26 movement should be able to run continuously off the wrist for up to 42 hours when it's fully wound. You really have to vigorously shake the watch for a good 5-8 minutes before wearing or so to get it to its fully wound state.
Barring main spring problems, it's possible that your watch's main spring was only half wound and because of that you noticed that it runs only for 20-24 hours as you said.

If your watch is fairly new from the factory, its movement needs between 4-6 weeks of constant wearing for it to settle down and run smoothly.

Enjoy your watch!
Quartzimodo

Hi Farhan,

Yes, it so happens that I don't mind providing a free community service for all Seiko watch owners and would-be owners everywhere.

From your name, I assume that you're a Muslim. For those who aren't familiar with the Islamic religion, Islam forbids Muslim men from wearing pure gold ornaments and jewelry, including clothing from silk. Women are however, exempted.

You have a gold plated Seiko 5 watch and so far Seiko has never made a solid gold model for its Seiko 5 series. It's either stainless steel or gold plated. Therefore you should not have any issues wearing a gold plated watch from the Islamic religious perspective.

Gold plated Seiko watches are very popular in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia.

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi Jaryn,The 5y30 quartz caliber was one of Seiko's movements made for dress watches in the 80s. The exact year when it was first introduced is unknown.Yours was likely from November 1989 as its design strongly suggests a late 1980s watch trend.

The last four digits signify watch #710 made for the same caseback type for that production month. (The first piece from the factory always starts with the numbers "0000" and not "0001").

As for its exact model number, I'll need the dial code that's printed on the face of the watch, below the 6 o'clock marker. The general reference code for your watch (and similar looking models) is with SDCxxxP, where "xxx" is a 3 digit number.

Sorry, I've no idea what your watch used to cost as I don't have the catalog for Seikos during that period.

Happy New Year!
Quartzimodo

Hi James,

Good question. I don't think the 5M42 was discontinued as early as 1991 because Seiko was still using the older calibers like the 5M23 then. Your Kinetic was definitely from September 1995, so how could the 5M43 have been pulled off the production line in '91?

You can continue using the watch as it is. Change the capacitor only when its power reserve level has deteriorated significantly, e.g. it stops running only 48 hours off the wrist.

Happy New Year!
Quartzimodo

Hello Marc,

The generally accepted year of introduction of the 7T32A caliber is 1988 but this is based on feedback from 7T32 owners who discuss their watches in watch forums. Are you certain that you bought yours two years earlier? If so, then this certainly rewrites history because no one has verified as having an early SDW0xxP model as early as 1986.

I'd be grateful if you could contact me via my Contact Form because I would like to see photos of your early 7T32s.

Happy New Year!
Quartzimodo

Hi Monika,

The 2206A was considered as one of Seiko's better automatic movements for ladies' watches in the seventies. Apart from auxiliary hand winding, it is also a high beat movement - running at 28,800 beats per hour for better accuracy.

The normal beat rate for common automatic watches is 21,600bph. On the flip side, high beat watches also incur faster wear and tear, since their movements tick faster.

A 30 minute gain per day is highly unacceptable for a mechanical watch. You should have it serviced and the movement regulated for accuracy if you intend to wear it daily. Send it to a watch repairman who's well versed with mechanical timepieces.

Your watch was made on October 1974.

Hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Irena,

Finding an identical, long discontinued Seiko watch that's not very popular would be like looking for a needle in.a haystack. Ebay is a good resource to start, but you have to persevere at searching for the exact model.

Sooner or later someone is bound to put a Seiko 7123-5000 up for sale.

good luck!
Quartzimodo

Hi James,

That's a great question. Actually Seiko has produced solar powered watches many years ago, but the company focused more on its Kinetic models. Perhaps seeing how successful Citizen is at marketing its Eco Drive watches, Seiko has recently revived its solar powered models, notably their Solar Powered divers, like the SNE series models.

I'm sure that the new Seiko solar powered models also use lithium ion rechargeable cells just like its Kinetics. A solar powered watch pretty much feels the same as a quartz watch on your wrist. That's because there are no moving parts in either movement types except for the watch hands and the calendar disc.

A Kinetic on the other hand, has an oscillating weight that spins, just like an automatic watch, although it doesn't spin freely like an automatic's rotor. Some folks like Kinetics for its technology and buy them because it's a Kinetic. Others buy a watch for its looks and it so happens that the watch has a Kinetic movement.

AFAIK, the only Seiko diver's model that was available in all three movements - automatic, quartz and Kinetic is the Seiko "Knight" model (all unfortunately discontinued). I happen to own both the SKXA49K Black Knight and the quartz SHC053P White Knight and both watches feel a bit differently on the wrist. The quartz version is slimmer, feels lighter and doesn't rattle when I shake my wrist, unlike my SKXA49K automatic Black Knight.

Seiko has just released the SSC017P solar powered, chronograph diver based on the recently introduced V175 caliber. This is Seiko's first ISO rated diver's watch with both a stopwatch plus a light powered movement. It's still new in the market and will take some time before you see this model for sale.

As for your final question, I can't say whether the Kinetic diver that you're looking at is "better" than the SNE109P, because there is no such thing as realistic benchmarks for watches, except for their price. TAG Heuer for example, carries a far higher sticker price than a comparable Seiko watch. It doesn't mean that TAGs are better than Seiko.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Carol,

Your Seiko Bell-Matic was manufactured on April 1975 by the Suwa factory in Japan. There are two variants of the Bell-Matic; the common 4006 day/date with either 17 or 21 jewels and the super rare, 4005 caliber with just the date display.

Depending on the condition, level of originality and the design, Bell-Matics can fetch between USD75 to USD300 on the used market. Seiko made lots of variations of the Bell-Matic; some are worth more, some less.

kind regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi Anna,

Caliber 11A movements were made specially for women's watches. They are hand-winding mechanical watches (not automatic) and had a fairly short production run in the seventies.
Your mum's old Seiko was made on June 1974.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Carole,

I can't find any reference to "7T62-ODEO" because Seiko does not use the letter "O" but the number zero for the caseback type. If it's a 7T62-0DE0, then it would be one of the Sportura models - and Sportura watches mostly come in black dials, with very few versions with white dials. Are you sure you read the caseback codes correctly?

