Congrats, Ricky! Love the looks of that dial.  (n/t)

Ricky, this is an excellent choice ! I am very sure that you will really like the watch! (n/t)

Congrats & good job Ricky! (n/t)

You're quite the Seiko diver collector these days.
It is funny how the bracelet thing worked out.

When it (finally) comes in, (it will be a long wait) I request an updated pic of your Seiko collection.

Ah, not really. Not compared to some here! This will be.. ah, the 7th Seiko in rotation. I think.

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Smaug
It is funny how the bracelet thing worked out.

Right! If it weren't for that durned bracelet , I wouldn't even be in the market for a 7040!

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Smaug
When it (finally) comes in, (it will be a long wait)..

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Smaug
I request an updated pic of your Seiko collection.

That I can handle.

And, hey, again for the bracelet. It is, in a very real way, directly responsible for this watch.

Congrats Ricky  (n/t)

i gotta get me one of those! (n/t)

Congrats Ricky!  (n/t)

Congratulations Ricky.  (n/t)

Finally. Now you can compare the cases.  (n/t)

my methods may be questionable, my results are not!
congrats, and that is a sweet price....and a classic watch if there ever was one.

mate. It works for me.

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greg honeycutt
..that is a sweet price..

Not spectacular but.. well, OK.

I've been watching these pretty close (as you might have noticed ) and the mean average price for a freshly-serviced 6309-704* seems to teeter between $160 to $175. Some do indeed top two bills. Heck, the more I've been watching, I've come to the realization that the deal I got on the 729A was pretty darned spectacular. This slim-cased beauty, for instance..







..fetched more than I paid for the 7040!

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greg honeycutt
..and a classic watch if there ever was one.

No argument there..

again mate.

Congrats Ricky. Gotta love the 6309 divers!!!!! (n/t)

Looks awesome, congrat's!  (n/t)

Congrats go to you at Shamrock Hollow
Well done Ricky!

I got mine a few years ago, probably during the 7040 craze; most definitely after Kelly showed his masterpieces.
It came in a mangled state, from the Philippines, however it received a spa treatment immediately afterwards.

The bezel was also stiff, but I prized it off, and sprayed liberal amounts of sillicone spray underneath it. Some silicone gel would have been better I have since heard.
Anyways, it makes a difference to turning it.

Actually, I wouldn't mind being at the famous Shamrock Hollow....
...on this Friday night whilst the celebratory beers flow
Lume comps and all

And you'd be most welcome!
How are things in your neck of the woods? Since the disaster in Japan, the US media is not giving us updates on Australia and New Zealand. I hope the recovery is proceeding quickly, and that things will soon be back to normal.

As for the Seiko.. I may be late to the party, but at least I got there. I'll certainly try to remedy the stiff bezel at some point, perhaps this weekend. And, yes, silicon grease is part of the plan.

Thank you
Sorry - didn't mean to make you think you were late on the 'craze'.
You just got yourself a classic & I hope you enjoy it appropriately.

Would you believe we had Prince William touring both here and in NZ; a genuine bloke by all accounts, and he would have picked up quite a few new fans too, by the looks of it.
The world weather patterns plus the tectonic plate movements are testing the human spirit for sure. I guess at this stage I am worried about San Francisco being the next most vulnerable.

Also, this is another 6309 I had spa'd, with MKII parts. I only wear it on weekends, mostly when we go out to yum cha or similar. My 'yum cha' watch - how many folks can say they have such a dedicated watch :


(I bought 2 x 6309's at the same time, the 1st one I had set back to original; the 2nd is as above. They were, for the record, both 'basket cases' )

To further clarify....
...I've also worn this watch overseas (in NZ); because the 12 hour bezel is - in my opinion at least ) - the best way to tell the time in another timezone .

Re: Sorry - didn't mean to make you think you were late on the 'craze'.
Shucks, no offense taken. I was a bit late, not only to 6309's, but Divers in general.

Divers are still not me favorite "genre" of watches, ye ken, I make no secret of that. But there was a time when I actually avoided them. You might even say that I "looked down on them". Couldn't understand what all the fuss was about, why seemingly everyone was Mad For Divers Watches.

But lately, within the past couple of years, I've come to appreciate them. Not quite love them, mind, but appreciate them. And vintage Divers are almost in a class to themselves. Love is not too strong a word in their case, as I've come to see them as classic and iconic timepieces that transcend their "genre".

