Seiko 5 Day/Date

WTT: Vintage Seiko 5 SS day/date automatic

Posted By: Ricky Lee McBroom
Date: Thursday, 5 May 2005, at 12:26 p.m.

Actually, I'm not 100% certain that 'vintage' is accurate, since I'm not sure when this watch was manufactured. But its overall condition when I bought it, plus the fact that the lume has faded to pretty much zero, lead me to believe that it's at least 15 years old. The case back is marked Seiko / 296653 / Stainless Steel / 7009-3170 / Water Resistant, and the movement marked 17J / 7009A / Seiko. Dimensions are 37.2mm wide X 41mm long (measured across lugs). It runs fine, keeps decent time, and all functions work smoothly.

I've currently got it on a generic aftermarket folded-link SS bracelet with single-action flip clasp, modified slightly to fit the OEM Seiko end pieces. This is visible as a slight 'notch' on the bracelet end links in the following scan. However, note that the Seiko end pieces have not been modified. It also comes with the original signed Seiko bracelet, which is in good condition. The aftermarket bracelet is sized for my 8-1/8" wrist, and the OEM bracelet is sized for aprox. 7-1/2".

It had an $80+ service at a local jeweler last summer, consisting of a light case polish, movement clean & lube, new crystal, and new caseback and crown gaskets.

Given this, your typical e-Bay seller would probably use adjectives like "Minty" and "Rare". But this ain't , so let me be up front and say that I do have a couple of issues with this watch. The first is part and parcel of the design - it doesn't hack or hand wind, and I find those to be desirable functions. (The fact that the watch doesn't hack is why the second hand appears 'bent' in the above scan, of course. The slight moiré pattern on the dial is also an artifact of the scan.)

The second I put down to a mediocre service job: there are a couple of specks inside the crystal. These appeared within a couple of months of the cleaning and, while you've got to look close to spot them, they may bother a WIS. They two worst are visible in the scan between the 22 and 23 minute markers, and at 25. There are a couple of smaller ones at 54 and 58.

After all that, I can only hope that I haven't scared you off. All in all, this really is a decent little watch, and the average user probably wouldn't even notice these issues. But I think it's best to mention them, since we're all WIS's here. The crystal is pristine, the dial very good, and there are a few scratches on the case. One case scratch, located on the outside edge of the lug near 5, might be more properly called a 'small ding', as you can feel it with your fingernail, though just. This is barely visible in the scan. I'd give it a TZ rating of 80% - Good to Very Good. No papers, box is non-original generic.

My first choice in trade is a Vostok with an aviation themed dial.. the funkier the dial the better. Or some other Russian, perhaps? However, I am open to all offers. Hey, I've been known to wear everything from a 32mm quartz Mickey Mouse to a 50+mm mechanical diver. So make me an offer.. there's no telling what might strike my fancy!

Here are some smaller camera shots for good measure. These are from when I originally purchased the watch last year, and show the OEM Seiko bracelet.

Thanks for lookin'.

-Ricky

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