Reply With QuoteTo be honest, with feedback as high as that (so not just the % but the actual number) I wouldn't be too concerned.
I don't know anything about the watch so there'll be better opinions along but that's my view on the seller
So - having fallen head over heels in love with the beautiful UFO I received last week, I pottered off to eBay to see what else I could find. On Saturday night, emboldened by beer, I put in a bid on THIS. Bidding on vintage Seiko chronographs being obviously risk free and sensible.
I was a bit surprised to get a “you’ve won!” notification yesterday, I must say. So, I see loads of positive feedback for the seller, mainly on BMW parts and air rifle pellets. And the photos don’t seem as sharp and reassuring as they did when seen through a fog of Timothy Taylor. Nicely defined case finishes, dial looks tidy...
What do we think? Am I to become a lesson to would-be eBay bargain hunters everywhere, or might I have lucked-out? I have my views/niggling suspicions (!) but would welcome those of others.
To be honest, with feedback as high as that (so not just the % but the actual number) I wouldn't be too concerned.
I don't know anything about the watch so there'll be better opinions along but that's my view on the seller
I allways check with a very experienced Seiko collector before I buy a vintage Seiko.
The bay is flooded with Seiko frankens and Seiko's with non original parts.
That said: I would double check the originality of the tachy ring and the case finishing...
Yes, I can see a few on Google with yellow markers, but they don't seem to be common on the less than pristine examples, so I suspect it's a replacement (not the end of the world perhaps, but it is what it is).
To be honest, the watch looks a little 'pre-loved' to me and it seems to have had a bit of hard polishing on the back (not unlike my own 6138-3002), but I can't say much more than that.
I'm not sure you really have any scope to argue about it, though, as you bought what you saw, unless of course it has faults when it arrives.
Would I have paid that much for this watch? No, but maybe it's a fair price, they are popular.
M
Perhaps one could argue about " AUTHENTIC SEIKO BULLHEAD WATCH " ?Originally Posted by snowman
Some people can argue about anything...
M
Cant quite tell but, along with the highly polished case that has lost its lines, the insert looks wrong, along with the bracelet, and the lume to me looks like a painted relume? Just seems incorrect and not like seiko original lume.
I will have to have a look when back on my PC, but a lot of money for that imo.
All of this. That case back is almost round it's been so heavily polished. If it were me I'd have it straight off to a watch repairer for their opinion, and to check the centre chrono wheel is ok.
"A man of little significance"
Thanks for the input everyone - sounds like I’ve done a silly! Ah well, this is why I shouldn’t combine beer and buying. FAOD: unless there is something seriously amiss with the watch, I’m not proposing to argue the toss or try and get out of my foolish purchase.
Think of this thread as sharing the ill-advised vintage Seiko purchase experience...!
One positive, I’ve had a sensible response to some basic, belated due diligence queries that I very obviously should’ve asked before; the watch has been the vendor’s for six years, never serviced in that time, etc.
When it it arrives I shall post some photos for the merriment of all!
Re: Ah well, this is why I shouldn’t combine beer and buying
Or may be drink better beer:-). Nothing good came out of Yorkshire.
Pfft. Better than that American rotgut. ;-)
Already stated by others, the case back is way over polished. But as long as it runs well I don't think you've done badly at the price even if it isn't all original.
Well, it’s arrived. Not all bad news; the case has obviously been over polished, especially on the 3 o’clock side, the case back is exactly as bad as it looked on the eBay listing, and the bezel insert is too shiny/neat to be kosher. On the upside, everything seems to work as it ought to, with crisp start/stop/reset from the chrono pushers, smooth hand winding and date/day clicking over between midnight (date) and 1 am (day). The dial looks better than I’d feared, just a couple of dark marks and mildly scabby chrono registers. Chrono seconds hand looks like it’s been repainted with my mum’s nail varnish!
Anyway - here it is, in all its glory. Thing is, I actually don’t dislike it at all!
Yeah not too bad. Are those lume plots painted? No glow at all? And yeh the chrono hand could be stripped and painted to look a little better. Potential and the dial and hands are at least nice aswell.
Looks better in your photos than his!
OK, it's not mint or totally original, but it's got the right look and if you like it, who's to say otherwise!
Working right is, I'm told, no mean feat on these!
M
To Bodo’s question: not a glimmer. Under the loupe they do look like they’ve been painted plain white. Possibly with tippex!
For further amusement, I’ve popped the back off. No hint of any sealing gasket, and the movement ring dropped out when I took the case back off. Bit grubby in there.
Edited to add: chrono reset isn’t as smooth as my other, properly looked-after 6138 - a sense that pressure on the pusher is “pushing” the hands back to reset. Guessing a broken, damaged or absent spring of some kind...
Last edited by PreacherCain; 16th July 2019 at 18:47.
Just sent you an email.
Tippex! I have seen one or two that I think have had the same treatment...
Movement looks ok if a little grubby.
Thanks, Guy - I'll take a look in a bit. To add to the update btw: it appears to be losing about a minute per day...!
Years ago, Richard Askham restored mine: http://hewatchspotblog.com Recommended.
M
An update! After a few weeks in Guy’s (Bodo’s) expert hands, the Bullhead is back... new bezel, NOS hands, dial relume, movement service (including gaskets where there, er, weren’t any) and I think the end result is lovely. Sure, the case is a bit worn and the case back absolutely ruined, but from the dial side it looks splendid. The chrono functions nicely, it winds and runs smoothly and on a Di-Modell Rallye I think it is quite possibly both the brownest and the most ‘70s thing in my collection. Many thanks to Guy for all the work.
Oops - forgot the wrist shot!
That's a great result - eBay, the effects of over-refreshment and Seiko 6138's are usually a recipe for heartbreak, and when you mentioned earlier that there were problems resetting the chrono hands I immediately thought "centre chrono wheel", but it seems that you dodged a bullet there.
For anybody who doesn't know - many 6138's have passed through the Philippines, cobbled together in back street sweat shops from watches left behind or sold by American servicemen and others. Some pretty shoddy watches resulted, and there are several eBay sellers only too happy to flog them.
Some parts, notably the centre chrono wheels, have been out of production for many years, and as a consequence any 6138 with a broken one is almost unsalvageable, as the part is very complex, and (as far as I know) no pattern parts are available.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Nice watch, enjoy.
Yeah - apparently the movement wasn’t too bad beyond being a bit grubby. One of the jewels was cracked, the reset lever needed replacing and the chrono wheel clutch spring was slightly damaged, but it all works nicely and Guy’s briefed me thoroughly on keeping it that way. Fingers crossed...!
That is a beautiful looking watch - fantastic work by bodo
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That looks lovely now.
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