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AndrewP
..Would you believe we had Prince William touring both here and in NZ.

I did see a report of that. A certain sizable segment of the US is way into The Royals, and the media caters to that. Good on Prince William for using that to keep attention (and thus aid and relief efforts) in the public eye. Agreed he does seem like a bloke (or, as we'd say in Mississippi, a Good Ol' Boy ).

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AndrewP
The world weather patterns plus the tectonic plate movements are testing the human spirit for sure.

Yes. And in Japan, the double whammy of the nuclear disaster. That, I fear, is going to get much worse before it gets better.

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AndrewP
I guess at this stage I am worried about San Francisco being the next most vulnerable.

It is a worry. To the point that some prophets of doom are saying that a major California quake is eminent. I'm not convinced of that, but there's no doubt that the entire west coast is vulnerable. The 1964 Alaska earthquake is still the second most powerful ever recorded, of course...

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AndrewP
..another 6309 I had spa'd, with MKII parts.

I love that one! It ticks a lot of boxes for me: orange dial, sterile chapter ring, great hands...

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AndrewP
My 'yum cha' watch - how many folks can say they have such a dedicated watch

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AndrewP
(I bought 2 x 6309's at the same time, the 1st one I had set back to original; the 2nd is as above. They were, for the record, both 'basket cases'

At some point I probably won't be able to resist a full-boat mod. The highest compliment I can pay your orange-dialed example is that I'd go for a very similar look meself.

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AndrewP
...I've also worn this watch overseas (in NZ); because the 12 hour bezel is - in my opinion at least ) - the best way to tell the time in another timezone.

Agreed! At least as effective as an independent GMT hand, and much simpler and more cost-efficient to manufacture. And with a 12-hour bezel, you can turn most any diver into a GMT watch. Sure, 12-hour bezels don't get enough respect and attention, IMHO.

In any case, thanks for the thoughtful response Bro. Andrew.. always a pleasure to hear from you!

It is a very very good watch, Ricky ! Classic ! Enjoy it ! (n/t)

Congrats Ricky!  (n/t)

Congratulations Ricky. Great Seiko.  (n/t)

Congrats Ricky! The bezel could also be hard to turn due to a cracked crystal retaining ring.
Very common on the 6309's.

And the aftermarket dials sure gets better and better.

Thanks for the tip! I may check it out this weekend. The..
..weatherman says 80% chance of rain tomorrow, which will put the kibosh on the planned outdoor activities.

Bright side is I'll be able to sneak in some Caveman Watchmaking..

Let's hope for rain then...  (n/t)

Congrats Ricky  (n/t)

Congrats, Ricky!Between the two, I think I prefer the >>
>> look of the fat case for sure. Not sure about how it wears, because I don't have one. Hmmmm, Watchcooking, huh?

I think you'd love it! YMMV, but..
..to me, it seems to be the perfect size. Doesn't "wear" anywhere near as big as you'd expect from a 44mm case.

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Dave Murphy
Hmmmm, Watchcooking, huh?

Yup! Tell him Ricky sent ya..

Congrats Ricky. So tell us which case you prefer.  (n/t)

Too soon to tell. For the moment..
..I'm digging the "fat case". But that may just be Syndrome.

I'll let ye know in a few months.

congrats. I agree with Chris on the bezel. I really can't comment on the strap though. (n/t)

Amazing what you find in the ditch next to your mailbox!
That stiff bezel might be a symptom of an aftermarket replacement part. The 007 that I bought to use for my Soxa project has a very stiff bezel also, and I'm certain that the entire watch was assembled from salvaged Seikos and fresh aftermarket parts.

That however was all fine by me as I only intended to mod the thing anyhow.

Re: That stiff bezel might be a symptom of an aftermarket replacement part.
'tis a definite possibility. The watches J. Sotto sells do make use of aftermarket parts, he's quite clear on that. The dial, hands, and bezel insert are specifically stated to be aftermarket, for instance. And like the 729A, the lume is nowhere near as good as OEM Seiko. But I knew that going in..

The bezel itself.. I dunno. I think it's OEM Seiko, but who knows? It wouldn't surprise me to find that it's aftermarket. Ditto crystal & gaskets..

But he does a good job of integrating all this, to the point that I reckon only a bona-fide Seiko expert could spot it as being non-original. I certainly couldn't! Were I presented with this watch cold, knowing nothing of its history, I'd certainly assume it was all original.