In any case AUD250 is rather steep for a replacement bracelet - not for a Sportura of this price range. Your jeweler is also marking up its price. As for whether this watch is genuine or otherwise, I'll need to see the watch in pictures. Use the contact form (Ask Quartzimodo!) to communicate with me, thanks.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi James,

Yes, you should receive the same yellow dialed, "Big Freakin' Kinetic" (BFK) diver regardless whether you ordered it from Singapore or a US based seller. I don't think the SKA367P is native to the U.S. market; if you purchased this from an online retailer either from Amazon or eBay, it's likely to be a parallel import or grey market watch. Then again, I haven't been following what models Seiko USA is selling recently. If the SKA367 is now officially distributed by Seiko USA, it would come with a 3-year warranty but with a higher price tag.

Skywatches has been selling watches on the Internet long before I began my watch hobby in 2003 and it's a trustworthy vendor.

Happy buying!
Quartzimodo

Hi Dave,

I need the 6-digit serial number that you can find at the back of your watch. Without it, I won't know when your watch was made.

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi Thinus,

The absence of a sub-brand on the dial, e.g. "Premier", "Sportura", "Velatura", "Arctura" means that your watch is a generic Seiko watch, which does not belong to any Seiko lineup.
In this case, the only way to find out your watch is from its model tag (if it's supplied withe the watch), OR by the caliber/caseback codes found at the back of the watch.

Let me know your watch's movement and caseback codes. It's in the form of XXXX-YYYY.

best,
Quartzimodo

Hi Paul,

It is quite common for Seiko to have a dual-language calender disc on its watches with a day/date display. International market versions would have English/Roman numerals, while region specific ones will have secondary languages such as Spanish, German, French, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese and even Farsi (Iranian version of Arabic characters).

The 5H23 is a 3-jeweled simple quartz movement which was fitted to several sporty diver watch-like models from the late 1980s. Your 5H23-8B60 was most likely to have been made on December 1987. Finding the exact replacement band would be a tall order, as your model was discontinued decades ago. If it has regular lugs, you can retrofit the watch with a silicone, rubber or a leather band. Take it to a watch store that sells many types of aftermarket straps.

The reference number for your watch is as follows:

- SBG259J (stainless steel)
- SBG260J (gold plated)

good luck!
Quartzimodo

Hi Milos,

You have a very popular Seiko 5 model (7s26-8760) that was made in so many variations. There were the early ones that were made in the 1990s and also ones that could be from the 21st century. If your watch has an all-metal caseback cover, it would be from June 1997. On the other hand, if your Seiko 5 has a see-thru display back, then it's from June 2007.

The letters "KY" are believed by some to signify the procedure to open the watch and proper case opener tool for Seiko technicians. This doesn't apply to watch repair stores that use universal caseback openers. The "F" is believed to be a code representing the case size.

Back in 1997, the average price of a Seiko 5 watch like yours would be approximately USD50 in Malaysia.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Michael,

The Seiko 5 SNK357K is not from 2001, because this model never existed back then. If it were from that year, it would also have a solid stainless steel caseback. Therefore your watch was from February 2011 and definitely not 2001.

Your Seiko 5 is authentic, not a fake. Like all Seiko 5 watches made since the late 1980s, yours is assembled in Hong Kong. The guilloche patterned dial with tiny Seiko 5 emblems on it is a relatively new design, which did not exist until recently.

Enjoy your new SNKH357K in good health.

Quartzimodo

Hi Roy,

Congratulations on your new Seiko SRN001P Kinetic watch. It's made in Singapore on April 2008. The 5M54 is a relatively new Seiko caliber.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Clemualb,

The serial number that you gave me is 7 digits long, instead of six. Can you confirm whether your Bell-Matic has "waterproof" or. "water resistant" markings on the caseback?

Quartzimodo

Hi Clemualb,

The reason that I asked for the serial number verification is because a 7-digit serial number applies to vintage Seiko watches made between 1966 and 1967. Most Bell-Matics I've seen in pictures (I own two myself) are from the early 1970s. It's quite rare to see one that's made in the late 60s. So there you have it - October 1967. You have one of the earliest Bell-Matic models, which is a rare occurrence. The "Water Proof" marking also confirms that your watch has to be from 1967 and not 1977, because it if were from 1977 (about the time the Bell-Matics were discontinued) it would have "Water Resistant" marked instead.

John Nelson (John N) is a contact of mine and he used to run a site dedicated towards Seiko Bell-Matics; he would know about the subject more intimately. I bought a 4006-6040 from him two years ago as he was liquidating his collection.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Detlev,

I'm not familiar with the Seiko 9020 quartz movement but designs based on this caliber suggest that it's an 80s watch rather than the 1990s.

Therefore it's quite probable that yours was from June 1985. Although your serial number has the number 177, it is actually piece #178, because the first watch made in any month has the ending 4 digit numbers starting with "0000" and not "0001".

Unfortunately I have no idea how many pieces of your particular model were made. You'll have to contact Seiko Japan to get the information.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Tammy,

Not much is known about the hand winding Cal 11A as to when it first appeared and when it was discontinued. However, it's believed that this caliber was introduced in 1970.

My best guess is that your watch was made on August 1978, based on your serial numbers on the back of the watch. The numbers on the dial refer to the dial code and is not used for dating the watch.

Hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Foxbat,

I haven't been poking my nose in watch stores for a long time, but word has it from the Seiko collector communities is that the 7s26C version did appear sometime in 2011. Some believe that the 7s26C has a more pronounced, elevated pinion in the movement for better height clearance for the main time hands. If this is true, then it should solve cases of sticking second hand that tend to rest exactly where the minute hand lies when the main spring is nearly unwound. So far I noticed that one of my watches (7s26B caliber) has this problem.

