Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Seiko7A38 at November 27, 2017 at 3:05 PM

This well worn stainless 7A38-6090 fitted with a notched rubber dive strap was listed late last night by a US eBay seller. It comes supplied with the original Seiko p/n S1002S bracelet, but one that is woefully short of adjustment links to be of any practical use. The opening bid price is $78, with an option to Buy-it-Now for $208. As the seller is a member of this forum, I'll refrain from further comment.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282749090035

The above US eBay auction for a well-worn stainless 7A38-6090 fitted with a rubber 'Dive' strap ended about 15 minutes ago, selling for $135.50 after 6 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282749090035

Seiko7A38 at August 26, 2017 at 6:12 PM

This two-tone 7A38-6090 was listed earlier today by a German eBay seller - I'm not sure where he gets the T235 from. It looks to be in pretty decent cosmetic condition, with little evidence of the usual wear to the gold plating visible in his (only) two photos, but the bracelet is suffering from a twisted first joining link on one side. That said, an opening bid price of 150 Euros is somewhat optimistic.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162646676076

Just tying up a couple of 'loose ends' from last year. 

I must admit, I'd lost track of the numerous re-listings by the German eBay seller and that two-tone 7A38-6090 had dropped off my watching page.  A quick search on ended listings on eBay Germany revealed it had last been re-listed twice in December last year, with the opening bid price reduced to 130 Euros:

Looks like that twisted bracelet link straightened out quite nicely. 

This gunmetal two-tone 7A38-6090, in fairly decent cosmetic condition, was listed yesterday by a German eBay seller with what is possibly a slightly over-optimistic Buy-it-Now price of 239 Euros, (or the option to make an offer).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142697598397

Versteigere hier eine " Seiko " SQ 100 NR : 7A38 - 6090 Quartz Herrenuhr Metallarmband

Maße : 38 mm ohne Krone

Es wurde eine neue Batterie eingesetzt

Funktionsbeschreibung bitte aus dem Internet herunterladen

Voll Funktionsfähig

Glas ohne Kratzer

Hier in Europa ein sehr seltenes Modell.

This 2 Tone stainless and gunmetal 7A38-6090 sold for 155 Euro.

Are you sure Carlo ? 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142697598397

WatchCount.com's Look-up tool shows the seller accepted an offer of 150 Euros. 

As confirmed by the eBay Offer / Purchase History:

Another gunmetal two-tone 7A38-6090 was listed on eBay this evening by a seller from the Dominican Republic - chronodiver_watch, as a 5-day auction with an opening bis price of $95. Compared to some of the rougher (and IIRC distinctly Franken) 7Axx's this seller has listed in the past, this appears to be quite a decent unmolested example. That said, counting up the visible number of removeable adjustment links in the bracelet, I suspect it may be a bit on the short side. The seller doesn't give a wrist size in the description, as such, but instead states:

'bracelet measures 150 mm from end link to end link', so it might be a good idea to ask the question.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401510927536

There are more photos embedded in the seller's description. Quickly scanning through them, some are duplicates of the eBay hosted images. In the interests of page loading times, I'm not going to bother posting them here.

The above eBay auction for a gunmetal two-tone 7A38-6090 ended yesterday evening, selling for $97 after 3 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401510927536

This gunmetal two-tone 7A38-6090 in only average worn condition, was listed this morning by an Italian eBay seller, with a laughably over-optimistic 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 300 Euros (and currently no option to make an offer). 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253655331037

Raro Seiko Chronograph SQ 100 7A38 -6390 due toni perfettamente funzionante e in stupende condizioni estetiche cinturino originale acciaio 2 toni brunito con chiusura a scomparsa con garanzia e libretto istruzioni box anonimo.

Queste sono le mie regole per la vendita,se acquistate non accetto lamentele

Le foto sono tutte reali e si riferiscono all’oggetto in vendita

Restituzione e rimborso non accettati

Tutti i miei oggetti in vendita non sono coperti da nessun tipo di garanzia

Non posso emettere fatture ne scontrini fiscali

Secondo il codice civile ( art.1510,1527 e successivi) non posso essere in alcun modo responsabile per danni o smarrimenti durante il trasporto

Garantisco la massima cura nell’imballo

Il codice di spedizione vi sarà inviato solo su richiesta

Nel caso in cui non doveste essere d’accordo sui punti indicati,è inutile perdere tempo e siete pregati di non fare offerte

L’oggetto è venduto con formula AS IS (visto e piaciuto nelle condizioni in cui si trova)

The Italian eBay seller did subsequently add a 'Make Offer' and his 7A38-6090 sold this aftermoon - about 15 minutes ago, for what is still quite a respectable sum for one of these.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253655331037

WatchCount.com's Look-up tool reveals it sold for an offer of 235 Euros:

As confirmed by the eBay Purchase History:

This non-running 'spares or repairs' two-tone 7A38-6090 was listed in the early hours of this morning, by a US eBay seller as a 'job lot' with a two-tone 7T32-6A50. The way the seller has listed them with a quantity option (1 or 2), implies that you'd only get one watch for $99 as a Buy-it-Now. Academic anyway (for bidders outside USA) as the seller is listing them using eBay's dysfunctional GSP programme, which frequently means you can't put an offer in, even if you wanted to.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302755904719

TWO MENS SEIKO QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH WATCHES FOR SALE:

(Description pertaining to 7T32-6A50 omitted)

SEIKO WATCH--2

MENS SEIKO QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH ALARM WATCH GOLD STAINLESS, 7A38-6090(A4)

WATER RESISTANT 10 BAR 816559 JAPAN

THE LENTH OF STEEL WATCHBAND IS ABOUT 17.10CM, THE BAND HAS ISSUE TO LOCK.

