That's a great piece of history,and very interesting indeed.
The movement (with my limited knowledge) already shows the shape of the later 9F movements.
Maybe someone knows if this is true.
Thanks for posting,
Daddel.
As many of you know horological histories always interest me and Seiko more than most.
This is the result of my research prompted by my ownership of a Seiko Lassale.
Seiko bought the small, high end Swiss watch company called Jean Lassale, founded in 1976 and specializing in ultra thin watches of about 3mm, with the world’s thinnest mechanical movements of only 1.2mm thick. However, Seiko did not acquire the rights to the original Lassale mechanical movements. Those ended up with the company who made the movements for Lassale, who now licensed them instead to Piaget.
Seiko fitted Jean Lassale’s with their own quartz movements already developed in 1977-1979 for their Credor line .
According to my reading of Seiko’s own “journey in time” they say Lassale was introduced in 1985 but my watch shows it was actually was bought out in 1981.
They were priced at about double the regular Seiko line at $375-$595, and carried a large profit margin for the company. Seiko would produce this new line entirely in Japan. Instead of the expensive hand-finished, jewelry-grade cases of Jean Lassale, this new line would use the cheaper plated base metal cases as on mine and mass-production techniques of regular Seikos, but they would be fitted with Seiko’s best movements, considered close rivals in quality to the Swiss.
They directed their designers to emulate the original Jean Lassale styles, and the line was launched, using the Seiko Quartz movements already developed in 1977-1979 for their successful Credor luxury line sold in Japan. With most cases measuring only 3-4mm (my one is approx 4mm in depth)
After a disappointing launch, Seiko tried unsuccessfully to position Lassale as a separate, more distinct brand from Seiko. They greatly expanded the range of styles in 1991, offering diamonds, faceted crystals, and even a line of solid gold cases with stainless steel backs. However, in a step backwards, they also retired their original assortment of higher-quality movements in favor of a small number of newer, thicker, jewel-less movements that were cheaper to make.
Notable among the Lassales, is a rare model sought after by collectors, the limited edition “Centennial” model, signed by the company President and founder’s grandson, Kentaro Hattori.
It was given to Seiko Dealers to commemorate Seiko’s 100 year anniversary, and was not available to the general public. It contained what many would say was Lassale’s best quartz movement, the 8-jewel Cal. 9300A, adjusted for temperature and here it is….. :wink:
33mm x 31mm, 9300-5239 that dates to January 1981
The 8 jewel calibre 93A
4mm deep
Hope you found that interesting and any feedback always gratefully received.
Cheers,
Neil.
That's a great piece of history,and very interesting indeed.
The movement (with my limited knowledge) already shows the shape of the later 9F movements.
Maybe someone knows if this is true.
Thanks for posting,
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Hi Neil,
very interesting. Has your research revealed whether the person who negotiated the company purchase, but not the rights to the ultra-thin movements, kept his job? :lol:
No. :lol: :wink:Originally Posted by Gruntfuttock
Cheers,
Neil.
Very interesting Neil and I didn't know the history of Lassale. I had one in the 1980s but it was nothing like as fancy as the one you have. I've no idea what happened to it :( .
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Many thanks Neil, I have learnt something new - love horological historia.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
yes, thanks for posting neil, very informative and such a nice watch,
very refreshing to have a clear and concise seiko post without all the incoherant ramblings!
cheers
mike
Thanks for that posting Neil, always good to learn something new. Was that watch on a strap or a bracelet?
Must be a very rare watch, what is it's approx value, if you don't mind me asking??
Many thanks,Neil.A great bit of research.Your piece brought back memories. You must be right about 1981. I was given a Lassale - thin,quartz, square case, gold dial and 2 hands - IIRC in late 1983 as a present by a Singaporean student for tutoring him -crammer style - to achieve required A Level grades to get into university. I wore that watch daily for next 3 years or so until battery died.Then, to my shame, I threw it away.
I great piece of history Neil :)
Very interesting Neil, thanks for the info. :)
A very interesting history and well written, imho. Quite a find and the date of yours is so much earlier than that stated in the book!- excellent!
The Swiss watch industry is complicated and this takes on a whole new dimension with Seiko as well.
Thanks and best regards,
AP. 8)
I assume it came on a strap as the fittings are not very deep and more or less any type of bracelet would look too thick but that is just supposition on my part.Originally Posted by Flashharry
Regarding rarity, I would think it is pretty damn rare as the Centennials were only given to Seiko distributors and from what I have found out in pairs, ladies and Gents. It was of course 30 years ago.
I daresay many disappeared over time when the batteries went flat.
