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Interesting response from a WatchSmith


Ronin

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Funny thing. I called my local Seiko AD to have one of my 14 year old Automatic Seiko's serviced.

This watch has seen A LOT of Ocean time, so I thought it deserved a trip "to the Spa (AD)" for a good ole cleaning and servicing.

The somewhat arrogant WatchSmith said if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I am not sure how I feel about this. Thoughts? Am I crazy for wanting a 14 year old automatic serviced that has never been? I realize it is a Seiko that is pretty bullet proof, my others have been work horses.

Thanks,

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Just have a look at some of Zig's reviews that he's done, specifically the one on his 4 year old A7750 that had run for 4 years straight. The oils do evaporate over time and can cause other issues internally; I'd say a regular service is a must to keep the friction points lubricated to avoid unnecessary wear.

You'll also want either re-lubed gaskets or fresh gaskets as well if it regularly sees H2O...

;)

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I would advise Seiko head office.

I'm sure they would have an alternate view :g:

Offshore

+1

Very strange attitude for a businessman to take... Even if he knew there was nothing wrong with the watch, why turn away business? That's just a bit :bangin: in my scheme of things :unsure:

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Try these: http://www.seikowatches.com/support/customer/index.html

I'm of a mixed mind on these matters. Sometimes maintenence does not make sense. For example tire rotation. My car recommends that I rotate the tires every 7,500 miles. When I do the math it is cheaper to just leave the tires alone. I pick up a maximum of 10% to 20% additional wear with the extra maintenence, but I spend more than 10% or 20% on the tire rotations.

I think these things need to be viewed in a big picture. If left alone what would the likely damage be? I've read that Japanese movements when purchased in quantity cost about $35.00 each. So why not wait until it is caput and just drop in a new one?

Just wondering aloud.

Regards,

Packard

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So why not wait until it is caput and just drop in a new one?

Agreed that the economics sometimes does not make sense. However, if you wait until your current movement takes a dump and you replace it with a new movement, there's no guarantee as to how old that 'new' movement will actually be. It could be a 5 - 8 year old movement sitting in some watchmaker's bin to begin with. Oils age and dissipate over time regardless of whether the watch is running or not.

For a Seiko movement, that mentality may be well and fine. However, there were folks who had the same standpoint when it came to ETAs. Since they were easily sourced and affordable a few years ago, the same mindset was in place to just replace instead of service. Now, with the cost of Swiss ETAs as it is, it's a different perspective :)

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I would advise Seiko head office.

I'm sure they would have an alternate view :g:

Offshore

Don't count on it. I have a 28 year old Seiko which was a wedding present from my wife which obviously has a lot of sentimental value. Over the years of use and wear the crystal has become so scratched you can't see through it and the bezel is broken. Now I hardly expect Seiko to carry parts for a 28 year old watch, but thought they might be able to help when all other possible sources drew a blank. They didn't even respond. So much for Seiko.

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Don't count on it. I have a 28 year old Seiko which was a wedding present from my wife which obviously has a lot of sentimental value. Over the years of use and wear the crystal has become so scratched you can't see through it and the bezel is broken. Now I hardly expect Seiko to carry parts for a 28 year old watch, but thought they might be able to help when all other possible sources drew a blank. They didn't even respond. So much for Seiko.

Just take the watch to a professional watchmaker (watch manufacturers often do not deal directly with retail customers, but you might try again here). The watch is long-overdue for servicing. Most likely, the bezel is still available & crystals are an easy replacement.

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Thanks Freddy, but I've been told by a professional that the parts are obsolete and no longer available and had the same response by online parts organisations. It was last serviced about 6 years ago, in theory by Seiko, and hasn't been worn for at least three. I would guess I could probably drum up a crystal somewhere (it is oblong) but I'd have to remove it to get all the dimensions and I'm reluctant to do that at this stage. It's not a watch I'll be wearing again, but I would like it to be in reasonable condition. I will try the Seiko references you've posted.

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Thanks Freddy, but I've been told by a professional that the parts are obsolete and no longer available and had the same response by online parts organisations.

If there is 1 thing I have learned when relying on other people for help, seek & ye shall find. Have you tried ebay?

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Since this thread has forked:

1.) Tire Rotation, as Ubi indicated does not do much good on a Sports Car (BMW, Porsche, Mercedes) with differing wheel sizes front to back.

2.) Obsolete Parts, ditto Freddy333. Even calling 'every' Seiko AD/watch smith IF it is that important to you. I just had my Grandfathers 1940 Gruen Veri-Thin restored. Parts were found.

3.) OP/OT. I had a realization about the AD/Watch Smith I spoke with. They are heavy on the retail side, and with a large inventory. To them, ...ain't broke... means run into the ground so it will be too costly to repair. Then you will hopefully buy a NEW watch from their shop.

:)

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1.) Tire Rotation, as Ubi indicated does not do much good on a Sports Car (BMW, Porsche, Mercedes) with differing wheel sizes front to back.

Since I run 19x8.5(f) and 19x9.5®, tire rotation means dismounting tires and switching L - R, and not F - B. The dismount is necessary since the tread is uni-directional; I can't just switch the left wheel with the right. Major pain in the arse, time consuming and of course, not free :) And what's worse is that I'm lowered 2.5" and can only align so much; it's not really the camber that kills me, but the toe-in/out that causes the most wear.

These days, I just run the tires into the ground. Kind of sucks when buying new tires and I look at the tread pattern- The inside shoulders get well worn, but the outside shoulders still have some good tread left. Speaking of which, I either need to get new tires or trade the car in... I'm due.

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