Thanks for reporting your watch production dates. Since you have observed your SNK315K is from December 2011 and your SNKE53K from June 2011, this narrows down 7s26C's debut between the months between June and December 2011. More feedback from owners having the newer 7s26C movement are needed to pinpoint the exact month Seiko introduced the 7s26C.

The new Seiko solar powered watches should be at least equal to Citizen's Eco Drives. Actually Seiko has had solar powered watches dating to the late 90s or early 2000s, but they weren't as popular as Citizen Eco Drive watches. For Seiko, they were busy pushing their Kinetic technology while Citizen had no choice but move forward with what they're already good at - light powered watches. Once upon a time, Citizen made a few models based on its Eco Drive Duo technology (solar and kinetic movement charged), but they were quite expensive. Those watches were probably more efficient at charging using sources of light than the wrist movement, therefore it made the "kinetic" charging method redundant.

I might buy one of those nice Seiko Solar chronographs this year. I saw quite a few models when I visited Singapore last October and was tempted to buy one, but I'll wait for newer solar powered chronographs to appear.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Foxbat,

I Googled for your Kinetic watch and found the reference number. It's either the SKA196P (white dial) or the SKA198P (black dial).

The SNE-series solar watches are one of Seiko's latest revivals into the solar powered watch scene and this time they're putting more effort into promoting them. I expect them to be vastly improved versions of their earlier efforts. Its solar panels are located behind the translucent dial like the surface of a white ping pong ball. Your Promaster AV0031-59A's solar panels on the other hand, are located at the subdial apertures. It's best that you view the SNE031 yourself before buying it, in case you prefer solid, opaque dials.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Foxbat,

Yes, the "K" suffix designates a Seiko watch that is cased in Hong Kong (China). Do note that some models that are exclusive to the U.S. market do not have any letter suffix at all. Some examples include the SKXA35 and SNM035 automatic diver's models. They are not referred to as the "SKXA35K" or "SNM035K". U.S. market models also have the country of manufacture printed on the dial to comply with the American Federal Trade Commission labeling laws. For watches that are made in China, they are clearly marked "Mov't Singapore" or "Mov't Malaysia" and "Cased in China" in fine print on the dial.

The Citizen CA0021-53A is a great looking watch, but personally I avoid watches with no contrast between the dial and the hands/markers. They're hard to read the time in dim lighting. BTW, have you ever considered Orient automatic watches before? I have an Orient CEY04002B and it's a very fine dress/sports automatic, with a power reserve indicator and perpetual world time. For its asking price, Seiko offers nothing like it. A unique feature of the Orient CEY04002B is its sapphire glass display back, which is quite unusual as most watches with see-thru casebacks use the cheaper mineral glass.

This watch is equally eye-catching as the Citizen Promaster E210 series and I've often received compliments whenever I wear it.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Foxbat,

In the early 2000s, Asian market Seikos were available exclusively from Southeast Asian and Hong Kong based sellers. Things have changed since then, with a few enterprising Far East based watch sellers setting up offices in the U.S. to cater for the North American market. Such watches, including your SNK315K Seiko 5 are considered parallel imports from Seiko USA's point of view.

The Orient CEY04002B is a watch that's worth saving for, because it's a lot of watch for the asking price. There is also a Japan market, limited edition model that uses the identical movement but sells for USD2,000. I've seen the watch in person and have taken photos of it at my regular watch store. After a year sitting on the shelf, the watch was returned to the distributor as nobody wanted to spend that much on a "mere Orient" watch.

If I could offer some advice, it's better to save up towards something that's more unique rather than going for quantity for your collection! Take it from someone who's owned a little over 80 timepieces.

Quartzimodo

Hi Michael,

Congratulations on buying both (wow!) Orient watches. The model FEU07005BX is most probably a recent model as I haven't been following developments of watches for some time. The scale that's printed on the edge of the dial is an E6B Flight analog computer which works on the slide rule principle. On watches today, the E6B scale is mostly for aesthetic/decorative purposes as even single engined Cessna/Piper pilots use digital flight computers for navigation. I have several watches with the E6B scale on them and never bothered to learn how to use it, lol..

Your purchase of the white dialed CEY04003W0 didn't come as a surprise to me (I was nevertheless elated that you chose this model) as from your past comments, you like white-on-white watches. I have only three or four white dialed Seiko models, but their index markers are black, providing some contrast. It's a good thing that you selected the CEY0400 series, because the small perpetual second hand departs from the traditional long sweep second hand on your other timepieces. Due to its short hand, the individual ticking motion is not discernible to the eye and this gives it a fluid-like motion like the second hand of a Seiko "Quiet Sweep" wall clock or a Seiko Spring Drive watch.

My advice is not to buy too many watches within a short span of time, unless they are on the endangered species list (read: vintage/discontinued). Spacing out your watch purchases will give you time (pun not intended) to enjoy your most recent purchase.

The CFA05001B is a newer model to the CEY0400 series; it sports a different caliber than the latter. Modern mechanical watches don't really need to be worn all the time - there are millions of unsold automatics sitting in retail stores all over the world that haven't been "shaken" in six months or longer, but they still work nicely. You don't need to buy an automatic watch winder unless you own some exotic Swiss mechanical with complications like a perpetual calendar. Such watches can have complex setting procedures, that's why their owners invest in watch winders to avoid the hassle of setting these watches.

Enjoy your new watches in good health!

Quartzimodo

Hi Rick,

You have one of the more collectible Seiko quartz diver's watches. The 7548-700x series are generally well liked by most Seiko dive watch collectors and a Pepsi-bezeled 7548-700F can fetch between USD200 to USD250 depending on the condition and originality. The 7548-700x is commonly believed to have influenced the styling of the SKX007/SKX009 series, automatic divers which appeared in the mid 90s. Your watch was fully made in Japan by Seiko's Suwa factory on March 1985.

