I'm going to treat myself his year and I like the idea of a watch from 1977 to celebrate my 40th. Of course a Submariner would be nice from that year, but I can't afford it and don't want to spend nearly that much and would be more comfortable spending around £500 / $650.
I've noticed a '70s shaped' Seamaster from '77 that might fit the bill (pic attached) however I'd be interested to hear any ideas?
Omega are nice but you might want to take a look at Bulova and Seiko not are easy to date, N7 for bulova
Don't know for seiko but the info is out there
It's unfortunate that those 1970s Omega movements (e.g. the cal 1012 that is presumably in that watch) are just not nearly at the same level of quality as the Omega automatic calibers from the late 1950s and 1960s.
Edit: I like the Seiko suggestion in your price range.
It's unfortunate that those 1970s Omega movements (e.g. the cal 1012 that is presumably in that watch) are just not nearly at the same level of quality as the Omega automatic calibers from the late 1950s and 1960s.
Yes, cal 1012. I read this was the last Omega movement made in-house for quite some time. Didn't know they were looked at unfavourablely.... is it a huge gulf between the earlier movements and this one?
With a Seiko, you can get one that has your birth month and year. On the seiko you will see a serial number which is 6 or 7 digits. The first digit is the year and the second digit is the month. For example a seiko with a serial number of 720449 is one that was made in Feb or 1977
Here are my two 1977 Seiko watches. The one that is not on the expansion band was made in Feb of 1977 (my birth month and year) the other one was made in march of 1977
The trouble with Omega watches are that even with the serial number, you cannot really tell if it was made in 1977. The serial number chart just gives an approximation.
You could probably pick up an Omega Dynamic or even a Seiko Bullhead Chronograph from those years in your price range. Maybe even an original Seiko Turtle.
A special watch for a 40th birthday is a great idea.
I got a 40 jewel Beijing SZB-1C Shuangling for my 40th birthday about 10 years ago. It was probably made in the late 1970s, maybe even 1977 but I don't recall seeing any kind of date code on the movement. But it is the only 40 jewel watch that I know of.
(If it appeals to you then the problem would be that you're in the UK and you'd really need somebody in China to scour the markets for a tidy example.)
Since you started with Omega I hesitate to mention Timex, but at least with them you have a reliable date code on the dial, and their style can be very much of their era if that matters to you. Also I understand that Citizen have a date numbering system, and they turned out some classy watches back then.
Since you started with Omega I hesitate to mention Timex, but at least with them you have a reliable date code on the dial, and their style can be very much of their era if that matters to you. Also I understand that Citizen have a date numbering system, and they turned out some classy watches back then.
Along with the aforementioned Omega, there's a couple of other watches from 77 for sale:
- The Seiko is not only the same year but also the same month which of course is terrific, however the seller has stated its aftermarket dial and bezel etc. So that puts me off as defeats the purpose really.
- The Swiss Emperor isn't a watch I'd heard of, but a quick search reveals they were pretty popular in the UK in the seventies and very much an unremarkable high st brand.
See what you think? I think I'm still preferring the Omega and just feel it's a shame about the Seiko not being entirely original.
In buying vintage watches, patience is required. I'd suggest that you first decide what watch you want, and then settle in to wait for it. If you prefer the Seiko, don't give up on it just because one example isn't right.
Just to give you an example of a Bulova from 1977,
Date code on the back
I hope you can make out the N7 on the back
Digital might not be your first thought but it was the best cutting edge technology of the day and you can find a good one with box and papers for not much money if you look, as far as reliability in my experience if an aging digital is still running then it's probably going to keep running and they can be serviced to keep the pushers free and they're some of the funkiest 70's watches out there
Don't get discouraged about the 1977 redial. A lot of the divers do have redials as these lived a hard life.
Other Seiko watches you might be interested in are the following
Seiko Bullhead
Seiko Bellmatic(has mechanical alarm)
Seiko 6139 Chrono
Seiko 6138 Chrono
Grand Seiko
King Seiko
Even a 1977 Quartz Seiko can satisfy your criteria for a birth year watch. There is nothing that says the watch should be super expensive to buy. Plus in the 1970's the Seiko quartz watch line up was actually more expensive then most of their mechanical lineup (like divers). If you have ever opened up a 1970's Seiko, you will see that it is not like that small @$$ cheapy quartz movement of today. These old quartz watches were large serviceable jeweled movements.
From what I've read, the HP-01 is probably the finest calculator watch ever made, not only for its build quality but also for the way in which timekeeping and calculation functions were integrated.
It looks like that Seiko Turtle redial might also have some newer hands (maybe that was part of the etc.). It may take some time but try your best to find something that is 100% original to that year. After all it is a celebration of the year you were born. Why cloud that with..."it's from 1977, except for the ____ and the ____.
Today I've been out and about looking in second-hand shops. I really enjoyed the buzz of not knowing what you find and seeing unusual watches and wondering if they're of value. I can see the attraction of vintage watch hunting, having previously to this week only been interested in current watches.
Anyway, here's what I found today. I've discovered that unless it's a Seiko with the handy serial number on the back (incidentally, if anyone sees one starting 79xxxx....), then I'm pretty stuck to finding out the age. What's more, as people have noted here, watches get repainted dials, new hands, bezels etc and, like most of you, I only want 100% original.
The Dynamic looks like a redial. Hard to tell, but it looks like a brushed case, which means it isn't a '77 watch. It's earlier.
The Seamaster looks rather nice.
The Commodore LED watch is a bit of a bargain if all the segments work.
I need to visit the lanes, not been for a few years, but I knew exactly where you were even before I spotted "Brighton" on some of the labels.
Yes, I really enjoyed looking around the jewellers in the lanes. Lots of expensive stuff, as you can imagine.
Thanks for the info. The Seamaster caught my eye, but after some research it seems this was a later 83 model and the mid-late 70s versions were larger with nice steel cases and presumably better movements, although not sure about this last bit.
Since you mentioned the Commodore LED, I looked it up and I'd be tempted if this one had its original bracelet and was boxed and better condition. So, I'll let that one go and keep on with my quest....
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