[Wednesday]

Hello!
I'm hoping you good folks may be able to tell me more about my lovely little women's vintage Seiko manual wind. I did look it up on the internet and reviewed the model number guide on this site, and I will share what I learned and hope that you folks might be able to enlighten me further.

It looks better in person than in the photos. The photos highlight every ding and nick, but to the naked eye, the watch is so small that those don't really show as much. Like me, she is not so photogenic. 😄

First off, I know this watch is not "worth" anything. I paid a couple of dollars for it and am delighted that it works and isn't too horribly dinged up. The same model is listed as sold on either ebay or etsy for $45, so clearly not extremely valuable. Unfortunately, the listing did not have any further illumination. I just want to know more about it if anyone has any info.

Anyway, from what I could see online, the model number on the back tells me that it is from September of 1977, but the dates given by the Seiko model number article on this site, says that the Daini line stopped being made before this date. Unless I missed something, which is certainly possible.

• I couldn't get a picture of this because it is so small and at an odd angle, but under 6:00, it says, "Japan II - 3230T"
• The case back says "790416" and "11-8029"
• The back of the band says "B660"
• Inside the case it says "DAINISEIKOSHA CO., LTD., JAPAN-V"
• Also inside there are what look like handwritten scratch marks that say "72584F" which are scratched over what appears to be "481 4Q24". I tried to capture this, but it was very small and my camera kept creating a shadow over it and of course, my camera had trouble focusing on it. Pic is below of what I could get.
• The movement says, "Seiko Time Corp. 11A" "Seventeen 17 Jewels Japan Unadjusted"

Thanks in advance for any help with filling in this watch's story!

 

[SFwatchGuy]

The serial number 790416 indicates the watch was manufactured in September 1967 or 1977. The last time I saw a watch with a crystal that high was on a deep-dive dive watch. Interesting.

 

[mikeyt_53]

Not much i can add other than the Seiko 11A movement was used during the 1960's so my guess is that the watch was manufactured in 1967. I have access to a couple of late 60's and late 70's Seiko catalogues but i did not see that watch.

 

[Wednesday]

The serial number 790416 indicates the watch was manufactured in September 1967 or 1977. The last time I saw a watch with a crystal that high was on a deep-dive dive watch. Interesting.

Yes, it is one of the reasons I like it so much. It is unusual and interesting how they turned the crystal into such a primary design element. I imagine it is supposed to bring to mind the top of a faceted diamond.

I'm waiting for a price quote on servicing/repairing a different women's vintage mechanical watch, so depending on how much that is, I may have this one serviced too. In one sense, these old watches aren't "worth it" because I would never be able to sell them for what I put into them. But on the other hand, because I get these watches for a few dollars (or even free sometimes), I look at it as getting a watch with character for a few hundred dollars.

 

[SFwatchGuy]

Yes, it is one of the reasons I like it so much. It is unusual and interesting how they turned the crystal into such a primary design element. I imagine it is supposed to bring to mind the top of a faceted diamond.

I'm waiting for a price quote on servicing/repairing a different women's vintage mechanical watch, so depending on how much that is, I may have this one serviced too. In one sense, these old watches aren't "worth it" because I would never be able to sell them for what I put into them. But on the other hand, because I get these watches for a few dollars (or even free sometimes), I look at it as getting a watch with character for a few hundred dollars.

If you like a watches character and design and want to continue wearing the watch for the purpose intended then repair is the only option. I am currently fighting with myself over the possible repair of an Invicta Pro Diver. They are basically a dime-a-dozen, but the watch I have has never been re-issued. My problem is lack of a watch repair guy where I live.

 

[CometHunter]

That's what I like about ALL Seikos in the early 1970s. I find their prism-like crystals beautiful end enthralling. I know of no other watch company that took crystal designs to such lengths. Yours is a wonderful example !

 

[Wednesday]

The other watch that is currently in queue to get a repair/servicing quote, also has an interesting crystal shape (but isn't a Seiko so I won't post much about it here). I did get a quote for $350 from one jewelry store but it was in a well-to-do poshy town and I'm hoping that the second place I brought it to might be a little cheaper. Both places have good reputations, so we'll see what the pricing comes back at. I was prepared to hear $250 so hearing $100 over that was not ideal. A second quote doesn't hurt at any rate.

