They are both great watches, but the question remains: which do you prefer, an automatic or EcoDrive? Are you able to pick up both? 10 years is a good run. The Seiko S-Waves that I just bought are new old stock, but they are 12 years old now, and they are all running fine.

Have you read this article, it may help you better understand the 7S26A:

http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/8ohms/7s26/

Angelis:-!

PS: let us know what you choose.

 

Are you able to pick up both?

You know, I could easily pick up both, but then I would feel like I was cheating.

Another thought: I probably will wear this watch almost exclusively on the weekends, which means, if I get the Seiko 5, it will sit dormant for 5 days a week. Is that likely to increase or decrease the longevity of the watch? If I had to guess, I would say less use of the movement over time would increase its life, but I'm not sure that's right.

 

following his question,

how much approx. a Vintage seiko 5 (circa 70-80's) automatic should run smoothly before it breaks?
assuming that it had not seen any service in the last 5-10 years.


i believe a service would cost more than the watch it self, but as for vintage seiko models- maybe for some people the watch has some personal value that leads them to pay for the service in intention to keep their watch

 

I am thinking about picking up a Seiko 5 automatic (7S26 movement) to use as a beater watch (photo attached). Since the cost to have the watch serviced would be as much if not more than the cost of the watch itself (you can get one of these NIB for less than $70), I probably would replace the watch rather than service it if it ever started running unacceptably fast or slow or stopped working completely. Assuming I never service it, what kind of life span should I expect from the watch?

The other option I am considering is a Citizen Eco Drive that looks similar and also goes for about $70 (photo attached). That, of course, would not be bullet-proof either. The movement on my last Citizen quartz (standard battery operated) gave out after about 10 years and the repair cost was far more than the watch was worth.

Any sense on which is the better bet from a reliability standpoint?

Personaly I have this Seiko 5, but blue:
https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?p=2262987#poststop

Its a great watch anyway - you can ask me everything about this model.
I know people who have Seiko 5 for 15 years and they never went to service. This movement just work.

Not too precisely - you know

 

I don't understand...is 10 years for a single $70 watch is not long enough for you? That works out to $7 per year. I spend more on socks and underwear.

I think generally speaking quartz will win the reliability argument. But quartz movements do require service for many of the same reasons that mechanical movements do. Because of the low torque motors in quartz, just a little dirt or oil gunk and stop the movement all together. Not all quartz modules are designed to be serviced...just disposable. I'm not sure if the Citizen can be serviced.

The Seiko mechanical movements can be hit or miss. Some of them require service by 5 years while others have lasted 30 years without a service. The 7S movement has only been around since 1996 so who knows what the longevity will be. I will say that with proper service and parts, these movements will last forever, or as long as there is someone willing to pay for the service.

 

I would be perfectly happy with 10 years of service on a $70 watch and did not mean to imply otherwise (perhaps "bullet-proof" was a poor choice of words). I was just looking to get a sense, based on the collective knowledge here, which watch is more likely to get me there.

Thanks for the article link, Angelis. Very informative. I'll let you know what I decide.

 

I would be perfectly happy with 10 years of service on a $70 watch and did not mean to imply otherwise (perhaps "bullet-proof" was a poor choice of words). I was just looking to get a sense, based on the collective knowledge here, which watch is more likely to get me there.

Thanks for the article link, Angelis. Very informative. I'll let you know what I decide.

Sorry for the snotty response. It sounded funnier as I was typing...;-)

Based on your planned use and if you really don't care what is running the watch, I'd go for the citizen. I personally prefer quartz for knock around use because if I don't really have any kind of attachment to the watch, having to set the time and date everytime I wear it becomes an annoyance.

I don't know if you have owned a EcoDrive before, but you can't just toss them in a drawer forever. The longevity of the battery relies on a constant charge and frequent complete discharges will shorten the life. So just keep it out and the ambient light will keep the charge topped off between uses.

 

As others have said, the 7S movement has only been in production for 13 years so the decades+ longevity question is an unknown factor. However, given the lineage from the 61xx to 63xx movements that precede it, it is fair to guess that unabused, the watch may function flawlessly for more years than you care to wear it without a service. That being said, if you wear it for 10 years and find that it is running more erratically or it's power reserve is not what it was, you may find that you are so sentimentally attached to it that it is worth dropping more than the original purchase price for a service. Another thing you could do in the intervening years is pick up a spare 7S26 movement and put it away for a future heart transplant.

 

If raw durability is a factor you should consider that the automatics simply won't take the kind of abuse a quartz will and most people don't' love there watch, I have bought and gifted half a dozen seiko5's to friends of mine who do an honest days work for a living and I can tell you I have half a dozen dead seikos back inside of two years.

Just my experience though, I have an 007 diver that I wore and abused since 2002 (I think) and it is still running fine but I am a watch nut. I am inclined to believe that six dead seikos out of seven is the operator not the watch.

