Here you go Smudge, I just got her in. Perfect way to get re indoctrinated to wearing a watch.

Niiice. You know we need to see a lume shot, right?

Well this is interesting. On the inside of the case back (look at the glare) of my Seiko 5 sport they engraved where the case and case back were made. Do you see it? You can’t see this when the case back is installed. I don’t blame them especially considering the low cost of Steel Diver and Heimdallr clones.



I figured out what messed up my 6105 homage. While grilling the heat of the grill probably caused the 6 o’clock lume marker to detach. It was an easy fix and has been holding steady. I was reading up on modding these things and apparently a little heat is all it takes to remove the shark logo so I guess the same applies to the lume.

The 4 o’clock or 4:01 crown location really sucks. They should not have focused on trying to copy the real 6105 so dang closely. I’d rather they put the crown in the same position as the SKX & Turtle. That would have made modding so much easier.



Here is a sneak peak of my next project. Seiko Turtle + SNK809 = awesome. I’m considering using Crystal Times parts and building it up from one of their bare cases.

Yep, I was a bit disappointed that my Arnie was made in China. It seems to be of good quality though

My wife wears watches based upon her outfit and thus buys inexpensive "fashion" timepieces. One of her favorite ones came from the womens clothing store "Chico's".

She's had the watch about 10 years and the last time I replaced the battery it still wouldn't work. It's crazy to me, but, she still wears the non-working watch to go with certain outfits.

I checked eBay, etc. and can't find a replacement and would be clueless as to how to replace the movement.

My guess is the watch probably cost $50-$100 but it means a lot more to her.

Would it cost much to replace the movement? Is it as simple as pulling the old one out and putting a new one in?

Here are some pics:

I wouldn't bother. My wife has a few cheaper ceramic watches as well, depending on outfit. Get her a new one that's similar

https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Kl...-38&ts_id=6358544011


https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Kl...-48&ts_id=6358544011

quote:

Originally posted by h2oys:

Yes, that almost certainly says SR626SW, which is a common "button cell" watch battey.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
Yep, I was a bit disappointed that my Arnie was made in China. It seems to be of good quality though

All but the very highest end Seikos (Grand Seikos, and some that aren't GS, but which are priced accordingly) will be made in China or Maylaysia. They are still good watches.

Too funny...I thought that was the model number for the watch!

About time though, the battery size is on the outside of the battery operated item.

h2oys your wife's watch either uses a miyota or hattori japanese movment powered by a 377 silver oxide battery which is the most common battery used.

You can try cleaning the contacts where the battery sits with rubbing alcohol on q-tip or putting a drop of oil on the gears.

The actual cost of the movement is 6-8 bucks but you have to remove the stem and crown which is not hard but you also have to take off the hands and pry the dial off the old movement.

Any decent local watch repair shop would charge you 40-80 bucks total.

At that price I would just get her a new one.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
Yep, I was a bit disappointed that my Arnie was made in China. It seems to be of good quality though

All but the very highest end Seikos (Grand Seikos, and some that aren't GS, but which are priced accordingly) will be made in China or Malaysia. They are still good watches.

My Arnie (now gone) arrived 4/1/2020. And I researched where Seiko produces in China. One of the bigger locations is not at all far from Wuhan. The date code was december.

Chinese watchmaking has taken a great leak forward in the past decade. Some Swiss watch parts are now made in China and shipped to Europe for assembly.

Since many movement patents have expired, the Chinese are cloning many Swiss movements and surprisingly, they are pretty decent.

Their shortfalls seem to be with cleanliness during assembly and oiling.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
My Arnie (now gone) arrived 4/1/2020. And I researched where Seiko produces in China. One of the bigger locations is not at all far from Wuhan. The date code was december.

Your watch had the covids!!

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
All but the very highest end Seikos (Grand Seikos, and some that aren't GS, but which are priced accordingly) will be made in China or Maylaysia. They are still good watches.

They are still good watches, I won't dispute that.

Stickman can point us to a couple of sites/stores that offer JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Seiko goods. He's tempting me with a new purchase right now....

The Samurai(SRPB51)glowing after driving home from work on Wednesday:

vthoky, Great looking Samurai! Is that the blue lume or standard style green? You should mod that thing. A bezel or two would really change the look and make it feel like having two watches in one.

Three different bezel/insert combos on the same watch.







My Orange Samurai was in my heavy rotation until the unfortunate scooter accident. In hindsight it was actually a great thing to happen to me since it forced me to take the leap into modding....which I am LOVING! I am about to upgrade it to a new sapphire crystal since the bezel and hardlex didn’t take too kindly to hitting asphalt at about 10-15 mph. All things considered it’s amazing that my Seiko came out of thy with minimal damage.

This is my fav samurai. I love the blue and green lume, the dual & DLC finish. When the sunlight hits the finish you can still see the contrast from the brushed and polished sections of the case underneath the DLC coating. In full sun it has a gunmetal sort of appearance and it’s a dang strong finish. I have yet to scratch a DLC watch and it’s not for a lack of trying.

Ooh, I've gotta know more about that one! Loving that dark finish. I'm almost thinking that finish would look great on my SKX.

How tough is it to swap a bezel?

BTW, the lume shown on my Samurai is the standard green. It's a quick-and-dirty cell phone pic, just as I got into the garage.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vthoky,

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
How tough is it to swap a bezel?

Haven't done it myself yet, but if you're just doing to do the insert, this method looks suuuuuper easy. I'm sending my Glycine back to get fixed, and if it's running right when I get it back, I'm going to order one of these and install it.

https://lcbistore.com/products..._sid=9d17c1571&_ss=r

It’s very easy to swap out a bezel. The tools you get with a basic watch repair kit that costs about $20 will have what you need to remove a bezel.

I do recommend watching a few YouTube videos specific to your watch before you attempt it and using tape or something to protect the case from being scratched accidentally while you remove the bezel.

vthoky, This is a brief but decent review with good pics including the unique blue & green lume : Seiko Save The Ocean Black Series Prospex Samurai SRPD09K1 Review
I agree with both of the positives and disagree with one of the review’s negatives. The rubber strap on the latest Prospex watches are IMO waaaaaaaay softer and better feeling than the stuff on my SKX013. They are not inexpensive but in my experience with Samurais, Turtles, Baby Marine Master 200s and the latest Willard the new rubber straps are excellent. Especially when in the ocean or pool.

P220Smudge, excellent YouTube video. I’m going to have to get some of that stuff. My orange Samurai’s new parts all came from Long Island Watch. Apparently once you swap to one of Mark’s bezels it’s even easier to remove a bezel and swap to another, I believe they intentionally designed them with that in mind.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

How tough is it to swap a bezel?

It depends. On many Seiko's, not too hard. Occasionally you will get one that defeats you. I had a turtle that I had to send off to a friend to get the original bezel off and it came back pretty marked up on the case. The guy told me this was the toughest one he had ever dealt with. Others I have done have been a breeze. No way to know how it will go with a particular watch. The Long Island guy is simply swapping bezel INSERTS.

Other brands have their ways of securing the bezel to the case. In some cases, tiny screws, in others, interference fits with different types of springs.

Many times you just don't know until you try.

Good luck,

RMD