Monday, May 28, 2012

My "Seiko"tic watch addiction...

Seiko's are well known for making relatively affordable and quality time pieces, somehow I have missed the Seiko watch craze when I was growing up and only picked up my very first seiko after a few years of working life. My school teenage days were mostly spent with either a Casio or a Swatch on my wrist. Ever since I got my first seiko I was hooked on horology and learnt a lot about watches via a few purchasing and selling of many watches. This entry is about the few Seiko's that has come and gone until I finally settled on the "One" Seiko. I find my Seiko watches usually at second hand stores, flea markets, and other online sites anf forums. The adrenalin rush comes from snagging a great bargain or from buying something unique and discontinued. Ocassionally I do buy some brand new and the only place I would recommend for Seiko's in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia is at Pertama Complex or Sungai Wang Plaza. So here goes, my Seiko watch collection in chronological order. I'll present the watches interms the good, the bad, and why I decided to let it go.


1. A common Seiko Stainless Steel Quartz Choronograph. 7T62 100m


The good - Chronograph with split time function, Alarm and dual time feature.
The bad - non really, a good beater
Why I bought it - Got a great deal for it 2nd hand
Why I sold it - I found the next Seiko

 2. Seiko Military Titanium Quartz Chronograph 7T62 200m


The good - Light as hell and barely felt wearing it! Unique factor. the only 7T62 that was rated to 200m WR
The bad  - Titanium scratches easier than stainless steel
Why I bought it - Amazed at the lightness of titanium
Why I sold it - Did not want to open the case back to change the battery. Moving to automatics

3. Seiko SKX781 "Orange Monster" 7S26 Automatic 200m Divers


The good - Solid tool watch, Amazing Lume!!!
The bad - Everybody wants one, everybody has one thus no unique factor
Why I bought it - Wanted to experience what the hype is all about. did not dissapoint
Why I sold it - Its still in production, not suitable for dress outings

4. Seiko SKZ285 "Black Starfish" 7S36 Automatic 200m Divers


The good - Solid tool watch, Amazing Lume, Radical Design, Patterned dial
The bad - Black PVD coating expensive and unrepairable if scratched deep.
Why I bought it - Wanted something different than the orange monster
Why I sold it - Impulse buy, hassle to take care of PVD coating

5. Seiko SKXA47 "White Knight" 7S26 Automatic 200m Divers


The good - Dressy divers watch.
The bad - No option for bracelet change
Why I bought it - RARE!!! One of the very few White Knight Automatics in Malaysia
Why I sold it - Offered a good price, found another rare Seiko

6. Seiko SKX007 7S26 Automatic 200m Divers


The good - No nonsense great divers watch
The bad - non really, not that great a lume
Why I bought it - Planning to "play" and do modifications on it
Why I sold it - A marine diver offered a good price for it

7. Seiko "5" SNZD25J Sports Automatic 200m watch


The good - Made in Japan Seiko 5
The bad - None really, not mine to keep
Why I bought it - Bought it as a gift for a buddy of mine, Tested the power reserve for a few days

 8. Seiko SRP043 "Spork" 4R15 Automatic Divers 200m


The good - Aviator style with Divers toughness!!!, Discontinued, going to be rare, great Lume, solid
The bad - None really
Why I chose it - Unique Aviator dial, hard to find. Dont think I'll ever let this one go.

9. Seiko SKX033 "Submariner" 7S26 Automatic 10 bar


The good - The watch every seiko collector wants!!!, Long discontinued, and very rare.
The bad - Original osyter braclet has folded links - Modified mine with solid link Presidential Bracelet :)
Why I bought it - Why Should'nt I? its the Seiko Submariner heheh.
Not gonna sell unless the price is right :P

So there you have it my Seiko watch affair. Only the last two are still with me and probrably my last Seiko for quite some time.

3 comments:

Graeme said...

Any idea where I can get my hands on one of these?
What model is this?
And have the hands been modified?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crownandbuckle/7495952196/in/pool-1773080@N22/

Mister Bigg said...

Hi Graeme, Thank you for dropping by, The seiko SKX031 and 033 has long been discontinued. I got my hands on one via my local watch forums. Recently I caught a black SKX031 at my local flea market (in Malaysia)

If you are looking for one you can try ebay.com for example here : http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEIKO-DAY-DATE-10BAR-AUTOMATIC-MIDSIZE-WATCH-7S26-0050-BLACK-/110931689671?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item19d40b40c7

most are from the philipines.

the model from ur flickr link is an SKX031 with modified bezel and hands.

Cheers.

fabio said...

Seiko Military Titanium Quartz Chronograph 7T62 200m

i would like to buy it , how much does it cost?
ciao Fabio

fabio66@hotmail.com