 

If raw durability is a factor you should consider that the automatics simply won't take the kind of abuse a quartz will and most people don't' love there watch, I have bought and gifted half a dozen seiko5's to friends of mine who do an honest days work for a living and I can tell you I have half a dozen dead seikos back inside of two years.

Just my experience though, I have an 007 diver that I wore and abused since 2002 (I think) and it is still running fine but I am a watch nut. I am inclined to believe that six dead seikos out of seven is the operator not the watch.

I don't know anybody with broken Seiko 5 in 2 years! Maybe the question is stupid but are you sure that This half dozen Seiko 5s are not fake or with fabric issues? What kind of movement they use? Its really strange fact that 6 Seiko 5 are broken in 2 years...

 

There is a fake Seiko 5 problem, thats why Seiko started engraving the crystals

 

GarageBoy, just a tip for you Seiko has not engraved the crystal of any Seiko 5's for almost ten years. They went with the display case back to fight the fakes instead. As a matter of fact, if you see a 5 with an etched crystal, it is almost a sure sign that it is a fake.

 

I have the Seiko "flieger" mentioned above. . .


It's top right in the pic here.

These rock solid Seiko movements are supposed to run for 10 to 15 years. By the time it needs a service, you will either have so many watches that it will just fall to the back of your watch box/drawer, or you will be so attached to it that you will accept the cost. . .

While I love the look of the watch, to be negative: (1) the strap it comes on is quite bad - kind of a pretend Nato - but the watch looks fantastic on black leather; (2) the lugs are kind of short, so thicker straps might not work out that easily.

I have found, to my surprise, that the lack of hacking and handwinding does not bother me. If I'm not going to wear that watch (or any other 5s26) on a particular day, I give it a few swirls when I get up and then when I get back from work, and it runs fine, with no need to adjust the time and date.

Actually, it's my most accurate mechanical watch, some days not losing or gaining a second (it can lose up to five seconds if I wear it). Having said that, it's the luck of the draw, so do not take that as any kind of guarantee.

Can't speak for the Eco-Drive, as I don't own one.

 

I don't own a Seiko automatic, but I emailed Citizen (i have a NY2300) and the cost to service my watch is not that far off buying a brand new one! I may get it serviced, but I'll look about getting a new one if they are still around. Or just a new watch! I think eventually it will be scratched and dented so I'll just buy another watch.

But if your not planning on servicing the watch, I would go for a Eco-Drive.

 

I am thinking about picking up a Seiko 5 automatic (7S26 movement) to use as a beater watch (photo attached). Since the cost to have the watch serviced would be as much if not more than the cost of the watch itself (you can get one of these NIB for less than $70), I probably would replace the watch rather than service it if it ever started running unacceptably fast or slow or stopped working completely. Assuming I never service it, what kind of life span should I expect from the watch?

The other option I am considering is a Citizen Eco Drive that looks similar and also goes for about $70 (photo attached). That, of course, would not be bullet-proof either. The movement on my last Citizen quartz (standard battery operated) gave out after about 10 years and the repair cost was far more than the watch was worth.

Any sense on which is the better bet from a reliability standpoint?

Either watch should easily survive 10 years. The automatic will become less accurate as the effects of drying oil and dust take their toll, but it should run. To be honest I'm a bit confused by what you are really looking for. If reliability over the long term is truly what you are looking for then I would go for the Eco Drive. It will likely run for 20 years with no maintenance and will be very accurate over that time.

If you are looking for justification to buy an automatic watch, then just go ahead and buy it. It's only $70.00

 

I have both of those watches. Either would be fine for what you are looking for, except for the five-day layup each week. I recommend the Eco-Drive for you, unless you would keep the 5 on a winder those five days. :-d In that case, it's pick 'em.

 

Thank you all for your input. I went with the Seiko 5, which just arrived today (photos attached). My preference from the beginning was the 5 because of the automatic movement, but I didn't want the watch if I was going to have to service it every few years to keep it running. The general consensus here seems to be that it likely will last for quite a while without service. Let the test begin . . .

 

Congratulations. I have a 7005 series Seiko (predecessor to the 7s series) that is 35+ years old and still running like a champ. Never had the case open. There are many stories like that of Seiko base auto movements that haven't been abused and are still running fine without service after a very long time.

 

The same as mine, but mine is blue - congrats!

 

I have several '5's' that are regularly worn.

All are 100% reliable with various time keeping accuracy.

All seem to be within 20-30 seconds in 24 hours.

Some are accurate to within 10 seconds a day,not bad for a cheap watch!|>

 

I open set mine Seiko 5 Military (just like the new watch of the guy) and I make it 2-3 sec per day. Its real enough for me

 

I have one of those in blue as well.
Looks great on a brown leather strap.:-!

 

I have my Dad's which is still running. It's from the late 70's or early 80's.

