Saturday, January 16, 2010

New watch: Seiko Sportsman

My brother bought me three NATO watch straps from Gnomon Watches for Christmas, and feeling like none of the watches in my "collection" (I use that term loosely) were up to par with how awesome the straps are, I picked up this watch last week from a local antique shop.

It's a silver Seiko Sportsman manual wind watch with the seahorse back case. From what I've been able to gather from the internet, it is most likely from the 1960s. It is in very good condition externally, and seems to be running well, though it does lose 4-5 minutes over 24 hours, but I can live with that for now. It's also a good size and looks cracking on a NATO strap (as can be seen in the picture). I like the resemblance that it bears to some of the older Omega Seamasters, like the one below (not mine).

I apologize for the picture quality as I am currently without my normal camera since my brother took it with him to London for the month of January, so I did the best I could with his camera (not that my normal photos are anything to write home about). If you actually have any more info on this watch, I would really love to know more.

13 comments:

WerewolfinExile said...

Stunning watches. A friend from college still sports a similar Seiko he got in Japan in 1970's. Elegant and timeless.

JRS said...

Great looking watch, Trip. Nice strap as well...

npmaslow said...

Nice find. The aesthetic is very similar to their current Japan only 'Spirit' line, which uses the current 6R15 automatic movement. http://www.seiyajapan.com/product/S-SCVS001/SEIKO_Spirit_Automatic_Watch_6R15_SCVS001.html

JMW said...

Very nice - love combining a vintage watch with a great band.

Anonymous said...

Can you say some more about the straps? How's the quality compared to smart turnout? How long did the straps take to arrive?

KFad said...

I also received one of these straps for Christmas. It looks great and the quality is OK. I don't have a Smart Turnout or a J. Press to compare it to, but it's a touch nicer than the J. Crew straps.

In terms of negatives, the strap is so long (11.25") that I have to wrap it back around. It also took about 2 months for delivery. Not sure if this was due to Christmas or if anyone else experienced this.

RHW said...

4-5minute in a day? Take it by capetown in Roswell and let them clean and regulate it for you. If they won't touch it, they can direct you to a watchmaker who will.

trip said...

Anonymous-
I cannot comment on the quality of these straps vs. Smart Turnout as I don't have any of the latter. However, I do own one from J Press and I would say that it is at least on par, if not superior. I may see about posting a little bit more about the straps themselves.

KFad-
They are supposed to be that long, and tuck back under themselves. That is weird to hear about the 2 months for delivery though. I think I would have canceled my order by that point.

RHW-
Thank you for the recommendation. I haven't known of a good watch shop in town, so I may take it by there and talk to them.

Anonymous said...

Sweet watch/strap Trip. I have an Omega (needing a good bit of repair) that would look awesome with a NATO band. I've actually priced out some from J. Press, but the $500 repair should come before the strap. Where did you get the watch?

I had my 1940's Bulova repaired at Hurley Roberts in Norcross. I bet they can help you with yours. There is nothing like a good running mechanical watch and I actually prefer hand winds to automatics.

trip said...

Anonymous-
Yes, it is frustrating when you start to think that for the price of maintenance/repair, you can buy a brand new pretty nice watch. Thanks for the heads up about Hurley Roberts. I will look into them as well.

KFad said...

My girlfriend tried to cancel the order but was unable to reach the anyone at the company via email or phone. It doesn't say much for their customer service, but I'm glad to hear no one else had these issues.

RHW said...

My smart turnout order back in October was lost. They reluctantly re-shipped and that took about 4 weeks.

Ed Forbes said...

Terrific find. My father has a Seamaster that's almost identical to the one you posted. I wear a Hamilton that was my grandfather's from the same period. Terrific aesthetics. If you're ever looking for less bulky straps, there's O'Connell's and also Central Watch in New York. I find the NATO straps a bit overbearing on my watch, though I do like the SmartTurnout offerings.