Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

And.............it's gone again!!!

It's the only way to be sure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbfMkh940Q 

It's back...

Indeed it is. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130889960432

Except this time it's listed with a higher opening bid price of $499 - and for the moment at least, no Buy-it-Now option.

Sometimes you just know that a thread has 'the right' topic title to add something onto.

So what's this now ? This seller's 4th listing for a NOS (New Without Tags) JDM 7A28-7000 Aliens ? 

Is this the same watch he's (re)listing over and over - using ostensibly the same set of photos each time ? 

Or does (did) he actually have 4 or more of them to sell ? 

Edit: If I'd bothered to read the slightly different description of this listing, it does state:

LAST OF A TOTAL OF 4 (OTHER 3 SOLD ON EBAY IN THE PAST 3 WEEKS).

The eBay auction for that 4th NOS JDM 7A28-7000 Aliens ended about 20 minutes ago, selling for $530 (approx. £347) after 4 bids:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130889960432

Meanwhile, earlier this evening, a 7A28-7009 Aliens built from a sample case, but fitted with a black leather strap instead of the original Seiko p/n B1092S bracelet, listed by Mike Mounce managed to make a comparatively impressive $435 (approx. £285) after 37 bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380621287603

Makes you wonder what the seller of the 4 NOS JDM Aliens might have made if he'd been a bit less hasty / smarter with his listing titles.

Speaking of 7A28 Aliens, what was originally supposed to have been a 30-day listing (ending on 9th May) by an Italian eBay seller ....

and had already been flagged in the 'Craziest Prices' thread (for obvious reasons) ended early, 2 days ago, for no apparent reason:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151025164100

Needless to say it went unsold. The only offer made (and declined) was for $350:

I'd already voiced my suspicions about this watch, despite the seller's claim of it being NOS in the other thread. Won't hurt to repeat it.

The seller ends his description with this sentence, which to my inquiring mind has a certain ring of irony to it:

A LIMITED NUMBER AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET IN THESE CONDITIONS!!!!

Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think this is a FRANKEN Aliens. 

I believe it is a combination of a JDM (SSAY058) and European export model 7A28-7000.

It has a SpeedMaster Clasp and rectangular JDM Kanji inspection sticker - as opposed to the SEIKO SQ clasp and oval JWC II sticker.

But instead of the JDM dial with SEIKO CHRONOGRAPH QUARTZ - it has the export SEIKO QUARTZ Chronograph SPORTS 100 dial.

Anyway, it's back, re-listed: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151030961298

Nothing appears to have changed (including the ludicrous $1500 asking price).   Caveat Emptor - as always, Gentlemen. 

Don't EVER let anybody try to convince you that these things are rare - even as NOS. 

In the meantime, NOS black Aliens continue to crawl out of the woodwork (or should I say from the ducting on Nostromo).

If you'll pardon the expression - Rare my arse ! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251265544710

This is a vintage Seiko Quartz Sport 100. It is in the original box and has not been worn. It is black with a black band.

7A28-7009 The "Alien" watch.

That one sold for $489 (approx £316) after 7 bids:

Belated Edit: Or at least it appeared to have sold.

It was subsequently re-listed in June: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251288472559 and sold as a Buy-it-Now for $500.

Nothing appears to have changed (including the ludicrous $1500 asking price). 

Ahem. 

What did I write about Italian eBay seller Vurdulakit's questionable 7A28-7000 Aliens ?

Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think this is a FRANKEN Aliens. 

I believe it is a combination of a JDM (SSAY058) and European export model 7A28-7000.

Quel surprise (not) eventually:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151036708192

In his latest re-listing earlier today - the watch is now fitted with the correct JDM dial with the block capital CHRONOGRAPH script.

Hate to say this, but that 'SPORT TECH' presentation box isn't the correct original box for a JDM 7A28-7000 SSAY058. 

Don't EVER let anybody try to convince you that these things are rare - even as NOS. 

In the meantime, NOS black Aliens continue to crawl out of the woodwork (or should I say from the ducting on Nostromo).

If you'll pardon the expression - Rare my arse ! 

Shall I carry on ? 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261210235610

This is an unusual vintage Seiko watch. It is in brand new condition; the protective coating is still on the back. It is marked "7A28-7009 AO" Original band. The battery is dead, but the watch was running perfectly before it was put into storage. There is one defect -- the yellow plastic actuator buttons show some crazing. They are, however tight. I believe this was common with this design.

Rare variant with upside down Tachy ring

Well spotted, Andre !   You can tell I didn't look too closely - to me it was just another (not so rare) 'New' 7A28 Aliens. 

Couple of updates on those last two eBay listings for 7A28-7000 / -7009 black Aliens:

Italian eBay seller Virdulakit was bought down to earth with a bump - and reality, from his science-fiction fantasy, yesterday afternoon.