THE GLASS HAS SOME SCRATCH

NOT WORKING, FOR PARTS OR NEED REPAIR

BOTH SEIKO WATCHES ARE “SOLD AS IS”.

Something the seller omits to mention in the description is the dial. The sub-dials are badly misaligned with their apertures. If you were considering this as a project, it's nothing major to worry about. In this model, all that holds the two dial plates together is that large gold dot @ 12 o'clock. A couple of dial dots will easily fix it.

This gunmetal two-tone 7A38-6090 in average worn condition was listed yesterday evening by a Macedonian eBay seller, as a 7-day auction with an opening bid price of $100.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302770514173

Manufacturer: Seiko.

Diameter:w/o crown: 38mm

Lug to Lug Tip: 42mm

Dial Color: Charcoal Gray

Movement Type: Quartz Chronograph Day Date 15J Cal.7A38

Bracelet Material: Origianl Seiko SQ 100 2 Tones

The above 7-day eBay auction for a gunmetal two-tone 7A38-6090 ended about 10 minutes ago, selling for the opening bid price of $100.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302770514173

This two-tone 7A38-6090 which has had its gold plating stripped and the bracelet polished, was listed earlier this morning by an Italian eBay seller, with a ludicrous 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 350 Euros !! 

This stainless 7A38-6090, in average worn condition, was listed in the early hours of this morning, by a US eBay seller, as a 7-day auction with a sensible opening bid price of $128. As the seller is a member of this forum, probably the less said about his fanciful 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now option of $358 - the better. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283033451968

Thanks for viewing my listing! I have been a net collector of vintage watches over the years and now I've reached to point where I would like others to enjoy my watches/accessories or finish off projects I don't have time for.

Description: Rare Seiko SAA115J 7A38-6090 Quartz SQ100 1/10 sec Chronograph, Original Bracelet

Condition: Pre-owned in Good to Very Good condition

Dimensions: Approx. 38mm diameter excluding crown, 42mm lug-lug, 14mm lug width

Accessories: Original S1002-I 14/20mm two-tone stainless steel clasp band; No box/tag/papers

Notes: You are bidding on a Rare Vintage Seiko SAA115J 7A38-6090 Quartz 1/10 sec Day Date Chronograph. The 7A28 and 7A38 quartz chronographs from the 1980s featured a robust and servicable 15 Jewel movement with 30 minute and 1/10 second subregisters and 9 and 3 o'clock and subseconds at 6 o'clock. These were the first quartz chronographs to come out of the 1970s quartz revolution so they are quality movements that have stood the test of time and remain quite collectable. Here we have an uncommon Stainless Steel Seiko SQ100 7A38-6090 that dates to February 1988 based on the serial. Domed original mineral crystal has quite a few light scratches, probably worth a professional polish or crystal change, but the dial is pristine and presentable. Wear noted on the case and caseback; still in decent shape. Most importantly, all functions work - subseconds tick well, the 1/10 subregister runs smooth and all the registers properly reset to zero. Pushers are not sticky and push in well. Crown in very good shape; quickset day/date week work without issues. Movement looks clean, battery about a year old (not sure what’s on the reserve), watch is keeping good time. The best feature about this watch is the wearable original S1002-I bracelet; it loosely fits my 7.5 wrist (probably go up to 7.75 inches). There are no extra links; please check your wrist size. No box / paper / tags. These are fun movements to collect and the 1/10 chrono register is amazing to behold. Since I don’t wear this and have several other cosmetic repair projects on the queue, this rare SAA115J will do well in other hands - don’t miss out!

Given that this is a pre-owned watch, service history is unknown, water resistance is not guaranteed and warranty unavailable. Sold AS IS.

Shipping: Priority ConUS shipping is free. International shipping will be priced per USPS International Priority. Due to the continued challenges with buyer restrictions per eBay Global Shipping, I will list one fairly for all bidders. If you are restricted from bidding it will be only due to feedback or geographic restrictions. Buyer will be responsible for all potential customs fees.

Questions welcome.

The above 7-day US eBay auction for a stainless 7A38-6090 ended in the early hours of this morning, selling for $142.51 after 5 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283033451968

I'm sure I've upset a few people by referring to the watches they've just bought (and sometimes paid good money for) as 'polished turds'. Well that's just me speaking my mind and telling it how I see it. Tough.

Checking through my eBay watching page, I see one such 'polished turd' (which once was a two-tone 7A38-6090) sold on Friday. It took the Italian seller over a month, three re-listings and a sizeable reduction of 100 Euros, from his original ludicrous 350 Euros 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price to garner the interest of a mug punter. The most recent re-listing ended a couple of days ago.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253757966788

WatchCount.com's look-up tool reveals it actually sold for an offer of 220 Euros:

The buyer's crass stupidity confirmed by the eBay Purchase History: