# Need some help from the watch experts (re: Seiko)



## mattz357 (Jun 13, 2005)

I'm looking for a "nice" watch for my dad and he mentioned that his father wore a Seiko. I've been looking on ebay since I'm on a budget, and a lot of the Seiko 5 automatics are under $50. I've never seen the "5" at any stores, has anyone ever heard of these? Is there anything I should watch out for or look for specifically? Thanks in advance for any and all assistance!


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## Samuel (Jun 13, 2005)

http://www.network54.com/Forum/78440

good resource and also has a classified area


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## cy (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

revolvergeek had some nice Seiko for sale


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## BF Hammer (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

The Seiko 5 has a long lineage going back decades. The current production models are primarily marketed in the Far East where a low maintenance, inexpensive mechanical movement is valued by people of low income. You may have noticed most of the ebay vendors are based in the Far East, Singapore especially.

They all usually have the 21 jewel 7s26 or 23 jewel 7s36 movments, and typically a glass display back - although the movement isn't decorated, so not much to look at. The movements are generally considered tough and reliable. I have a few and they range from gaining 6 seconds/day to gaining 20 seconds/day. The size of the non-diver styles are a little small, 35-37mm in diameter. The Seiko 5 Sports models have 40mm cases typically. Good value for the money.

Here's the first Seiko I bought. I love the blue dials


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## Canuckle (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

Seiko's 5 is their lower priced mechanical model.
Good reliable watches. You might even find a few models with display backs, for the mechanically curious.

Cheers.


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## mattz357 (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

Is that a bad thing that they gain time daily, or do you just correct for it occasionally? What does it mean when they say 21 or 23 jewels, and is one better than the other? The forum link looks like it is going to be very helpful, but I'll have to check it out later as I'm short on time now. Thanks!!!


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## revolvergeek (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

Mattz357,

The Seiko 5 is a nice little workhorse. They use the Seiko 7s26 movement that is autowinding, but cannot handwind or 'hack'. Normally they have a 40-48 hour power reserve. Basically, you set the watch and wear it normally and a rotor underneath the back cover winds the watch as you move. The 7s26 generally runs a little fast from the factory but can easily be regulated and will normally 'settle' down to a few seconds fast a day after some wear. I have a Seiko Black Monster that I have been wearing for about a year and a half now that after some minor adjusting stays to within between +1/+2 seconds a day. I have owned/traded/sold a dozen or so Seikos using this movement and not had any trouble with anyo of them. As mention, many of the Seiko 5s have a mineral glass display back that allows you to see the movement wind and run.

Basically any non-quartz watch (i.e. automatic or hand wind mechanical) is going to run a little slow or a little fast until you get into $$$$. This is not really a big deal because most likely if you check the watches of your friend and the clocks in your house/work you will find that the majority of them are all set to different times anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The joy of these watches is the fact that they are not perfect little heartless computers, but 100% mechanical and non-electronic. They depend on you for energy (i.e. if you don't wear them they don't run). Hard to explain maybe, but there is a certain retro-opulence to having even a $50-60 mechanical watch instead of wearing a $15 Casio or Timex quartz that will most likely keep better time. 

Cy,
Thanks for the plug. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif


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## JasonC8301 (Jun 13, 2005)

I love my Seiko 5. It is a 7s26 movement. I am by far not a watch expert, but 23 jewels should be better/more accurate.

Here are my 3 'boys'. 





The Seiko 5 in the middle gets the most use. As you can see in the picture, it is a little fast. 2:30 is the actual time. The Citizen Navihawk on the right is a little bit fast, at 2:31, and the Seiko 5 is a little faster at 2:32. 

I pretty much set my Seiko every few days. I don't mind, simple, easy to use, and cheap. Plus its black, and I seem to have a lot of black t-shirts, then the Citizen Thunderbirds watch gets some usage when I decide to wear red clothing. The watch on the left gets usage for formal wear. 

I got my Seiko for $75-$80 from Wong on the B/S/T forum. I think hes a dealer, great to work with. I got my watch all the way from Singapore in a week!

It is not expensive, mechanical, and I like the see through back window, really lets you know how it works. Gets my thumbs up.

Jason


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## paulr (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

Seiko 5 is an excellent value in mechanical watches. They are sturdy and reliable as such things go. However, these days, mechanical watches are really best suited for watch buffs. If your dad isn't into watch technology and just wants to know what time it is, get him a quartz watch. It will be much more accurate and need basically no maintenance beyond an occasional battery swap, and it won't stop running if he takes it off his wrist for a day or two. Mechanical watches have to be taken apart and cleaned every few years and most people just don't want to deal with that any more.


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## PEU (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

I purchased this one at eBay






paid for it $51 shipped from Singapore, still waiting for it.

Any comments on my new watch are welcome.


Thanks


Pablo


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## paulr (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

Mattz, another idea occurs to me. Get your dad a Seiko perpetual calendar for $100 or so on ebay. Those are nice looking watches, they are extremely accurate and they run for a very very long time (5+ years) on a battery. While they have normal looking analog hands and dial, the circuit inside is digital and it keeps track of 28/30/31 day months, day of the week, and leap years. So you basically just set it once and then you don't have to change it except for travelling across time zones, and daylight savings time. Mechanical watches with perpetual calendars start at $5000 or more, so these Seikos are an excellent value.


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## Ozric (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re:*

I second the recommendation of a quartz movement watch. Most people require only the hassle-free accuracy and functionality of a quartz watch and may not care much for the historical "legacy" of a mechanical movement. And even though you would save money on batteries with an automatic, it requires regular servicing, so the savings even out. 

Check out overstock.com; they have excellent prices on Seikos at all price points, and you will get a solid warranty too. My brother just bought a beautiful dress Seiko Steel Chrono (with sapphire crystal!) for just $105 shipped during their recent sale.


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## _mike_ (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re:*

I bought my Seiko Orange Monster from Chronograph.com. They have a good reputation and I would buy from them again. They carry many Seiko's including the on 5's. Be advised they are overseas, Singapore I believe.


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## revolvergeek (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re:*

I would not get too worried about the 'regular servicing' of modern automatics in this price range. These movements are designed for workhorse watches and take a lot of abuse. Out of all the people that I know and all the watches that they own, the only watch that goes back every couple of years for a tune-up is a Rolex. There are many, many discussions on the Seiko Citizen watch forum of watches that are 5, 10, 15 years old and have never been serviced and run just fine. I have bought several Seiko 5s of 1970s vintage and all start right up when you shake them and keep good time.

I agree though that the Seiko or Citizen Perpetual Calander watches may be the best choice for non enthusiasts. Casio also has started selling a few that are quite nice. I have a couple of Seiko PerpCals (in fact I am wearing one right now) and love them. They are scary accurate and the date is always correct. They generally run +/-1 per MONTH. They are also generally much more expensive than the '5's, but if you hunt on some of the watch trading forums you can get very good deals. I picked up one of mine for $125 (online price new $385) and the other for $225 (online price new $295). I generally wear them to work and wear my Black Monster or a Solar Tough DW5600J G-Shock in the evenings.

Citizen EcoDrives are very cool also. I gave my father one last year and he loves it. Also amazingly accurate and he like the Geek-factor of it being solar powered. 

I have not tried one of the Seiko Kinetics, but have heard very mixed things from people that I know that have them. The earlier models had a capacitor that needed to be replaced every 3 or 4 years, so I don't see how this is any better than a battery powered watch. The newer models are said to be better.


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## gorlank (Jun 14, 2005)

*Re:*






Sold this one off but it ran incredibly well for a vintage watch that was never opened/serviced in it's near 40 years of existence.






Here's a funky 70's version of the 5.

The Seiko 5's are great watches, the 7s26 movement is the same one as in the legendary Seiko divers. Jewels are synthetic rubies used as ball bearings in the movement to reduce wear/tear, they're only worth a few cents each and are usually not indicative of movement quality. I highly recommend the 5 and they come in all flavors under the sun. Here's a link to the newest incarnation of the humble 5.

http://www.roachman.com/seiko/diver/SKZ211.html


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## Jayman (Jun 14, 2005)

*Re:*

I'd like to second the recommendation of www.roachman.com. I've bought 4 seikos from him and I've always gotten what I expected, and shipping to Canada from Malaysia took about a week. Gotta love Seiko Black Monsters and SKX007K's, both are a lot of watch for the money and are a step up from Seiko 5's. Any father would love to have one of these beauties IMHO, but since your budget is limited you can't go wrong with a 5.


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## PEU (Jun 20, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

[ QUOTE ]
*PEU said:*
I purchased this one at eBay






[/ QUOTE ]

Finally received my watch, and ohh surprise, it came without the manual or warranty, and the auction SAID NOTHING about that. 

Is there a link for the manual? I can't find it in the seiko site.

Should I force the vendor to deliver as published at ebay? I mean if the description says nothing about no manual/box or warranty, they should be sent to me, or I'm wrong?

EDIT: found this page with a lot of manuals, but the ones I downloaded are not similar to mine, http://www.seiko.com.au/pdf . There is also price lists there, so maybe you find interesting the site /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks


Pablo


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## BF Hammer (Jun 21, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

Yes, the Singapore vendors don't include the "gift" packaging unless they specifically say they do. I've bought from 3 different ebay vendors and this has been pretty universaly true. Not a problem to me because I don't wear the packaging or instruction manuals, but I understand your position because this is a gift purchase. You would be paying nearly $100 for the same watch with everything.

BTW, a previous post recommended Wayne Lee's site (roachman.com) and he does include box/papers, with the correpondingly higher prices.


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## detenebrator (Jun 22, 2005)

*Re: Need some help from the watch experts (re: Sei*

For Ebay, etc. the rule pretty much is: if it isn't listed, it isn't included. Don't make assumptions. It wouldn't be wise to make a big deal out of it, as being considered a "problem buyer" will cause many Ebay sellers (including me) to reject your bids.
Now, if the listing SAID they were included, and they weren't, that would be a whole different story. In that case, the sellers owes them to you and should make good on it.


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## SJACKAL (Jun 23, 2005)

Depending on the age of your father, there's a Seiko 5 suitable for their taste. Rest assured that Seiko 5s are very well known and reliable, not just in Asia but in the US too among watch enthusiats.


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## cahyasadar (Sep 11, 2008)

Please HELPPPPPP

I have a rare watch collection from my grandmother. In the face of the watch states :


SEIKO AUTOMATIC
17 jewels
Hi-Beat

And at the back of it states :

8N 0255
2206-5030
stainless steel
water resistant
Japan-M

Can anyone explain to me what the meaning of the number is?

“All Stainless Steel Japan” states in the band.
This watch uses roman for the day. I to VI for Monday to Saturday. There is a red box for Sunday.

It does not need battery. You just turn the button to the right for activating it. The size is small. I guess it is a 

ladies watch. It still run in accurate time..

The picture can be seen in this link: 

http://cahyasadar.multiply.com/video/item/2/COLLECTOR_ONLY_SEIKO_AUTOMATIC_17_JEWELS_19

58

cahya "bobi"
Ph: +62 813 1554 1554


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