His JDM Aliens sold (against a best offer) for $720 (approx. £462.50) - less than half his original $1500 pie-in-the-sky asking price.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151036708192

US eBay seller Charlie.s' Aliens did even worse, achieving a mere $335.50 (approx £215.50) after 14 bids, earlier this afternoon:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261210235610

And yet another 'very rare' (not) black 7A28-7009 Aliens. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190845427434

The seller's description made me smile (for a couple of reasons):

This is a vintage 1970's Seiko Quartz Sport 100, like new, black with a black wrist band.

Model # 7A28-7009 inscribed on the back. Stainless Steel / The "Alien" watch. 

I was given this watch as a gift in the 70's and never wore it, so I stored it away in my drawer, until I discovered it today.  In the 40 or so years from the time I received it, according to the jewelers I have talked to, it has become a very rare watch. Just to make sure it still worked, I had a new battery installed and the watch runs like dream. 

I noticed that another watch, exactly like this, just sold for $489.

But he was pretty close on his predicted sale price. 

Belated Edit: Not quite sure what happened with this auction: whether it was a flaky winning bidder or another case of a greedy seller,

but it was re-listed a couple of days later, now with the all-important words "Aliens Watch" and 7A28-7009 added onto the title. 

Guess what it sold for second time around ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200928823338 

Talk about irony ! 

And they just keep on coming !! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221240658506

I must admit, I find it highly amusing when a seller tries to cram as much information / keywords into their listing title, as in this case ....

and gets it partially wrong. SSAY058 is of course the sales product code for the JDM 7A28-7000 Aliens (with the p/n 7A28 7000 dial):

This example may have a Speedmaster clasp and indeed the case-back appears to have a Japanese inspection sticker in place:

but, it also has the normal European export Chronograph Sports 100 dial (with part number 7A28 7100 printed at the bottom):

What you've always got to bear in mind, when interrogating Seiko Oceania's database, is that some 7Axx product codes are missing:

It seems the correct SPR0xxJ sales code for the black Aliens is one that's missing. But then this watch would fit neither of these exactly.

If this particular peculiar combination of JDM case and bracelet with SPORTS 100 dial sounds familiar ....

Scroll back up the page, where (referring to Vurdulakit's 7A28-7000, which he subsequently 'corrected' in a later re-listing), I wrote:

Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think this is a FRANKEN Aliens.

I believe it is a combination of a JDM (SSAY058) and European export model 7A28-7000 (note I didn't quote any sales code then.  )

It has a SpeedMaster Clasp and rectangular JDM Kanji inspection sticker - as opposed to the SEIKO SQ clasp and oval JWC II sticker.

But instead of the JDM dial with SEIKO CHRONOGRAPH QUARTZ - it has the export SEIKO QUARTZ Chronograph SPORTS 100 dial.

Interesting. 

It would seem some buyers are still prepared to pay what I'd deem 'silly prices' for these not-quite-so rare black 7A28 Aliens.

I spotted this one on eBay in the States not long after it was first listed, 10 days ago. The opening bid price was a sensible $249.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290951515310

As early as 29th July, two bidders placed what turned out to be fairly hefty bids, with the result that one of them ended up getting bumped - all the way to $1264 (wasn't his maximum). That's what it finally sold for, after 30 bids, in the early hours of this morning.

Can't remember if I've mentioned this 7A28-7000 Aliens in the 'Craziest Prices' thread or not. I know we had a chortle about his $3500 asking price for 7A28 'Bishop', but everybody's favourite Italian eBay seller Goffre78 has also had one on offer for a couple of weeks:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190871934598

I suspect with it's $2000 asking price, it'll be around for a while. 

I've been away for a while, but I see nothing has changed

I haven't updated this thread for nearly 3 weeks - but as Daz correctly observed, nothing changes. 

Goffre's 7A28-7000 hardly unsurprisingly went unsold, and at the time of writing, he hasn't re-listed it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190871934598

Here's another optimistically over-priced 7A28 Aliens offered by an Italian eBay seller. If memory serves, this may well be a re-listing:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190890310064

But very occasionally, you'll get the odd Italian eBay seller, who actually pitches one 'about right' - first time around. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161089492275

Noto come black ripley,orologio

usato nel film "alien"

Nuovo fondo di magazzino,mai usato e messo sul polso.

Completo i scatola e garanzia dell'epoca.

Last time I looked at the listing it had a couple of bids on it, which were obviously cancelled when it was ended early, this morning.

Heck, even one of our forum members was interested at that price ! 

The seller has just re-listed it, about 10 minutes ago - in typical Italian fashion !  

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161096455885