Regarding Value. The watch is a chromed base metal with gold accents that have a little wear on the high points and with its flat case and scroll lugs is not really the sort of thing sought after today :lol: so would only be of interest to a vintage Seiko buff or watch historian.
So although of historical interest I don't think the monetary value would be very much. I've never seen another one for sale and I got mine in a parcel with some other pieces so I have no way of guessing.
I'm always open to offers though. :wink:
Cheers,
Neil.
Very interesting Neil, thanks for posting.
Seiko are rubbish !
Or so I though when I joined here a few years back.
My appreciation of them has grown as I've learnt more about their history & achievements, much of via yourself Neil.
Still prefer Bremont though :P :lol: :lol:
I thank you Darren.Originally Posted by darrenw
I try and present watch stuff objectively.
You have besmirched my thread. :lol: :wink:Originally Posted by darrenw
Cheers,
Neil.
Interesting. So Lassale bought their movements and were more of a case maker I take it. It's odd that Seiko would take a high end brand and reduce what it's best ability was, making cases.
The names of Lassale and Credor have been used on cheap and high-end models.Originally Posted by swanbourne
I actually had one of those thin Lassele back in the ‘80s. At the same time I also had a 4mm thin Timex with dauphine hands (tank shape just a tad larger). The strange thing with the Timex was that the hour hand was above the minute hand. And above your average Timex quality and cost, tho I cannot remember how much.
That is a beaut Neil and it looks well used. Somebody has had a lot pleasure out of it.
john
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
Well you learn something new everyday. I've never heard of Seiko Lassale so thanks very much for your informative post Neil.
Cheers,
Gary
Great post Neil! Thanks for the info, really interesting watch :)
They certainly have.Originally Posted by abraxas
I had a cheap gold plated Credor quartz and now Seiko use the name on their most expensive watches.
And they wonder why people don't "get" the value of their expensive offerings. :roll:
Cheers,
Neil.
I saw somewhere recently that watchmakers only know how to make good watches and at everything else they are useless which is essentially true.Originally Posted by Neil.C
johh
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
Though they're also good at fuses and repairing mechanical devices, quite in general. I take your point that crap watches are a pain in the **** to work on and are not really made to be serviced or, to be easy to do so, as the tolerances and finishes are, for example, rough.
Br,
AP.
I find hard to believe that Piaget (one of the very few in-house manufacturers of ultra-thin mechanical calibers) wanted to buy something from a company that as far as we know did not have any caliber manufacturing capability :twisted:Originally Posted by Neil.C
Now that's the kind of post I enjoy reading! Thanks for sharing your research, I certainly never knew about the Seiko/Lassale tie up and I have never even seen one of their watches. :thumbup:
Originally Posted by Catalin
Here's a clip from wiki, not always completely authoritative but correct in this instance....
"The calibre 1200 (and its automatic version 2000) were built from 1976 to 1979 in the factory that the company Bouchet-Lassale SA had built on 30, rue des Voisins in Geneva, Switzerland. "
More regarding the future usage of the movements....
" Jean Lassale is bought by Seiko, while the technical documents and the patents are bought by Claude Burkhalter, at the same time as he creates the company « Nouvelle Lemania SA ». Founded in 1982, this company will continue the activities of Lemania-Lugrin SA, and it will produce from the beginning the successors of the calibers 1200 and 2000 : the calibers 1210 and 2010 Lemania. Those calibers will be sold exclusively to Piaget SA, as long as this company will stay independent. When Piaget went under the control of Cartier, this exclusivity was released, and Nouvelle Lemania SA could then sell the calibers to different watch companies, among them Vacheron Constantin."
The whole story of Jean Lassalle can be read here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Lassale
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. :)Originally Posted by Cannop
Cheers,
Neil.
Great looking watch and most certainly an interesting one. Never realised how thin the Lassale actually was!
Great write-up, chap.
I'm beginning to see how incestuous the watch making industry is! Thanks for the write up :)
P.S. When did I become a Brigadier? Must concentrate when posting!
Great history and what a rare piece indeed. Thanks for sharing :-)
I was not so fund of Seiko until some years back when I travelled to Japan and was introduced to the different lines. Especially the Grand Seikos was breathtaking.
Best
Hans
Thanks for the post Neil, the history of Swiss movement production in particular is something I find very interesting. Would be great to see a family tree if anyone has seen one?
That would be long and convoluted to be sure.Originally Posted by NJH
I know a little bit but that is beyond me. :o
Perhaps someone has attempted it?
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks.Not a fan of Seiko except a couple but nice write up.
