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A BIG improvement for sure!
I just thought I'd share a few pics of my latest project, a Tudor Snowflake inspired Seiko 6309.
I didn't want to create a full blown homage so I built this using a 6105 dial not dissimilar to the Tudor but keeping the Seiko branding and of course the unmistakeable shape of the Seiko 6309 case. The donor watch was sourced from Loyswatch on ebay and came fitted with an aftermarket dial and 6105 hands but this was not important to me. In fact it was a bit of a bonus because if it had been fitted with the original style dial and hands then it may have fetched more than the £88 I paid. What was important was that the case looked to be in good shape and the movement appeared clean with no corrosion. The serial number dates the watch to October 1979 and the watch arrived with no nasty or hidden surprises. Snowflake hands and a big numbers bezel insert were sourced from Dagaz and a domed sapphire and aluminum chapter ring came from Yobokies. I'm currently wearing it on a nato but I have a WJean oyster bracelet on a SKX007 which will be fitted once I source the correct end links.
Anyway, here's a few quick and dirty pics I've just taken as the daylight was disappearing -
And a pic of how it looked from the ebay ad -
Thanks for looking and comments always welcome
A BIG improvement for sure!
Think the hands really suit the dial. Well done.
I've just fitted snowflake hands to an origional 6309.I think they look good on Seiko divers
Well done, looks really good.
Well done!
Nice work, but I prefer it as it was. I hate snowflakes.
Really nice job !:)
Im not sure about the insert, I think it might look better with a Rolex style one, that one looks too modern for the rest of it....
Cheers..
Jase
Thanks for all the comments chaps. Good or bad, they're always welcome.
When I put it together I was unsure of the bezel insert but it has since grown on me a bit. They are cheap and easy to replace so I may try a few different ones in the future. The other thing I'm not happy with is the domed sapphire; Its almost flat on the outside but domed on the inside which gives the effect of the dial tilting away when looking at it from an angle, as opposed to regular domed glass which gives the impression of the dial tilting upwards when viewed at an angle. I have a high dome sapphire coming from Dagaz so I'll get some comparison pics up when it arrives. Other than that I'm very happy with it and I've been wearing it almost exclusively for the past month or so.
Cheers, Dave
New sapphire arrived from Dagaz as did the bracelet from WJean, but see if you can quickly spot what else has changed -
10 points for spotting the new day window and 10 bonus points for spotting that its a different watch!
I saw a 6306-7040 for sale on one of the other forums. It had been modified and the sellers pics showed a missing movement ring. The seller knew it wasn't 100% and had priced it accordingly so I took a punt on it. Apart from the obvious changes it seemed to be quite original with no signs of polishing or re-finishing. The case had become polished at the lugs and there were plenty of dings and light scratches so I re-finished the case by fitting it in a drill and holding a GarryFlex block against it. I then used a Dremmel with a polishing wheel to do the back and sides and was pleasantly surprised at how well it all turned out. After two days on the wrist it is running six seconds fast so the movement appears to be good too... My initial plan was to return it to original looking using repro hands and dial but the only 6306 dials available are the ScubaPro ones and I'm not a fan of those.... So once it arrived I set about swapping the hands, dial and insert from my 6309.
Those who are familar with the 6306 will know that it is a Japan only version of the 6309 with a 21j hacking movement as opposed to the 17j non-hacking movement found in the 6309. Being Japan only it also has a Kanji day wheel, but the 6105 dial I was fitting was date only so I decided to open up the window on the 6105 dial. To do this I popped out the date surround from the dial, held the 6306 dial directly over it and marked where the day opening was and then got to work with the needle files. Once the window was filed out I then got an old Seiko 5 dial I had and used it as a donor for the new surround. New day/date surround glued into place and et voila
There were a few occasions whilst working on this where I expected it to all go horribly wrong. Luckily it didn't and I'm more than happy* with how it has turned out.
Cheers, D.
The date surround is a good colour match with the indices but the rounded profile is all wrong. The search has begun for a new donor dial.... TBC
Nice work on the date display. I would have certainly made a mess of the thing if I were to have tried that. Maybe someday you can find a real 6306 dial and restore it to its original (and more sought after) state. It's surprising to see what a nice 6306 with genuine parts goes for these days.
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