The five jeweled, 7548 movement is robust and long lived. It requires an Energizer 301 or Seiko/Maxell SR43SW 1.55 silver oxide battery, with a 3-year lifespan.

thanks for the compliments!
Quartzimodo

Hi Pablo,

Yes, your 6138-0011 is from April 1974. It's easy to date 6138 automatics because they only existed in the 1970s. Sadly, as quartz technology became more prominent, Seiko decided to cease production of affordable automatic chronographs in favor of digital watches and quartz chronographs.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi ganes,

Without looking at photos of your grandfather's 6309-5060 I can only assume that it's an original Seiko watch. From the serial numbers I would say it's from May 1977.

The watch was fully made in Japan by Seiko's Suwa factory and its design harks from the late 1970s.

Quartzimodo

Hi Bob,

Sure thing. If you have the Sea Lion M55 Weekdater, it's most probably a 6119-851x model. It should have "waterproof" markings on the caseback and the 7-digit serial number dates this watch to March 1966.

hope this helps and wear it in good health,
Quartzimodo

Hi Bob,

Your Seiko 6309-8020 is an early model dating from April 1978. The 6309 movement came out sometime in 1976 and those that were manufactured before 1984 were made in Japan. Later 6309 models were Hong Kong assembled until they were discontinued by the late 1980s.

hope this answers your question,
Quartzimodo

Hi Todd,

The movement and caseback number must be known before one can date a Seiko watch. For example, if your mom-in-law's watch has a movement that was discontinued by before 2000, it would be from 1990, 1980 or even 1970. Seiko made quite a few movements in both quartz and mechanical forms with differing market lifespans, therefore it's imperative that the movement and caseback numbers are identified first.

Quartzimodo.

Hi Don,

Seiko Lassale watches are not really my forte and I've never really paid much attention to them. The Lassale sub-brand was conceived when the K. Hattori Company (Seiko) bought the Jean Lassale watchmaking company in 1982. At the time Seiko had proudly designed several ultra wafer-thin quartz movements and they fitted them to the initial Seiko Lassale models.

Towards the end of the 1990s when the Lassale lineup was totally discontinued, Seiko had widened the range of Lassale from simple gents' dress watches with complicated quartz movements such as the 7F68 moonphase and Seiko's own 7T32 chronograph movements. I've never seen a Seiko-branded 5L14 watch before and in my best opinion, the 5L14 was exclusively used in the Lassale sub-brand. Without seeing an actual photo, your watch could be from June 1987 or 1997.

The 5L14 is a simple 3-jeweled, quartz movement with no calendar or second hand (its sister 5L15 caliber has three hands though). It requires a Seiko/Maxell SR920SW 1.55V silver oxide battery which is rated for 5 years between battery changes.

There's an interesting post on Seiko Lassale watches which might interest you here.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Paul,

That's really great! I've been off the watch scene for sometime and only stumbled upon the 7A38.com forum site recently. Back in my SCWF forum days, there was very little interest (or none at all) in Seiko Lassale watches and information on them were really scarce. The content material on the Seiko Lassale models was the most comprehensive that I've read in a long time, great job on the article.

The Seiko 7A28 and 7A38 are two quartz chronographs that I'd really like to get my hands on; but very good condition ones are hard to find nowadays.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Danny,

What you have with you is a Seiko model SEJ010J, which was fully made in Japan and was possibly made on March 1989, at the time the moonphase quartz watch fad began. I'm sorry I can't put a value to your watch, because 7T36 models are considered rare even in the used market. Some 7T36 models which belonged to the collectible, "Age of Discovery" series may fetch at least USD450 in excellent condition, perhaps a bit more.

eBay is a good place to investigate the average winning bids or Buy-it-Now asking prices of 7T36 watches. Not all used 7T36 watches for sale will have uniform values as it will also depend on the exact model. Right now there's only one live auction for a 7T36-6A40 on eBay, but it's not completed yet. You might be interested in following the auction to the end to see how high its winning bid will be.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi lisamarie,

Thanks for your question and I apologize for not being able to reply sooner. You have a self-winding, mechanical watch which is also referred to as an "automatic" watch. Automatic watches are purely mechanical and are not electronic. As such, they are powered by a tiny main spring that drives the watch mechanism and do not require any battery whatsoever.

In the case of the 4206 day/date caliber, you can actually wind the watch manually by carefully winding its crown in its pushed-in position. The 4206's winding mechanism isn't that efficient therefore Seiko provided an auxiliary hand-winding capability to this movement. Your Seiko watch is a U.S. model and was made on August 1997. By the early 2000s, the 4206 caliber was replaced by the 4207 (with the same features) and is still used in Seiko 5 automatics for ladies.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Sawadee, Mongkol

This is a good question. As far as I know there are no fake Seiko models made like the new SNZF45K with the present 7s36C movement. Therefore your Seiko 5 Sports watch would be a genuine one.

It's made on March 2012 and the SNZF45K is a very recent model.

Cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Rudi,

It doesn't work that way. 7T32 is the caliber type while 6M10 refers to the caseback model. You also need to know the six digit serial number, with the first two digits identifying the production year and month respectively.

Kindly go through my article again as you've sort of misunderstood my guide.

Quartzimodo

Hi k.g.,

You have one of those Limited Edition "Atlas" titanium models. Unfortunately, the exact production date cannot be determined as Seiko does not print serial numbers for its limited edition watches. However, from the various sample photos that I have of this watch I'm certain they were released in the year 2005. The average value of this watch today is from USD325-400 for the "K" version. Although you have the "J" (Japan) variant it doesn't necessarily mean that collectors are willing to pay over USD400 for one.

good luck with the sale!
Quartzimodo

Hi SteveD,

Your old Seiko watch is likely to be from the Seiko Sportsmatic or the Seiko 5 Sportsmatic Weekdater lineup. The 6619A is a 21-jeweled, self-winding movement that was first introduced in 1964. Your watch was made on February 1973. Although the 6619 Sportsmatics are collectible timepieces, only those in very good condition might sell for $300 US Dollars on eBay, usually no higher than that.

It's good to know that your faithful old ticker is still happily with you for the last three decades!

Quartzimodo

Hi Demina,

Thanks for asking, but the 6-digit serial # found at the back of your watch tells the production year and month. 7N83-0049 is NOT the watch's serial number, but its movement and caseback code. I also need to know the 6-digit numbers before I can (hopefully) tell you when it was made.

Quartzimodo

Hi Charles,

Seiko made several models based on the 6119-8090 design but most of them have the more common, baton styled hour markers. However an acquaintance of mine who collects vintage Seiko watches, "Cobrajet" posted about finding one with Arabic numerals in this discussion. I assume the one which he purchased is similar to yours.

With regards to the Arabic numeral 6119s being sold "exclusively at military PX stores", I have found no historical evidence to support this theory. I highly doubt that Seiko produced the Arabic numeral dialed 6119-8090s just for the U.S. Army's Post Exchanges but it's not unusual for any watch with Arabic numerals to be popular with servicemen as they're much easier to read the time. Therefore I presume such watches (and Seiko diver's models) were in great demand; therefore you were likely to find Seiko watches with Arabic numbers at your PX.

BTW, your Seiko 5 was made by the Suwa factory in Japan on Sept 1969, therefore your watch was practically brand new when you bought it. The 6119 is a robust caliber and maintained frequently it can last a very long time. Good to know that your daily beater is still happily ticking to this day!

Quartzimodo

Hi Susie,

I can't figure out what "POP" means but your actual watch caliber and caseback type is 1E20-0070 (zeroes, not the letter "O"). It's made in Japan on January 1985 making it 27 years old . Does your watch have stylish beads as its bracelet?

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Ralph Boggs,

I have a dark navy blue 6139-6002 myself. The 6139-6002 is one of Seiko's classic automatic chronographs from the 1970s and it's a crowd favorite - especially the rare, yellow dialed "Colonel William Pogue" version. Colonel Dr Pogue was an astronaut who wore the Seiko 6139-6002 on his missions aboard the old Skylab 4 space station in 1974. Partly due to the significance of the yellow dialed 6139-6002 having been worn in space by Col Pogue, the yellow dialed version fetches a higher price on the used market.

The 6139 is a column wheel type chronograph and shares the same oscillating balance weight as the more complicated, 6138 chronographs. Unlike comparable Swiss chronograph designs, the 6139's stopwatch should be left running at all times whenever the watch itself is running. Many Seiko watchmaker experts advocate leaving the stopwatch running as this actually lessens wear-and-tear on its vertical column stopwatch clutch mechanism. In contrast, Swiss made chronographs incur more wear if the stopwatch is used more frequently, but opposite is true with the 6139/6138 chronographs.

BTW, your watch was from March 1972 and was made by the Suwa factory in Japan. An average condition, 6139-6002 generally fetches between USD200-250 on eBay, with super mint condition ones twice that amount.

Quartzimodo

Hi Matt,

Thank you for the compliments. With regards to your multiple questions on your new Seiko SNP019P (black hands on silver white dial), SNP022P (gold toned hands) or SNP036P (black dial, rose gold case):

1. 7D56 is the caliber code for the Kinetic Perpetual, while 0AA0 is the case design code.

2. 910477 means your watch was manufactured on January 2009. The 7D56 caliber wasn't designed until the late 2000s. Your watch was the 478th piece from the production line as the very first one would have the number "0000". Any Seiko watch bearing "0000" as its last four digits would be the first piece assembled for that particular caliber/case and for that particular month and year.

3. [A4] is believed to be the caseback design or official Seiko procedure to remove the caseback, but nobody really knows for sure.

4. 4A081-CC is the watch band part number.

Kinetic Perpetual watches like the 7D56 are very difficult to copy due to its very complicated movement. There's not much incentives for counterfeiters to duplicate a 7D56 and they would rather make knock-off Swiss replicas, where the real money is. As long as you did not buy your watch from a replica watch site, you should be safe.

Quartzimodo

Hello Ralph,

You're most welcome . I dug up some further information on your watch and the original Seiko reference number for the yellow 6139-6002 is AH035M. In the old days, Seiko didn't use a standardized nomenclature for their watches and they used both letters and numbers, e.g. 54332M, 55029, AV017M, etc making model typing very difficult. Because of the non-uniformity, Seiko collectors found it easier to refer to a vintage model as "6138-0030", "6105-8100", etc instead of their original reference numbers. Beginning from the mid to late 80s, Seiko decided to use "S" as the first letter for every Seiko model made and the second and third letters representing the movement or caliber family.

I hope your watch's date quickset mechanism is still working (by depressing in the crown fully until it clicks and advances the date). Many old 6139 chronographs that were largely uncared for over the decades have faulty or sticking quickset mechanisms. Do take note never to set the day/date between 9pm and 2am as doing so can damage the calendar advance mechanism.

Take care of your watch!
Quartzimodo

Hi Ralph,

I've never heard of anyone sending vintage Seiko 6139s (or any mechanical watch from that era) to Coserv (Seiko USA's service center) for repairs. Unless there is at least one Seiko USA watch technician in his late 70s who happens to still work for Coserv (which is highly unlikely), I doubt they will undertake repairs for your watch. Parts for long discontinued calibers are likely to have dried up many decades ago and it is normal for watch repairers to cannibalize parts from junked watches of the same caliber.

As a policy, Seiko repair centers only use new or New Old Stock (NOS) parts, if available. If they're unable to procure the part from Seiko Japan, they will return the watch to you. Another factor is repair expertise. If you could travel back in time to 1980, you're still likely to find Seiko USA technicians who are proficient at repairing 6139 chronographs and getting the required parts. Today's Seiko watch repairmen are generally trained in recent model, quartz or Kinetic watches, not complicated mechanical chronographs from a bygone era. It's much easier and less labor intensive to completely replace a defective quartz or Kinetic module than to overhaul an automatic chronograph.