Nice posting about Lasalle. I remember that back in the 80s (?) Seiko Lasalle was displayed next to the 'ordinary' Seiko watches. There was a distinct difference in the way these watches were displayed. I think (from memory!) that the Lasalle logo was printed in gold, where the ordinary Seiko display was printed in silver. Correct me if I'm wrong!
My next door neighbour (a retired jeweller and a former Seiko AD) owns and wears the commemorative Seiko you showed on the picture.
Menno
That is interesting Menno.Originally Posted by thieuster
Your ex AD neighbour has the same watch 'eh?
As I have said they were designated as gifts for Seiko AD's, nice to hear of an AD who still as his. :)
Cheers,
Neil.
Neil.
Please accept my apologies for the very belated bump to your thread.
I just wanted to thank you, and add my three penneth about the Seiko / Jean Lassale brand relationship.
I found your post very useful background reading for a bit of online research I've just completed myself.
Ever heard of the Jean Lassale Thalassa quartz chronograph ? Neither had I until fairly recently.
As I suspected, turns out it was a effectively a 'high end' re-branded Seiko 7A38, without a day window ....
Or if you want to look at it another way, a thinly disguised Seiko 7A34, but with the date in the right place. :roll:
Here's my ramblings:
http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums...e-missing-7axx
PS Eddie - if I have transgressed by directly linking a thread on my own site, please delete the link.
Anybody interested in reading it just needs to google the bold text above - should take you straight to it. :wink:
Thanks Great info
Originally Posted by Seiko7A38
No need to apologise Mr Seiko, or may I call you 7A38 :wink: I found your site very interesting indeed.
So what we have in essence is Jean Lassale using Seiko 7axx quartz movements before Seiko bought the company?
It would make sense.
If Seiko were dealing with JL previously they would have known the company and probably thought it would be an ideal purchase to obtain the higher end Swiss name to further their sales in the higher echelon.
BTW Eddie won't mind the link. He is as interested in horological history as we are.
Thanks for your interesting addition to the thread. :)
Cheers,
Neil.
That's what I don't quite understand myself, Neil - the actual timeframes.Originally Posted by Neil.C
My own Lassale (only) branded 7A54 quartz pocket watch has a serial number of 4D0078, which dates it to December 1984. The bulk of Seiko's (own branded) more common 7A's: 7A28, 7A34, 7A38, and 7A48 were manufactured between 1983 and 1989. Yet Seiko appear to have been supplying 7A38 (and other 7A) movements to other manufacturers (or licencing their production) from around 1985 intto the early 1990's. Think Yema (owned by Seiko France); Orient, Cartier Ferrari Formula, etc. - who all carried on after 1989. It's almost like Seiko were offloading excess unused movement production. The 7A34 certainly wasn't a particularly good seller. I wonder if Seiko saw the Jean Lassale Thalassa as a way of using up excess 7A34 movements. If so, it's a pity that they didn't think about moving the date window before, on their own watches. I'm sure a Seiko 7A74 would have been a big seller - on the scale of the 7A28 and 7A38. Instead, by 1989 they 'moved on' to the 7T32.
I should clarify something I wrote above. Seiko watches have 6-digit serial numbers, where the first two digits give you the year and month of manufacture. That is assuming you know the decade(s) when the watch was in production. The remaining four digits are the unit's production serial number within that caliber operation / month.
So for convenience's sake, to cite my (Seiko) Lassale 7A54 as an example:
The serial number of 4D0078 makes it the 78th unit in December 1984.
The Jean Lassale Thalassa 7A74-xxx chrono's also carry a 6-digit serial number. Here's the clearest image I can find:
The layout isn't exactly the same, but one could assume that watch was manufactured in June 1988 (week 2, unit 197 ?)
I've tried gleaning a few more serial numbers from images and eBay listings, and have found a range from 55xxxx (May 1985) through 86xxxx (above) - June 1988.
How does that fit in with your understanding of the timeframes ?
The question is, does the serial number number of the JL read as the Seiko's do?
I am rather doubtful myself as everybody seems to use a different system but it does seem to make sense.
I'm afraid I have no real knowledge to add of the Lassale time frames but I hope you can find out.
Cheers,
Neil.
No, it doesn’t actually, Neil.Originally Posted by Neil.C
It seems that I was wrong in my initial assumptions - and I probably need to get some new reading glasses. :shock:
The first digit of the serial number, which I had mistakenly identified as ‘8’ actually turned out to be an ‘S’.Originally Posted by Neil.C
As was also the case with the two other serial numbers which I’d previously thought to begin with ‘5’. :roll:
Using a slightly different interpretation, taking the second digit as the year of manufacture, it actually works out better.
