Seiko Champion

Getting back to my own collection, I need to have one example of Seiko’s famous series of 70s/80s chronographs, the 1638 and 1639.

Here’s a quick wrist shot (excuse the poor lighting and dust in this one!) of my 6138-8039, which is a colour combo that not everyone will like, but I really enjoy – black with dull gold subdials and other trim, and white hands and hour markers. I put it on a black leather band, this model looks (to me) much better that way than on the original metal bracelet.



The serial number dates this to May 1976 – the case has seen some wear, but it’s keeping great time and still in good shape for a 34 year old Seiko!

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I’ve not seen one of these before, so had to share it. Currently for sale on SCTF is this very interesting Seiko watch/flashlight/radio combo. Not for me (the watch is a basic quartz with a diver-like dial) but still a very interesting item for die-hard Seiko collectors, or those who collect Seiko accessories.


All images from STCF seller Ocskasy

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Just received an email from Andy Coulter reminding me of the eWatches.com site (a sister site to WorldOfWatches.com), browsed to it to remind myself what it was like, and noticed this deal which I think deserves mention.



Yes, that’s a Seiko Orange Monster, on rubber (mine is on the stainless dive bracelet), for $139 which includes shipping.

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Pricing for the soon-to-be released Halios BlueRing, both the Seiko 6R15 and ETA 2824-2 based models, was announced before Christmas.


Image from Halios Watches Blog

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Credor is a high-end sub-brand of Seiko, which includes one of their most expensive an unique watches ever, the Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie repeater, priced at JPY15,000,000 (Fifteen Million Japanese Yen). That’s roughly $170,000 – certainly not in the range of recent vintage Patek Phillipe auctions, but still well in the stratosphere for me (and most of you readers I am sure!).

This brand is focused on the design, actually no the art of the watch, not just the finishing of the mechanism, in a much more Japanese manner than we normally associate with Seiko, and are typically not seen in North America. Originally just another sub-brand, in the past few years they have been branded on their own without reference to the Seiko name, and have focused much more on design.

Credor have recently released 2 new Limited Edition models as part of their “Node” line of hand-winding mechanical watches, the GBBY998 and GBBY999.


Image from TimeZone Industry News

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There has been a lot of press this part month from Seiko about the 40th anniversary of their first commercial quartz watch, the Astron.

On Christmas Day 1969, K. Hattori and Co. Ltd (now SEIKO Holdings Corporation) launched the first quartz watch in the world, the SEIKO Quartz Astron. Retailing at 450,000 Yen, the price of a normal sized car at the time, it generated a huge amount of attention worldwide. It came to be seen as the watch of for the new hi-tech age.

I’ve written before about the annual Seiko Power Design Project. This year, the theme is the Astron.



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Well I’ve taken the plunge and actually sold stuff. Not on eBay (yet), on the Seiko Citizen Trading Forum.





I’ve also decided to be a lot pickier about watch purchases this year.

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It’s been discussed over and over in the watch forums and blogs these past few weeks, but still deserves a mention. TAG Heuer announced this month their new “100% developed in-house” caliber, the 1887.

It seems nice – 39 jewels, column chrono, 50 hours reserve, +/- 4 sec/day. And in fact the movement itself is nice. The problem is with TAG Heuer’s marketing statements – the movement is actually a modified Seiko 6S37 that TAG Heue licensed for their internal modification and use.



Legally and technically it’s a modified movement that they have rights to. Truthfully and in social media terms, the marketing is a lie. If you don’t have Truthful Branding you will be found out. In the case of TAG Heue, it tarnishes their image and makes them of less interest to me as a watch purchase, which is sad I’ve always liked a lot of their watches.