Hi,

Thought I'd reach out to vintage Seiko owners regarding the vintage 7005 model. I have one of this from a few weeks back and while it runs well, it does not seem to manually wind? When I wind the crown, there is no catchment so initially I thought it was loose.



Did some searches on WUS and it is described as auto-wind. Does this mean that it is futile to wind the crown, unless it is pulled out to set the time/date?

Cheers

 

Yes, you are correct. Many less expensive or older Seiko watches only auto-wind but can't be manually wound. The Seiko NH35 movement used in some micro brands is an example of one that can do both.

 

Yeah, my late 70s Seiko is like that, and I've had it since new so I know it isn't damaged...

When I decide to wear one of these old lumps and I'm standing in the middle of the bedroom winding the thing by waving it back and forth as per the owner's manual my wife always has something unkind to say about "watch wanking" or some such thing.

and she wonders why I don't let her wear my Waltham....

 

Thank you Larry

 

Haha I can picture that scene in my head. On the other hand, it seems these auto wind watches are very sensitive to any movements - I have another vintage Favre Leuba that starts ticking the moment I pick it up and tilt it slightly.

 

Seiko came up with their own design for a very efficient winder with their "magic lever".

 

Completely normal and assumed on vintage Seiko and most under 500 until recently.

 

The NH35s making their way into the current Seiko 5 range are, as @larryganz points out, automatic and allow manual winding. The 6138 chronograph could be manually wound but not the 6139, and the 7016 flyback was auto only.

 

Just do a few Pete Townsend windmills while air guitaring and your Seiko is wound.

 

"Came up with their own design" might be a bit of stretch. IWC developed the Pellaton system in the late 1940's, and it uses a similar ratchet and pawl type system. But the Seiko system more closely resembles one made by a company called Otero in the mid-50's. Seiko didn't have the Magic Lever on the market until the late 50's.

While these systems are very efficient in winding, they also basically chew themselves up over time. You can see that the tip of the magic lever pawl that grips the intermediate winding wheel gets worn off over time...worn on the left, new on the right...



I don't have photos of the Otero system, but this is the Pellaton system from an IWC 5002 I had in the shop a few years ago...





Wear is just in the nature of the beast on these...

Cheers, Al

 

Make that magic lever plastic! Lol

 

I'm just a victim of Seiko marketing.