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  1. Geo! Jan 27, 2015

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    Here's a photo of one my all time favourite watches and probably the last watch in my extensive collection that I would part with, and it's .................QUARTZ.

    I purchased it new back in 1984, from H. Samuel in Chester for the sum of £200. I saw it on the first day of my holiday, and thought if it was still there on the last day and I had enough money left, I was buying it. The watch has run every day since, except during battery changes, which I have always changed before it ran out. It still keeps as close to perfect time as makes no difference, and has never been serviced! The watch is totally original and there are still remnants of the original polythene on the back of the case.

    What is it?

    [​IMG]

    It's a Seiko Quartz 1/10th second Chronograph fitted with a 7a38 movement and is the World's First Analogue Quartz Chronograph with day and date. The watch was made in October 1983.
     
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    Slevin kelevra and Whsjr415 like this.
  2. pascs Jan 27, 2015

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    Still looking good after all the years :thumbsup:

    I do have a soft spot for some of the Seiko models, they were the first nice watches I bought when I was young
     
  3. TheCaptainOfTech Jan 28, 2015

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    I do have to admit that's a great looking watch. The dial makes me think a little about the royal oak.
     
  4. shoota70 Feb 3, 2015

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    It is watches just like this that have reinforced my no quartz policy. If I bought every quartz watch that I liked aesthetically I would have 10,000 $185 watches.

    I literally say to myself at least twice a day, "you don't like quartz". Which is a lie but I have to draw the line somewhere.

    And I to love Seiko. I would stare for hours at the 1/10th dial. Round and round and round and round and round......
     
  5. Pascal S Jan 26, 2022

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    It's a Seiko 7A38 acquired in 1984 that probably largely influenced my current tastes in chronographs.

    Back then I was wearing a LCD Casio watch whose most interesting feature was the number of melody it could play. Incidentally, it's only 30 years later that I found out it was actually a rare bird for those interested in this kind of watch. Anyway, I was doing some shopping with my parents in Nice, and my dad stopped in front of a watch shop on Avenue Jean Médecin. Behind the window was displayed a selection of the then brand new quartz analogue chronographs that Seiko had just released. My dad decided to go in to try one on, and as usual in this sort of case he decided to buy it on the spot. But he also saw how mesmerized his 15 year old son was with these watches, and he asked me to pick one for myself. That's how I ended up with a lovely 7A38-7000 chronograph at my wrist!

    I wore this watch daily for almost 4 years, and like many teenagers I was not always very careful with it. It got quite a few scratches, and ended up looking a bit like a mess. And then, at 18 I decided to buy myself the watch I was dreaming about at the time: the Breitling Navitimer. All my savings went into that purchase, horrifying my mom. My dad on the other hand was quietly supportive. So the Seiko ended up in a drawer, and stayed there for many years.

    Fast forward to 2012 and I discovered that these watches have a bit of a following, and I got in contact with Paul, the administrator of the Seiko 7A38 website and forum. He kindly offered to give my watch a clean and replace its badly scratched crystal, and then try to find someone who could service it. Unfortunately, it's around that time that my finances hit rock bottom thanks to a long period of unemployment. My large chronograph collection got sold, including a few watches I thought I would never part with, and I completely forgot about my Seiko that was now on the other side of the Channel. After that, I actively avoided any exposure to watch forums or discussions, because I felt like a reformed addict that very little incentive could push over the edge.

    But things got better. I have now a stable situation, and I can now try to rebuild myself a watch budget. So last year I removed the self-inflicted mental block I had lived under, and I started thinking about watches again. It's at that point that I remembered about my Seiko. I contacted Paul, first with an apology for not giving any sign of life for so long, and then to inquire about the fate of my watch. Well, I was in for a good surprise. He had it fully serviced in 2020, and was ready to ship it back to me. So just over a couple of weeks ago, I received a package with my old friend, looking much better than when it had departed almost a decade ago. I didn't know that Christmas could still come in January, but boy am I grateful for it!

    So here it is.
    [​IMG]