A Grand Seiko 5646-7000 from June 1970:  the third generation automatic Grand Seiko
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
1M ago
The first automatic Grand Seiko was fitted with a refined evolution of the 603 calibre, first introduced with the Seikomatic ..read more
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LM Special: a Seiko 5216-8010 from April 1975
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
3M ago
The Lord Matic is a very peculiarly ‘of its era’ Japanese name for a sub-brand, and in the absence of ..read more
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12 years, 175 posts, 2 million page views
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
4M ago
A little over four and a half years ago, I marked the occasion of the one millionth page view of ..read more
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A Citizen Promaster 3802-451732 Y Quartz Diver
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
5M ago
This is a Citizen Promaster 3802-451732 Y quartz divers watch, probably from 1988. Or 1998 (see discussion below). I am not ..read more
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A box fresh Seiko Instruments NH34: unfit for purpose
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
7M ago
A reasonable expectation when buying a new movement from a watch materials house is that it will be fit for purpose.  Last year I found myself on a slightly feverish run of mix ‘n’ match self-build projects constructed around Seiko Instruments NH35/36 and NH34 movements. The NH34 is essentially the same as the three-hander day/date NH36 but foregoes the day complication in favour of a 24-hour wheel.    Three of these diversionary projects featured the NH34, and all came together relatively easily with the only off-piste element being the requirement to modify the dials to acco ..read more
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Part 2: A King Seiko J14102 from January 1963
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
9M ago
With the introductions having been made in the preceding post, we can start this second entry with the customary mugshots showing the front and rear aspects of this, a King Seiko J14102 dating from January 1963.  The photographs below illustrate quite nicely what one should aspire to when surfing auctions of honestly-presented old watches.  Signs of use but not abuse, a reasonable abundance of patina and as little evidence as possible of titivation.  You just want to be able to make a reasonable assessment of exactly what it is that you are buying. The watch arrived with its cr ..read more
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The first King Seiko: Part 1
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
9M ago
Just as the king is the second-highest ranked card in a deck of cards, so, from its outset, has the King Seiko played second fiddle to the ace in the pack, the Grand Seiko.   It is tempting to believe that Seiko’s Daini division intended for the King Seiko to stand toe-to-toe with Suwa’s Grand Seiko, but even were that to have been the case, the undeniable reality is that the King Seiko was marketed by Seiko at the outset as offering a taste of the top-drawer quality of the Grand Seiko but at a more affordable price-point.   The September 1961 edition of Seiko News announced th ..read more
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Citizen Cosmotron X8 postscript
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
10M ago
Those of you who read the recent account of the restoration of an early Citizen Cosmotron X8 electric watch may remember that I completed that project with at least one loose end requiring attention.  The principal fly in the ointment concerned a reluctance of the movement to run with a standard 344 cell: the only way I could persuade it to run correctly was to attach a blob of solder to the negative terminal of the battery and add an insulating disk to the battery compartment to prevent contact between the negative terminal of the cell and the main plate.  I knew at the time that th ..read more
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Three into one: Seiko 5 Sportsmatic Deluxe 7619-7050 from November 1965
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
10M ago
Two and a half years ago, I won a Yahoo Japan auction for a lot of seven watches, all but one of which at least of passing interest to me.  Regular readers of this blog may recognise three of this magnificent seven as having received some attention from me, the results of which have been posted as entries here (and here and here).  Two of the three finished projects have since found new owners (the King Seiko 5626 and the Seikomatic) and the one watch from this group that held no real interest for me, the 8T63 quartz chronograph in the centre, I sold on eBay in the same (working) con ..read more
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SEIKO ウオッチ機械台セット
Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling
by Martin
1y ago
Anyone who has experience working with a variety of different watch movement calibres will be familiar with the benefits and shortcomings of the universal watch movement holder.  For many of the modern Swiss movements, such as those made by ETA, Omega, Unitas and Rolex, dedicated movement holders are available that properly support the movement in either of its dial up or dial down orientations.  Whether the investment in such tools is worthwhile will depend on how frequently you find yourself working on a particular calibre and so for many watchmakers, tinkerers and fettlers, a conv ..read more
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