The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi all,

A plea for help to the Seiko buffs..

A friend has asked me to see if I can find anything about this watch. His better half bought it for him, new, about 10/11 years ago. With the skeleton hands and the grey/silver dial, he's finding this a little difficult to read easily, and hasn't worn it in some time.

It's a true 1/100 Sec Chronograph, case and bracelet in PVD steel. The Serial Number of 850262 suggests a 1998 production date.

It's got an unusual 'horned and ridged' fixed tachymeter bezel, also finished in PVD.

The dial is quite unusual, definitely a 'dashboard' look, with layered segmented sections, a circular date window at 3, and 3 very cool subdials. The Upper register is for the chrono seconds - two hands, one that revolves once a second, and the little red one that goes round ten times a second to give a true 1/100 reading! The Lower register also has two hands for recording Chrono Minutes and Hours. The middle register is main time Seconds hand. Finally, there's a central chronograph hand, ticking round the dial once a minute. The chrono features start/split/continue/stop, and the flyback is very impressive as the 5 hands all zero together.

The backcase has 'Seiko', as well as a 'Machina Sportiva Giugiaro Design' stamp in the middle, plus Serial and Model details - see pic..

Any info you guys could offer on the history of this model would be gratefully received. I'm fairly sure my friend will want to move this on, so any advice on value would be appreciated too. The watch comes with the original box and manual, plus an extra link, but I'm not sure if the warranty card has survived. Condition is as pictured - the PVD is excellent on bracelet and case, some nibbles and scratches on the unusual bezel (looks worse under macro than in reality). All functions are spot on, and a new battery has just been installed.

Many thanks

Mike

And some pics:

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"Behind every great fortune there is a crime" - Balzac

Nice piece. Designed by Giorgetto Giugaro who is the guy behind the Delorean and Golf and I think that this model has the Seiko Sapphlex (or some name like that) crystal that is a layer of sapphire laminated on top of a mineral crystal - now obsolete and replaced by sapphire. Giugaro actually designed a few pieces for Seiko and they made a range of watches with the name - some analog and some digi analog.

I think that this is another of these relatively early quartz watches that becomes a paperweight when it dies because the movement is obsolete. There were later versions of these produced into the 90s but I think that those had solid hands rather than these skeleton ones. I think that this one is from the early 80s, but not 100% - I'm guessing on value, but maybe about $250.

That's really helpful, thanks Roff.

Based on the serial number, 850262, and from when the watch was purchased new (10/11 years ago -ish), I think it's the later series of Giugiaro designed watches from the late 90's, rather than the earlier 80's versions - I've found that he did two stints.

He designed the 'Alien' watch (as worn by Ripley in the movie) back in 1983, using the earlier 7A28 Quartz Chrono Calibre - and they didn't have the greatest reputation for longevity!

As mentioned, it's a Sapphlex crystal - Seiko's proprietary toughened glass.

I cannot find another PVD version anywhere online - even using the full caseback reference. There are lots of different 'Macchina Sportiva' designs around, but I just can't find this one.

Mike

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"Behind every great fortune there is a crime" - Balzac

You may be right about it being later, all of the 90s ones that I saw had 'stepped' hands which made me think it was earlier, but I guess that serial numbers don't lie. Don't believe that I have seen any PVD ones either - quite a few variations of the 7T52 (which is the movement) though.

I've been informed it's a SHW017J1.

Mike

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"Behind every great fortune there is a crime" - Balzac

Cool piece, he also desinged this one for the movie Alian.... not the orignal bracelet and sure wish i could find one! Mine is still running spot on and the chrono snaps back to 12!

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TREVOR