 

I noticed something odd when setting the date. The day of the month changes over at midnight. But the day of the week does not change over until about 1:00 a.m. And when it does change over, it shows up in a foreign language (arabic, I think) until about 2:00 a.m., when it changes back to English. Any idea how to fix that?

As a practical matter, I can probably live with the malfunction if the fix will require a lot of time or expense. Sadly, long gone are the days when I was out cavorting at 1:00 a.m. Now, after putting the kids to bed around 9:00, I'm almost always asleep well before midnight. So I probably never will see this phenomenon in real time -- only when I am setting the watch.

 

I noticed something odd when setting the date. The day of the month changes over at midnight. But the day of the week does not change over until about 1:00 a.m. And when it does change over, it shows up in a foreign language (arabic, I think) until about 2:00 a.m., when it changes back to English. Any idea how to fix that?

As a practical matter, I can probably live with the malfunction if the fix will require a lot of time or expense. Sadly, long gone are the days when I was out cavorting at 1:00 a.m. Now, after putting the kids to bed around 9:00, I'm almost always asleep well before midnight. So I probably never will see this phenomenon in real time -- only when I am setting the watch.

It's part of the design.
If you try to set the day, you will see it alternate between English abbreviations and another language or symbols to represent the days. This is why we can get grey market Seiko 5s cheap, with a date wheel that isn't meant for North America, because most of them have English days along with whatever other language.

Basically (I'm not an expert; anyone feel free to correct me!) my understanding is that the day wheel will move two positions every night. For example, if I was to look at my day wheel without a dial, it would be like: (mine has Roman numerals for days)

MON
I
TUE
II
WED
III
THU
IIII
FRI
V
SAT
VI
SUN
[ ]

It moves two positions every night, skipping the inbetween position that you usually don't see. However, since the day/date changeover isn't immediate on the 7S26, you can see it slowly moving to its destination - and that's why you can see the other language while it's changing.

 

Its not a bug or malfunction... think of it its like a specification of your watch .

This is the way to feel that this watch is really mechanical

 

Should have got an Eco-Drive for every day use. Autos are hassle, unreliable and not at all accurate (15 seconds per day variance (= ~7.5 minutes per month) vs 15 seconds per month variance, hmmmm). Plus you have to set autos all the time if you don't wear them or wind them everyday. Eco-Dive you can set and forget. Don't even know why they still sell them seeing that Eco-Drive is on the market.

 

Interesting opinion .
Here is another one - I am not sure why there is so many watches when one Q&Q keep time very well and its about 10USD.... .

They sell it because we buy it .

 

I have a 6109 that was made in 1971. It has been serviced 3 times. Accurate to 3 sec a week.. Origional bracelet looks like heck. The "day" wheel is slightly off due to a trip through the clothes dryer.

Have had a Quartz Seiko 7N29 since about 98 or 99 and the movement was just replaced.

I know what my choice would be.

Max

 

I have a 6109 that was made in 1971. It has been serviced 3 times. Accurate to 3 sec a week.. Origional bracelet looks like heck. The "day" wheel is slightly off due to a trip through the clothes dryer.

Have had a Quartz Seiko 7N29 since about 98 or 99 and the movement was just replaced.

I know what my choice would be.

Max

Ouch!

Hope the 7s26b is as robust at least half as robust as that 6109.

 

I have a 7548 quartz that's 30 years old and saw daily use for those 30 years. Sometimes very hard use (2 summers of paving stone labour while in school). Just had it's first major service. Still works great. I know where my preference lies.

 

I have a Seiko 5 which I received for my 21st Birthday in May 1981. I've never had it serviced and it has been my regular beater for 70% of that time. It's even worn in bed and I've never even had it's glass replaced. In fact I have done NOTHING to maintain this watch whatsoever apart from give the bracelet an occasional clean.

Fabulous watches. This photo taken in early September 2009.

 

Although not exactly answering your question, I feel I've got to share my Seiko 5 experience with you. I've got a 7009 Seiko 5 since early 90s, kept in a drawer for 5-6 years before I've started wearing it for 8 years, during which I've noticed it was gaining about 5 minutes per week, been loving it. But not until I've really getting into watches have I started timing this faithful watch and found it to be gaining 40 secs per week and reduction of reserve time, this really got on my nerve, enough that I have to bring it to service. (some of those time I slipped and dropped it on a concrete floor) It came out quite accurate less than - + 5 seconds per day this really gave me joy, then a month or two later, hell break lose and it is considerably off in a mere 1 hour. I gave up with it back it goes in the drawer and bought a G-shock G5600E Solar. Couldn't be more happy than this.

 

As you have recently seen my Seiko cherry-red S-Wave, the very same movement as in the Seiko 5 is running now for a soon to be 11 years without any service. Now how can something so inexpensive run so well?

Angelis