Hey everyone,

My uncle gifted me his 6306-7001, and it hasn't been worn in years outside of my occasional wear. The day-date doesn't work properly so I sent it into Seiko for service. They indicated they have no gaskets to complete the repair, so they can do the mechanical service but not guarantee water resistance, and they claim nothing more than a light resistance when washing hands or getting rained on.

This is my first attempt at servicing a vintage watch directly through the manufacturer. I did talk to a local watchmaker who directed me to some gasket sets from Ebay, and I've asked Seiko if they'll replace the gaskets and water test if I source them a gasket set (no response yet).

Generally speaking, what should my expectations be on water resistance be on vintage watches? Is there a better way I should be going about this? I intend to make this watch my daily wearer outside of work, and I really intended to bring it on a camping trip where it could get dunked/submerged in rivers for any length of time, so water resistance is important to me.

Josh

 

You're kind of stuck, unfortunately, with no good decision ahead of you.

Seiko no longer produces gaskets... that doesn't mean you can't source your own. There are plenty of generic ones around, and one will fit. But, that means cracking open the case, which immediately voids the service warranty.

Everyone needs one "I can wear it anywhere and do anything" watch. My recommendation for those is generally the Vostok Amphibian. Ridiculous water resistance, 31 jewels, insanely inexpensive. They don't keep time worth a damn when they're new, but a good watchmaker can adjust it for you so it keeps COSC-standards time. You can find hundreds of them on eBay and from some websites.

Of course you could always just get a G-Shock too, but where's the fun in that?

So get your inexpensive dive watch and next service of your Seiko, take it to an independent watchmaker and have generic gaskets installed. But be aware that even then it might not have good water resistance.

 

Seiko does not do a good job at servicing vintage watches. They're not like Omega, who keeps a cache of vintage parts on stock. You need to send it to an independent watchmaker. There are some vintage Seiko specialists out there who know exactly what to do with these. Instagram or the Seiko & Citizen Watch Forum (http://thewatchsite.com) are good places to find them. Prices vary, so it's a good idea to get more than one quote, if you're price sensitive. Also realize, that some of the more popular Seiko specialists have 6 month backlogs.

 

There are independent watchmakers who have gaskets that will work, including seals for the crystal and even replacement crystals that are exact reproductions. The tricky part is the crown, but some specialists will even repack the crown gasket for a price. I don't know anyone who sends vintage Seiko watches to Seiko.

 

Since you spoke to a local watchmaker who directed you to some supplies on Ebay, can that watch maker help you put in the new gaskets when your watch is returned? Sounds like Seiko is already telling you the watch won't be completely water resistant. In your case you have a screw down case back and screw down crown, but the water resistance is only as good as the seals and gaskets that are in it. For some vintage watch owners the risk of putting them in the water may be not worth the risk.

 

The local watchmaker advised me to get Seiko to handle the mechanical service component of it due to them having a better parts selection, and said it was a 50/50 shot they’d be willing to put the gaskets in if I sourced them. Any thoughts on whether Seiko is truly better equipped to handle the mechanical aspect?

It would probably be a wise move for me to source a daily beater and save this watch for less adventurous occasions. I’m just shocked with how much people pay for service on a popular model (Seiko is charging $330) that they can’t manage to keep basic components on hand...

 

Plenty of Seiko specialists who can have that serviced and new gaskets fitted that are cheaper than Seiko.

Get the watch back and find a independent specialist.

 

$330 is pretty cheap, Omega is $550 for an automatic.

 

Generally speaking, I suggest you not camping with a vintage watch.