 

[mikeyt_53]

$350 is way too high for a clean & service. I'm guessing that jewelry shop sends it off to a watch guy and they have to get their cut...

 

[Wednesday]

Still waiting to hear from one place, but I recently got a quote of $500 for a cleaning! And that's if nothing is broken! Ridiculous! Hopefully this other place won't be so crazy. Ugh!

 

[mikeyt_53]

That is ridiculous. Based on where your IP suggests you might be located, I see a couple of places that specialize in watch & clock repair; 'G Demers Fine Watch & Clock Repair' in Lawrence and 'The Jewelers Workbench' in Salem.

 

[Wednesday]

That is ridiculous. Based on where your IP suggests you might be located, I see a couple of places that specialize in watch & clock repair; 'G Demers Fine Watch & Clock Repair' in Lawrence and 'The Jewelers Workbench' in Salem.

That's so nice of you to look that up for me! I really appreciate it.

I was originally going to go to G Demers, but I've been hearing negative things about them lately. They have a good reputation overall, but it sounds like more recently there are increasing issues. Possibly a case of a career 'winding down' (no pun intended) and not handling the workload appropriately or that he has actually retired. I don't know for sure though. That's just based on reviews and what I've heard locals say.

The Jewelers Workbench is really just a kiosk in the mall that changes batteries and minor things like that.

The only places I've found near me so far have been jewelers that act as middlemen.

 

[Wednesday]

The jeweler that has my other vintage watch FINALLY got back to me with a price. $250 for maintenance and repair. I said to go ahead. It's probably going to take another month or so but eventually I'll get my watch back and it will actually work! Can't wait!

 

[mikeyt_53]

$250 is a little more reasonable and a month or so will go by quickly. Congrats!

 

[Wednesday]

Thanks! Yeah, that seems fair to me. It needs a new spring and so on, so considering parts, fiddly labor, and the going rates, it seems reasonable. They also said it needed a new crown primarily to make it easier to turn by adding a crown with grooves but I prefer to keep the original even if it is a bit worn. I don't remember it looking particularly bad, but I'm not expecting it to look new. I mean, the whole thing is old anyway, so I'm fine with the crown showing its age.

When I get it back, I'll post a pic in the what are you wearing thread. It's actually a Benrus, so a bit of a digression for this particular thread, but like the Seiko pictured above, has an unusual crystal shape.

Edit: I just looked back through my photos and the crown does have grooves. I have no idea why they wanted to change it. Makes me nervous now about the overall judgement of the repairperson. Fingers crossed they don't over-fix it. I did stress to the salesperson that original parts were important to me unless it was a part that was literally broken and/or meant to be replaced like the spring. Hopefully they get it.

 

[mikeyt_53]

I'm a bit confused here. The watch in the photo is definitely a Seiko but you indicate its a Benrus?

The crown on the watch in the photo looks to be a bit worn but nothing serious. Maybe they were thinking they may polish the case for you and that a new crown would look better.

 

[Wednesday]

Sorry for the confusion: the Seiko above isn't the watch being repaired. The one being repaired is a Benrus (also with interesting case shape). It was a digression from the original post but the conversation just kind of seemed to flow that way. If I should start a new thread instead, let me know.

I found pictures of the Benrus that I took before sending it out. I don't think the crown is that bad. Anything better would make the dial look even worse tbh. I'm going to call tomorrow to make sure that they don't do anything to improve the appearance other than cleaning. It's my personal preference that they not add paint or anything to the dial. The photo below is such a closeup that the scratches look way worse than they really are.

I'll put this in a new thread since it's veered off from the original Seiko.

 

[mikeyt_53]

No worries. I'm easily confused at times The case looks like it has a bit of gold plating wear so replacing that crown with a nice new one will look a bit odd. You could get them to clean & polish the crystal though along with the case and it should look quite presentable when done. Finding a new crystal to replace that one though will be difficult.