Now something about watches! Message #8 Posted by geoff quickfall on 5 Jan 2010, 12:44 p.m., in response to message #1 by Gerry Schultz
Hello all!
Now were talking, off topic of course, but still, why not.
Rolex is probably one of the best mass produced watches on the market. Not much one can add to that, other than comparing them to Seiko mid to low cost is apples and oranges.
Upto the 70's Seikos were beautifully engineered in a very Swiss way. Production was then switched to a mass produced stamped method in which the mechanism parts were stamped robotically, therefore requiring softer metals for the stamping process as opposed to a milling process.
Seiko still uses these methods on their lower end range but the high end is every bit comparable to the best Swiss mass produced.
It is like any company that has a range of value products. Rolex was very smart in it's marketing. It made no lower quality watch called a Rolex, they were called Tudor, in affect an ETA movement in a Rolex case.
Don't want to get into a Rolex history versus Seiko but Seiko is the only watch company that make ALL it's watch parts from screws to lubricants to crystals, balance springs and etc.
Both the history of Seiko and Rolex require books but here are some Seikos from what I consider the height of their company during the 60's and EARLY 70's prior to the shift by the entire worlds watch industry to cheaper methods of production of mechanical or digital watches.
Just a short note about the cost of Seiko in the 60's when they became known as a 'cheap' watch, which should apply to the cost and not the manufacture. The watch was priced in Japan for the Japanese market. In the early 60's the watch at 25 USD was three months salary to a resident of Japan and yet was chump change to an American at the local base PX store at Haneda or Fukuoka.
In short I think the vintage Seiko (60's and early 70's)is extremely underated and good value for collection. Just a note, at the moment, I have 250 Swiss watches, over 150 are now fully restored, the rest are rainy day projects for retirement and all are considered part of the pension plan. They are all complicated movements and are considedered collectable. Here are just the Seikos:
Presmatic 33 jewel qutomatic chronometer with Swiss certification, instantaneous day and date change at midnight, fully adjusted to positions and temperatures, fully stainless steel. A beautiful movement and the high end of Seiko in 1966 fully comparable to any Rolex of the time for production values.
World timer from 1964, 17 jewel automatic with world time indication from 24 hour hand.
Navitimer 1969
Navitimer 1969
Version one of Navitimer 1968
Diving watch, 6105, a cult watch to Seiko collectors with 21 jewel automatic movement. If you have seen Apocolypse now Martin Sheen is wearing one of these. It cost 25 USd at the Px and was the number one unofficial grunt watch during the Vietnam war with the same specs as a Rolex diving watch of the same era selling for 400 USd.
The next production version of the 150M diving watch:
Similar watch to the above modified by me with the orange hands and 12 hour ring for timezones:
The smallest automatic 30 minute and 12 hour display chronograph in the world in 1974 when it was manufactured. It also has a dual display at the 6 for the chronograph, a feature only reproduced today by Patek Phillipe with bot the 30 minute and 12 hour display on the same register. Also a single zero setting function with instant timing (flyback), a function found on very expensive Swiss chronographs of the time:
One of the first automtic alarm watches in the world,
2 weeks after Zenith and Hamilton Buren anounced the automatic Chronograph Seiko came out with theirs and it included a quick set day and date! This is the 12 counter version called a Bullhead.
Even the quartz versions can be high end. Here is a military RAF issue quartz driven analogue chronograph. The first analogue chronograph watch made anywhere and with 15 jewels. A feat only Jaeger LeCoutre matched 5 years later:
A civilian version with day and date:
Just a few of my Seikos but my collection includes mostly Swiss complicated movements:
Edited: 5 Jan 2010, 12:46 p.m.
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