So I now reckon that the watches I’ve seen so far, were manufactured in 1985 and 1986, which ties in very nicely. 8)
I’ve since updated my thread to reflect this – thanks for giving me the prod I needed. :wink:
I’m a little surprised that you wrote that, because sections of your original post, including the last sentence appear to be copied almost verbatim from ‘The Age of Quartz’ by Dan Finch. Extracts from his book are readily available on the Net, for example on WatchFreeks.com, and include a fairly comprehensive history of the Seiko / Jean Lassale / Lassale brand. There’s even a sentence which reads:Originally Posted by Neil.C
Anyway, no matter. Since I last posted, and you read my thread, I’ve added to it considerably, and where necessary, edited a couple of my earlier posts. You might want to have another look.One of the most notable accomplishments under Seiko’s ownership was the “Thalassa” launched in 1984 ....
Notably, I’ve included evidence of some potentially serious jiggery-pokery by Jean Lassale Inc. :bom: (or their parent Seiko Time Corp.) during the manufacture of these watches. I’ve had to be a little circumspect in my written allegations, and where possible have used quotes from other internet posters (one thread on WUS in particular), rather than state the ‘bleedin’ obvious’ myself. The main reason being, that I have a comprehensive statistics package running on my forum, which over the last week, has indicated an inordinate amount of interest in the thread from half a dozen visitors with Japanese IP addresses – two in particular.
Anyway here’s a link to the completed thread:
http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums/to ... ssing-7axx
For those who can’t be bothered to read all the way through it – and that’s understandable, given that it’s become something of an ‘epic tome’ (even by my standards) ....
Here are two Jean Lassale Thalassa 7A74 chrono’s.
Note ‘SWISS MADE’ at the bottom of the cream dial:
.... and ‘The Money Shots’:
I doubt we will ever find out what happened at the time re Swiss/Japanese made and I guess it's pretty academic now.
As JL no longer exists and the Thalassa range are a really typical '80's design which nobody wants nowadays I doubt anyone else cares too much unfortunately.
Good detective work though. :D
Cheers,
Neil.
Indeed. :|Originally Posted by Neil.C
Particularly in view of the pie-in-the-sky prices would-be sellers are still asking for them. :roll:Originally Posted by Neil.C
Having said that, I could almost fancy one myself - purely for the 'curio' value, you understand. :wink:
Or perhaps just a white 'SWISS MADE' Jean Lassale dial with the SWISS stamped 7A74A movement out of one.
Installed in a less ostentatious Seiko 7A38 case it might make for an attractive looking 7A38 / 7A74 Franken. :idea:
Something along these lines:
One could then always 'recycle' the original Thalassa watch case for its 18K gold content. :lol:
Thanks. I thought so too. Pity it was 25 years too late ! :POriginally Posted by Neil.C
Well, actually Neil ....
typical 80's design or not - I secretly wanted one, and bought myself one a couple of weeks ago:
I've written up another separate mega-thread on my forum about it (if anyone might be interested):
http://www.seiko7a38.com/apps/forums...74-chronograph
.... and, with a little more research, have come pretty damned close to proving that Jean Lassale SA, as was, and Seiko SA (Switzerland), were one and the same company - sharing the same addresses and a common board of directors up until 2003.
Last edited by Seiko7A38; 15th August 2012 at 11:16.
Congratulations on your new chrono Mr Seiko.
I'm going to have a look at your latest thread on your site later.
Without people taking an interest a lot of this stuff would be lost to history.
Cheers,
Neil.
It is an old topic but thank you, I've learnt a lot about Lassale link with Seiko that I did not know !
This forum is great !
Agreed, even though it's academic now, 35 years on, I am still digging away. I will get to the bottom of it eventually.
Not many people want Jean Lassale Thalassas, as they're not only dated-looking, but also something of an acquired taste. That said, as I obsessively collect Seiko 7A38's and derivatives in all their various guises, I've got a bit of a soft spot for them - as long as they're cheap.
I've bought a couple more since I last posted here.
They're ostensibly the same model: both are two-tone 7A74-019 in stainless + 14K Gold (vs 18K), so also 'Poor Man's versions.
This one for a what I considered to be a reasonable price, 3 years ago:
This one, just a week ago, for an absolute bargain price of $70 plus 20% buyer's premium.
Spot the difference ? 'SWISS MADE' versus 'JAPAN QUARTZ' printed at the bottom of their dials.
Last edited by Seiko7A38; 19th June 2020 at 10:45. Reason: Problems getting 2nd photo to load !
That's really interesting and great to have the Swiss and Japanese versions.
Your latest addition was a good buy.
Cheers,
Neil.