1971 Seiko 5 - repair costs?

I have a Seiko 5 which was given to me by my father many years ago but it stopped working and put it a drawer and planned on getting it serviced at some point. This didn't happen and I recently decided to have a look at it again. From the serial number I think it was made in 1971 and has a 6119 movement I believe?

Curiosity won over so I removed the back case and found that the the rotor was loose in the case and was not fixed in place and a small cog and a small screw was loose within the watch. They just fell out when I opened the watch. I have worked out where the cog goes and I think I know where the screw fits. I think it holds the base plate of the rotor in place? There is a second fixing hole in the rotor base plate but no second screw. I guess it's possible that the screws is in the mechanism.

I put the cog and rotor and back plate in place and to my amazement the watch works! I have know idea how the fixing screws came out? I guess someone else may have had the watch apart at some point and gave up? Is it possible to purchase the screw that I need and have a go at fixing it?

Whilst not worth anything in value the watch has some sentimental value so I had a quote to have it serviced which came in at £200. I don't think this seems too expensive as the repairer tells me that he would strip, clean and reassemble. Does this price seem reasonable?
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Seems rather expensive quote for Seiko5 nothing against them have several myself!

It seems a fair bit of money and on a normal Seiko 5 would not be worth it as you can buy a replacement cheaper.

However as it was given to you by your Father I guess it is priceless.

Worth getting a couple of extra quotes though.

Also seems quite expensive to me. I think I've had similar service for a watch with ETA movement for less.

Thanks for the replies - I'll try and get another quote. Can anyone give me a ballpark figure of what would be a reasonable price for this work and maybe a recommended repairer that I could approach? Thanks

I'd expect to pay a couple of hundred to get an automatic movement with calendar, and a hundred and fifty-ish for a manual wind service by a reputable watchmaker, so I don't think the price quoted is too heavy. I think some views might be skewed by it being a relatively inexpensive watch so the cost seems disproportionally high. You might be able to get it done a bit cheaper but ballpark you're in that kind of area.

Could buy cheap used similar 'spares/repairs' Seiko5 off ebay for donor screws?

If you could find a battered but working 6119 it would be a cheap option to do a movement swap. I know it wouldn't be exactly the same watch, but everything visible would have the same sentimental value, and you could get the original movement serviced/repaired at your leisure while still enjoying the watch if you wished.
As for people saying it's a cheap watch so shouldn't cost much to service, well apart from the price of possible parts replacement it would take the same time and skill to strip, inspect, clean, oil, reassemble, regulate etc as a more expensive movement. But that doesn't matter as the cost is largely irrelevant here.

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Contact Seiko and see if they’ll service it or we do have a few people on the forums who might be able to help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ruggertech

If you could find a battered but working 6119 it would be a cheap option to do a movement swap. I know it wouldn't be exactly the same watch, but everything visible would have the same sentimental value, and you could get the original movement serviced/repaired at your leisure while still enjoying the watch if you wished.
As for people saying it's a cheap watch so shouldn't cost much to service, well apart from the price of possible parts replacement it would take the same time and skill to strip, inspect, clean, oil, reassemble, regulate etc as a more expensive movement. But that doesn't matter as the cost is largely irrelevant here.

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Many thanks for your replies - I think I'll do this.

Is the value not sentimental so worth paying the money to get it sorted properly?

The cost of the service is surely related to the time needed to complete the job, not the relative expense of the movement in question. It is still an automatic movement with a date complication and it takes as long as it takes to strip, clean and reassemble an automatic movement with a date complication. If it has sentimental value, and having the same movement inside is important to you, I would say don't skimp on taking good care of it.

Very expensive


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I have to disagree with the advice to get another movement. A second-hand replacement is likely to have wear and tear in the same areas, why wouldn't it?

If I`ve understood the OP correctly, a screw has come out that secures the auto-winding block and the watch needs servicing. I`m not interested in the job at the moment, I've plenty of other stuff to keep me busy, but the sensible way forward is to give the watch to a repairer who will sort it out at a reasonable price. If the movement proves to be in very poor condition the repairer will source replacement parts or possibly a replacement movement, but that decision should be made in the light of what the repairer finds when he takes it apart.

I never discuss prices on the open forum, that's between me and the watch owner, but I do think the £200 is a bit steep. However, a commercial repairer who does the job to make a living has to charge enough to cover the time spent, and old watches are notorious for taking time to fix. I prefer to quote a basic price for labour that excludes parts, any parts needed are added to the final charge. Significant additional time also pushes the price up. On that basis this watch could end up costing £200 to sort out, but I think someone may fix it for less. You have to give a repairer some latitude, trying to negotiate a bargain price will result in the job being turned down.

I'll echo the previous comments on this thread; just because it was a cheap watch in its day doesn`t make it any less time-consuming to sort out.

http://misc.seiko.co.uk/PriceList-Se...lic-201904.pdf