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Thread: 100 year old Seiko Laurel service

  1. #1
    Master Thewatchbloke's Avatar
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    100 year old Seiko Laurel service

    I've recently had this Seikosha Laurel on the bench and is by some margin the oldest Seiko I've had the pleasure of servicing. It's 29.5mm in diameter with a 12 ligne movement, pretty standard sizing back in those days.





    For those that aren't aware of Seikos beginnings the Laurel was the first wristwatch Seikosha ever produced and production began in 1913 pretty much straight after they had started producing their enamel dials in house.

    This example had its fair share of issues but it's back together and ticking away nicely for the first time in many years thanks to some excellent parts sourcing by the owner.









    The full stripdown and story is here on my blog for anyone who would like to read more.

  2. #2
    Master bobbee's Avatar
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    Great stuff! Can't have been easy sourcing parts for such a rare movement.
    I haven't seen many watches from this time with Breguet numerals either, lovely to see.
    Thanks for posting.

  3. #3
    Very good, I just read the excellent blog post too. Looks like you found the distant ancestor to this Presage model...

    Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 10th December 2017 at 15:28.

  4. #4
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    That's really interesting Dunc, is it a Swiss movement?

    Great to see the enamel dial is in such good condition without cracks.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  5. #5
    Master Thewatchbloke's Avatar
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    The design will be based on a Swiss movement Neil but by 1913 Seikosha were producing everything (including hairsprings) in house. The predecessor to the Laurel was a pocket watch called the “Time Keeper” and that was produced using imported Swiss parts. Production was hampered by the vagaries of the supply chain which is why they pushed for in house manufacture of the Laurel.

  6. #6
    Master Argon's Avatar
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    Great to see!

  7. #7
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    Nice reading the blog about that.

  8. #8
    Master
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    A perfect watch, delightfull, thanks for showing it.

    Sent from my SM-J330FN using TZ-UK mobile app

  9. #9
    Master mindforge's Avatar
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    Fantastic read, thank you. Saw one in the Seiko museum in Tokyo but this looks in better shape!

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Tokyo Tokei View Post
    Very good, I just read the excellent blog post too. Looks like you found the distant ancestor to this Presage model...

    Is it just me, or is anyone else in love with this dial now they can see the references?

  11. #11
    Master bobbee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JGJG View Post
    Is it just me, or is anyone else in love with this dial now they can see the references?
    It is indeed a beautiful dial, and I love the original Breguet numerals, especially the tip of the horizontal line on the number 4, as the original had a little cross there.
    I notice the OP's Laurel has a reversed comma at the tip of the 4, something I have never seen before.
    I always like to see something new!

  12. #12
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thewatchbloke View Post
    The design will be based on a Swiss movement Neil but by 1913 Seikosha were producing everything (including hairsprings) in house. The predecessor to the Laurel was a pocket watch called the “Time Keeper” and that was produced using imported Swiss parts. Production was hampered by the vagaries of the supply chain which is why they pushed for in house manufacture of the Laurel.
    Thanks Dunc, I love stuff like that. Seiko history is always interesting to me.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  13. #13
    Really interesting thread , thanks for sharing,

  14. #14
    Journeyman
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    Dial is in amazing condition, strange to see such a narrow strap required to fit....!

    Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

  15. #15
    Master Rocket Man's Avatar
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    This is really interesting, thanks for posting. Looks like the enamel dial has held up very well over the years?

  16. #16
    Master Geralt's Avatar
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    That is gorgeous. Nice to see some Seiko history. I note they didn't chop off the numerals to accommodate the sub-dial either. Thanks for posting.

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