Although Seiko still makes automatic chronographs today, these watches are exclusive to the Japan market and as such, could only be repaired by Seiko Japan technicians. Note that since the mid 1990s, Seiko only makes expensive, luxury mechanical chronographs (like from their Brightz, Credor and Prospex ranges) and these calibers are definitely not in the same league as the once affordable, 6139 or 6138 calibers. So who undertakes the repairs of discontinued mechanical chronographs today? Hobbyists and third party, watch repairmen who are specially trained in servicing vintage Seiko calibers. A mechanical watch repairer who services solely Swiss mechanical watches e.g., Omega, Breitling, IWC may be able to repair your 6139-6002, but it's better to send your watch to those with vast experience in vintage Seiko timepieces.

Offhand, the only U.S. based vintage Seiko watch repairman that I know is Mr Bob Thayer, who charges reasonable labor fees for watch repairs and cosmetic makeovers. Note that I have no affiliation with Mr Thayer but he seems to get good feedback recommendations in Seiko watch forums. The 6139-6002 should be very familiar to him and he should be able to advise you as which parts need replacing.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Elizabeth,

There are NO fake H249 caliber Seiko watches that I know of; nobody ever counterfeited them in the first place. You have a genuine old Seiko watch, and I believe it dates to July 1980. The lightning bolt symbol signifies that this model was made by Seiko's Daini factory in Japan. Whether it's possible to get it running again depends on the extent of the malfunction; and if the entire quartz module needs replacing and there are no replacement movements to be found (remember, this is a long discontinued model) then the effort might not be worth it.

Here's an example of an H249 duo-display watch I found on the Internet.

Quartzimodo

Hi Ralph,

Bob Thayer can be contacted at bob@bobthayerjr.com according to his website. Hope everything works out for you, sir!

Quartzimodo.

Hi Simon,

My sincerest apologies for the belated response as I've been away for over a week. I happen to have a silver-white dialed model of the 6106-8000, which was my very first vintage Seiko watch that I bought. The 6106-8000 (8009 for U.S. versions) are slim bodied sports watches with a bi-directional, non-ratcheting bezel. As far as I know, they came in at least five colors: charcoal grey dial, yellow, blue, emerald green and silvery white. The dial is of the acrylic kind, not mineral glass. Most examples come with "Water 70 Proof" markings on the dial, and "Water Proof" engraved on the caseback. So far I have not seen any examples of the 6106-8000 with "Water Resistant" markings, suggesting that they were discontinued by the middle of 1971.

I don't think the 6106-8000 models have any significant history behind them; and they were one of Seiko's many 6106-based gent's watches like the old "Seiko DX" lineup. Like the date-only 6105B caliber, the 6106 hacks when you pull out its crown for accurate time synchronization. The 6106-8000 is considered a collectible vintage Seiko watch, although they don't fetch a lot on the used market. I've seen sellers listing them for sale between USD150 and USD200, depending on the watch's condition. It's quite usual to see some of these watches riddled with scratches on the rotating bezel.

While I doubt any Seiko service center still keeps stock of the bezel, fortunately the acrylic crystal is of a common design and can be substituted with a generic one. When I found my silver 6106-8100 at a watch store, it didn't have its original stainless steel bracelet and the crystal had to be polished to remove the scratches. Unfortunately the retailer's watchmaker over-polished it and made the crystal too thin and uneven. I had the acrylic crystal replaced with a generic one and I can't see any difference between it and the new one.

It's a good idea to have your dad's watch restored and keeping it within your family. The 6106 is a robust movement which should last decades, requiring minimal routine servicing. I hope you have had your watch regulated for timekeeping accuracy.

best regards,
Quartzimodo.

Hi Luis,

Seiko made many variations with a black dial and a 3-o'clock crown based on the 7S26-02WO and I don't have a Seiko 5 catalog, therefore unfortunately I can't tell which exact model that you have. However, the fact that your watch has the 7S26C movement means that you have a very recent model Seiko 5. It's from March 2012. It cannot be from 2002 because Seiko was still making the older 7S26A movement back then, so it has to be the year 2012.

Without seeing pictures of it (try uploading a photo of your watch to Tinypic.com), I can't determine if your watch is a fake but the probability is that you have a genuine Seiko 5. Counterfeiters usually don't bother to replicate newer Seiko 5 models with the 7s26C movement as it's not worth their trouble and investment.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Hannah,

Thanks for your comments and compliments. Your late father-in-law's watch is a Seiko "SQ" dress men's watch and you are indeed right - it is a generic Seiko watch from the mid 1980s. The quartz caliber has one jewel in it and requires a Seiko or Maxell SR920SW 1.55 volt battery, with an operational life of 3 years between battery changes. The caliber has been discontinued decades ago.

This watch was fully made in Japan, as with most Seiko quartz watches before the 1990s. The serial number indicates that it's from July 1988. The "5Y23-8A2M" is a unique dial code which separates this model from its other siblings with different dial colors or design; but for reference purposes Seiko collectors refer this watch as the 5Y23-8A11 rather than the dial code.

As this watch may not have had a service history, it is a good idea to have it checked by an authorized Seiko dealer and have its moving parts lubricated plus the rubber seals replaced if you intend to give it to your other half. It's important that a 24 year old quartz watch to be serviced to have it ticking in good health. What is more crucial is that a quartz watch with a dead battery should have its battery replaced as soon or possible or completely remove it. Fully exhausted batteries are very prone to leakage and its chemicals can corrode the battery compartment or other vital circuits in the watch module.

hope this helps!

Quartzimodo

Hi Randy Montgomery,

Your mom's watch is one of Seiko's earliest women's quartz models. It uses the simple six-jeweled, Caliber 14A quartz movement and requires an Energizer 364/363 silver oxide cell. I'm inclined to say that her watch was made on April 1981 as Seiko did not make quartz watches for ladies as early as 1971. At the time the Japanese watch manufacturer only had mechanical watches for their ladies' watch lineup, while men's quartz watches were still in their infancy.

