Category Archives for Watches

This 6139 is not something that Seiko originally brought out, it is in fact a piece that being put together with parts from different variants of the 6139 series.  People usually call this kind of watches Frankenstein watch, or in this case a FrankenSeiko.

With a good running 6139 inside, it has a 7100 Vader dial and hands, an early 6010 case, a Chinese Kanji day wheel, and lastly a caseback from a relatively less seen 7011. Really one of a kind.  Although the watch right here has parts from 'at least' 4 different watches, they all do work together without any need of modification or alteration.  They are all from the 6139 series, and most of the time original parts can be shared among them.  This 6139 is a very good example.

Fake parts are not acceptable.  But if one was built with genuine parts to form a Frankenstein, and if you do it right, it could be a very nice 'one of a kind' model.  Just do it right.

The 7C43-7000 series was the second generation of quartz diver that utilize this casing.  The first one was the 7548-7000 series.  After an upgrade of the case design on the final version of the 7548, which crown the rating from 150m to 200m, they were then being classified as Professional diver watches. The same case design and water resistant structure, is still being used in today's diver, namely the best selling Seiko entry level diver SKX series, with the same 200m rating.

The new 7C43 movement were first used in 1986, and is proven to be very reliable and durable.  The 7C movements are still being used in today's diver, with case rating from 300m to 1000m models.  Shown here is the early 7C43 from 1988, a Japanese Domestic Model, which has a Kanji day-wheel.  In fact, this were sold worldwide with the same configuration, with just different day-wheel localization.  

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Type II, is a series of dress watches offered by Seiko in their early quartz days, in the late seventies.

It is positioned as the entry level series and have a variety of case styles and dial designs. Mostly recognized by the public with their use of many wild colors on their dials.  Other than colors, they also put much attention on the texture applied to the dial.  The example shown right here, uses a uniform layout of tiny inverted pyramids on the dial, to create an illusion of dots with reflective sides.  A intuitive design to make the dial reflecting lights to different angles.

Different variations of Type II are still widely available in the used market, at very reasonable price points.  Just make sure you get it with a working quartz movement, or you will have to find a replacement for the swap.

How fast is your watch beating at?  It is referring to how quick the balance wheel inside the watch swinging at.  On the mechanical watch, you can see the second-hand moving forward 'a click' at a time. Each 'click' indicate a beat, or an one-way swing of the balance wheel.  The faster it swings, the higher beat the movement is running.

A typical watch nowadays are running at 21600 beat-per-hour (bph).  The one here is running at 36000bph.  You could notice the second-hand running much smoother, like sliding.  The travel distance between every 'click' is shorter, and it clicks through quicker.  This give you an illusion that it slides on instead of clicking through.

This watch is manufactured in January 1969, which was the same year and month of my birth time. And this is my only BMBY (birth month birth year) watch in my collection.  The linen dial and the gold plated case is mint, a lovely example of Lord Marvel from the 1960s.

【光能數碼星期六】

原廠錶帶固然重要，原配錶帶更屬難求。一般初階收藏者，多著眼於本體收藏，目標多止於首階段，即收藏到外觀大致相若的藏品，便已收貨。其他細節，即使知曉，均能拋諸腦後。奈何收藏價值高與低，全在於細節與藏品的整體性，對嚴謹的收藏者而言，這才是起點，所有細節就如一殼一面、一針一輪、一扣一帶，可逐一尋找回來的，都不會忽略、放棄或忘記。

相內首代原配鋼帶，難遇和絕不可求，對認真的收藏者來説，豈能錯過。

當60年代電子鬧錶還沒有面世，設計有響鬧功能的腕錶，便是要把整個鬧鐘嵌入腕錶主體內，絕非易事。機械上鏈鬧錶的敲鐘聲響，與當時枱頭上鏈鬧鐘，沒有兩樣。唯體積所限，響鬧時間只有10-15秒，預設則不能多於12小時。

Classic Alarm watch from the late '60s.

Before the existence of quartz alarm watches, which started to come around in the late '70s, These are the answers from various manufacturers.  Mechanical alarm watches.

Operation is simple, you wind up the alarm, set the time you want it to go off by turning the crown, then pull out one click on the top button.  That's it.  When it goes off, the real 'bell' inside will ring and also cause the case to vibrate, by the moving hammer knocking the bell.

However, the alarm wont last long, typical between 10 to 15 seconds, that's all.  So, don't count on it if you need to get up early in the morning.

A Typical design of dress watches in the '70s.

If you flip through the old catalogs, you would not be surprised to see many wild designed by the Japanese watch manufacturers.  They loved to elaborate in designs by using the most basic ingredients, shapes and colors.  By mix and match, they came up with a wide range of watches, maybe sometimes on the same design, for different audience.

This one they put a circle in between the two squares in the design.  Top it with a faceted crystals with even more squares.  All these gave the watch a very solid dimensional prospective.

Made by Daini factory in Japan, 1975.

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The time before the ever popular 7S26-based SKX007/009 we see in the stores nowadays, there was the 7002 automatic diver that took the world or affordable divers.  The production was between 1988 and 1995, many different versions of 7002 divers had been sold worldwide.

Though they all looks pretty much the same to most people, the differences among them were mostly where they were made and assembled. The origin didn't make any of them better than others, it's just how often you see them floating around nowadays, that is, the state of scarcity.

The one shown here is one of the many variations.  Movement made in Singapore, with the mark 'Singapore' shown on the rotor, the dial from Japan, and assembled in Hong Kong.  This is clearly marked at the bottom part of the dial.  Ones from the other origin will have different markings, and with the help of some enthusiasts on the internet, they had well documented the ways to decode the origin from the dial.

James Bond had been wearing a wide range of watches over the long series of movies in all his missions.  Among them, Seiko is one of the brands featured in some of the '70s and '80s productions.

The H357 is one that had appeared in 'For Your Eyes Only', with the digital display showing message from headquarter to James.  From the official poster, you see the actual model appeared in the movie, with the H357 movement.  The one I have here is the other dressy one, with a black dial. The movement is identical though, just a different case and dial are used.

This came mentioned with faulty buttons, but a running module. Opened up, found rusting all around the pushers and the push plates. Carefully scrapped away the rust and cleaned off the buttons that were filled with human remain, it came back to life!