This watch is a U.S. export model and the "blue stone" on the winder is what is called a cabochon crown. Vintage Seiko women's watches don't carry much value but as your mom's watch is made of 14K solid gold, its value today will be influenced by the gold metal itself rather than the watch.

hope this answers your question,
Quartzimodo

Hi finto lawrence,

Thanks for your question. Your dad's watch was made by Seiko's Suwa factory in Japan on July 1982. The 6309-602A was one of the many low cost, Seiko 5 automatics sold during that era. I'm afraid I don't know how much this model cost back then but today its value should be around USD100, depending on its condition.

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi Brian,

The 7T32 is a crowd pleaser amongst fans of Seiko's quartz chronograph models and Seiko produced some very attractive models from this caliber. It's too bad that the company decided to discontinue the 7T32 with the 7T62 for simplicity and cost cutting reasons. I have three 7T32s myself and wished that I had more of them but New Old Stock 7T32s that are desirable are very hard to find today.

It might be still possible to get a replacement bracelet from the Seiko UK service center. If they don't have one, they'll need to request the replacement bracelet from Seiko Japan. If the latter has none in its parts warehouse, you're out of luck.

Your watch was made on March 1994 in case you're wondering.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Claire,

Thanks very much for the compliments. You have a rather vintage Seiko date-only automatic, dating back to December 1968. The movement itself was one of Seiko's earliest automatic movements and the 7625 caliber was first introduced in 1964. It's one of Seiko's collectible calibers but its value today will vary from model to model. The 7625 has a rather leisurely beat rate of 18,000 beats/hour (compared to the more common 21,600 bph in today's automatics), which translates to 5 ticks per second. When mechanical watches are concerned, the higher the beat rate the better its overall accuracy is.

I'm not really sure if you paid the right price for it, because if the antique shop added the cost of labor in repairing/servicing the watch (labor is expensive in the UK) that might account for its asking price. This is one of Seiko's evergreen classics and it's said that the recent Japan model, Seiko Spirit SARB031 was heavily influenced by the 7625-8033 that you have.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Edd,

You have an early Seiko gents' watch from the mid 70s and it was manufactured by Seiko's Suwa assembly plant on November 1976. The 2-jeweled 4110A caliber was first introduced two years earlier (1974) and was followed by the improved 3-jeweled, 4110B movement. It takes an Energizer #384 silver oxide cell and Seiko rated its accuracy to +/- 15 secs per month, which is the standard rate for common quartz watches to this day. Unfortunately, I have not seen examples of a 4110 based quartz watch before, therefore I can't give more information beyond that.

I'm unable to comment about the "West Germany" made case as this is the first time I've heard of a vintage Seiko watch that has a caseback sourced from Europe. It could be because your particular model was a U.S. export model and during the time Seiko contracted solid gold casebacks to a West German manufacturer.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Mike Miller,

According to the serial number, your watch was made on July 1971 therefore it would be an anachronism if you purchased it in 1970. This is assuming that the caseback is original to the watch and had not been replaced with some other 6106-8000's caseback.

The 6106 is the day/date version of the date-only 6105 caliber, which made the 6105-8000 and 6105-8100 diver's watches legendary. The 6106 was commonly found in the Seiko 5 and Seiko 5 Sports line. I have a Seiko 5 Sports 6106-6040 myself, which I bought on eBay for its sporty character. Your Seiko 6106-6006 was one of the many 6106 generic Seiko 5 dress models in its era and doesn't carry any historical significance. It's just like one of the hundreds of the 7s26 based, Seiko 5 dress models you can find today.

The movement was considered a low end one back then, but unlike the non-hacking 7s caliber, the 6106 can hack (stopping the second hand) for convenient synchronization to a time signal. Today, Seiko automatics that can hack are generally those with upmarket calibers that cost a lot more than a 7s26 or 7s36 Seiko 5/Seiko 5 Sports watch.

Good to know that your Seiko 5 DX is running fine to this day sir.

Quartzimodo

Hi Chris,

Your Seiko 7N43-9041 is an older model and Seiko's websites don't feature discontinued or generic models. That's why you can't find it on the Seiko USA website. I'm not familiar with the 7N43's history but photos of the 7N43-9041 suggests that it was a 1990s design. Therefore I'm inclined to say that it was made on Dec 1994.

At USD75, it's a fair price to pay. Enjoy your new Seiko in good health!

Quartzimodo

Hi Rapisa,

The SNDA77P is a mid-to-late 2000s model that uses the 7T92 quartz chronograph movement. I'm not sure I understand your question though. What kind of information are you looking for? BTW, 7T92-9041 is the caliber/caseback code and NOT the watch's serial number.

Quartzimodo

Hi Kaye5,

The Caliber 11A was one of Seiko's mechanical (non-automatic) movements that was made for ladies' models. It was first introduced towards the late 1960s and had a production run up to the mid 1970s. My mother still has her Seiko Cal 11A watch which still runs to this day, although she doesn't wear it anymore. None of Seiko's Cal 11A watches were water resistant, therefore take care not to let them get wet.

I don't know much about these watches but I can tell you that your 11-8320 was made on July 1976 while the other one, the 11-4860 was manufactured on April 1969
. The second watch is the one that you received before your son was born. If you intend to wear these vintage Seiko watches on a daily basis, I would recommend that you have them serviced by a competent watch repairer. They should also be regulated to ensure the best accuracy. Also, don't attempt to overwind these watches; when you feel the winding crown is tight don't wind them any further as you might break their mainspring.

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi Luis,

Congratulation on your new Seiko SGED01P dress quartz watch. Yes, it is from August 2007 because it has the letter "D" after the SGE prefix which makes it a fairly recent model. The earliest model based on the 7N42 caliber would be the SGE001P Seiko Sports SQ 150 which hails from the late 80s/early 1990s.

The 7N42 caliber has a 5-year battery life and since your watch likely to be on its original factory battery it's time to replace it. The 2-second interval jumps that you notice the second hand is doing is the movement's EOL (End of Life) indicator, signalling that the battery power is almost gone. This EOL indicator is nothing new - all analog quartz watches from the 1980s have this feature.

You paid a really good price for this NOS Seiko watch; given the inflation and the rising prices of current Seiko watches. Enjoy the new timepiece in good health!

Quartzimodo

Hi antonio,

I don't have a picture of a Seiko 6020-5380 like your watch, but I've seen a Seiko Quartz 6020-5059 which looks like a late 80s or early 90s design. My best guess is that yours is from July 1990.

best regards,
Quartzimodo

Hi danni,

Thanks for writing in.
I apologize for the rather belated reply as I had to find the time to sift through my old pictures of Seiko 5s to identify your exact model. Your Seiko 5 watch was made on January 1997, judging from the all-stainless steel caseback. It uses the first generation 7s26A automatic movement and its model code is SKXN71K. This is a really nice looking watch with a simple, yet classy looking dial and hands. This model has been discontinued for a decade, I think.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Clive,

Congratulations on scoring big on your Seiko H556-5029 "pre-Arnie" analog-digital diver's watch.

I think you paid a very fair price for this model, although it's not the Seiko H558-5000/5009 watch which actor Arnold Schwarzenegger wore in his films "Commando" (1985), "Raw Deal" (1986) and "Predator" (1987). I've seen ads for H558-5020 divers (in very mint condition) going for around USD250, while second-hand, actual "Arnie" shrouded divers are going for over USD700 on eBay recently even in so-so condition. So you can see that the H556-502x models aren't that valuable although they're nice looking watches.

There will always be folks who like your watch for what it is, but since Arnold didn't choose this model for his past movie roles it doesn't carry the same "collectible status" that the H558-5000 has.

hope this helps,
Quartzimodo

Hi Mark,

Yes, you're correct. Your Seiko 6139-6010 was made on Nov 1969 and should have "Water Proof" markings on its caseback and "Water 70 Proof" on the dial. The 6139 caliber debuted in 1969 and outlived its "bigger" sibling - the 6138 chronograph by at least two years. I remember seeing examples of late model 6139s dating to either 1978 or 1979 while the final Seiko 6138 models seem to be from 1977. By the late 1970s, Seiko was pushing its quartz technology to the masses and they probably thought that automatic chronographs were going out of style (how wrong they were!).

It's a rather sad affair because owning a modern Seiko automatic chronograph today means having to fork out thousands of dollars for one of their prestigious Seiko Prospex, Brightz or Credor models. Automatic chronographs are now regarded as status symbols rather than affordable, garden variety timepieces in the 1970s. There's nothing to stop Seiko from re-creating their 6139 and 6138 movements if they wanted to, but quartz chronographs are much cheaper to make and to service.

I have two 6139s myself: the popular 6139-6002 (Pepsi bezel) and the lesser known 6139-7012. In my opinion, one of the components to look out for in a vintage 6139 is its quickset, push button day-of-the-week calendar mechanism. Many 6139s that are not cared for seem to have stuck quickset mechanisms.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Eric,

A Seiko 5 that uses a 7s-caliber (usually 7s26) movement is manufactured from 1996 onwards - that's because the 7s26 was introduced in that year. In the blog article, I was highlighting contemporary Seiko 5 watches, not vintage models. However, the Seiko 5 range (including the Seiko 5 Sports and Seiko 5 Speedtimer) actually originated circa 1969 and the watches were been fitted with a plethora of movements, depending on the model.

If you're looking at the year 1969, in that year Seiko used the 6106, 6119, 6139 (chronograph), 7015, 7017, 7019 to name a few. That's why it's important to know the caliber/caseback code which you'll find stamped at the back of the watch.

Quartzimodo

Hi John,

Your estimate of the production date is correct (Dec 1983) as the 2A32 quartz caliber was an early 1980s movement and was mainly fitted to gents' dress watches. I have no idea whether it's a rare model in its day but if there very few surviving watches of this model today, I guess you can say that it's "rare". Do note that the rarity of a model doesn't always equate to high resale value, because the value of the watch is largely determined by the collector's market.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Mohd Afiq,

The 5931A caliber first came out around 1978 but your watch was made on Jan 1984. This was made by the Seiko Daini factory in Japan and was part of the Seiko Chario line in the early 80s. 30,000 JPY was equivalent to RM300 (USD127) back in 1984 - therefore this was considered a mid-priced Seiko watch in that year. I think this model is rare today, but not really that collectible. The watch runs for 2 years on a single Seiko/Maxell TR721SW battery.

cheers,
Quartzimodo

Hi Niki,

I'm inclined to say that your Seiko V401 (I think you quoted the dial code, instead of the caseback code) was from Aug 1997 because of the "Mov't Japan" text on the dial. This is because throughout the 1980s, quartz Seiko watches were fully made in Japan. It wasn't until the early-to-mid 1990s that such watches were assembled by Seiko's factory in Singapore, instead of Japan. A fully Japan-made Seiko model would have only "JAPAN" inscribed on the dial, not "Mov't JAPAN".

Thanks for the compliments, appreciate it.
Quartzimodo

Hi Mohammed Abdul Monem,

As far as I know, all Credor watches must have the name "Credor" or "Credor Seiko" on it. There was a tiny trident-like crest which Seiko used for some of its dress models in the 80s but such watches are not from the Credor range. They're ordinary Seiko watches. There are also NO Credor rip-off models that I know of; because the brand itself isn't as popular as "Seiko" worldwide.

Apologies for the delayed reply,
Quartzimodo.

Hi Maria,

Your Seiko 7T36-6A29 "moonphase" alarm-chronograph was manufactured on May 1989. Its original model number is SEJ012J and was fully Japan assembled for the U.S. market. The 7T36 caliber is similar to the equally discontinued, 7T34 model except that the latter doesn't have the moonphase window on the dial.

I'm sorry but I don't know what it's worth today. Check eBay from time to time in case people put up their 7T36-6A29 for sale.

Apologies for the late response,
Quartzimodo

Hi Susan,

Your Seiko 7T36-6A29 "moonphase" alarm-chronograph was manufactured on May 1989. Its original model number is SEJ012J and was fully Japan assembled for the U.S. market. The 7T36 caliber is similar to the equally discontinued, 7T34 model except that the latter doesn't have the moonphase window on the dial.