Anything different is good
Introduction
Yeah I know - I’ve done Groundhog Day before, but I happen to think it’s the greatest movie ever made, so what the heck!
Ok so this week will be the penultimate of the Friday newsletters detailing watches on Yahoo Auctions that I think are worthy of your attention. As has pretty much always been the case, I highlight under the protagonist of the featured movie the watches that deserve serious consideration for adding to (or starting off) a collection of vintage Grand Seiko, and under the antagonist (in this rare instance of course, it is the same character) those “dodgy” watches that need to be avoided.
Phil Connors
Grand Seiko 6146-8000 early dial
It’s always a challenge when presented with a watch such as this one to be clear as to whether the case as presented is ‘honest’ or not. In this instance I suspect it is, and that it has not been subject to a very well executed refinishing.
Edit 6/22/24 -
Many thanks to the eagle-eyed reader who contacted me to point out that in actual fact this case has been refinished. In one of those “once seen, can’t unsee” situations, he highlighted a rather obvious issue with where the corners of the case meet the bezel -
Those corners should be sharp, not beveled off. Fortunately we have another 61GS this week with which to make a direct comparison. here’s a close-up of the same area on the cross-dial coming up shortly -
A bit late now I guess, what with just one more newsletter to come, but I am always more than delighted to be told I’m wrong, and please don’t hesitate to correct me publicly!
/End edit!
The caselines are clearly exceptionally sharp, and importantly the condition of the caseback - particularly the flat surface around the medallion would seem to mirror the condition of the main case.
Clearly I’m not the only one who considers this to be the “real deal”, since no fewer than 124 people are watching the auction, and bidding has reached 89,000 Yen already, with two days still to go.
As I’ve mentioned before, this early dialed variant of the 614x-8000 holds the distinction of being the last vintage Grand Seiko - save for the VFA’s - to have the brand name spelled out in full on the dial, which has always made it an interesting pick-up for any collection. But do remember that these 6146 movements do not have a quick-set day, so from a practicality perspective, they can be a bit of a pain to set if they’ve not been worn in the rotation for a while.
Grand Seiko 5645-7010
Probably had this 56GS been listed without its boxes and buckle, it would have slipped by ignored. Not because there is anything obviously wrong with it - on the contrary, it could well be a very nice example of the reference - but because the presentation isn’t really good enough to make an assessment as to its quality.
The problem is in the limited number of images provided of the case, and the poor quality of those images.
Case (if you’ll excuse the pun) in point -
As is clear from the above screengrab, in the critical areas that we would want nice crisp shots of the case, we just see a fuzzy mess.
Certainly the watch could be in superb condition, or alternatively, the presentation could be hiding a poorly executed refinishing job. Such is the risk of purchasing remotely from Yahoo Auctions unfortunately.
Given the ubiquity of this reference, I’d probably be minded to wait for an example to turn up that from the way its presented there are no questions as to the quality of the watch. But of course when there is no doubt whatsoever about the quality of a piece, a lot more people will have the confidence to go chasing it.
Right now, at 44,001 yen, the top bid is barely covering the value of the buckle and boxes alone, so it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on this one, and I suspect there will be quite a few willing to take a punt on it on Sunday evening!
Grand Seiko 6145-8000 cross dial
Unlike the 56GS above, the images of this cross-dial 6145-8000 - whilst poorly lit - I think are good enough to provide a good sense as to the overall condition of the watch.
There’s nowhere to hide under that harsh light, and if you look carefully through all the images it is clear the case on this one is in superb condition. The dial may look a little more silvery and a little more sunbursty than we are used to with these, but that’s just down to the harsh lighting.
That high-boxed crystal is definitely original, I don’t think the strap is original, but the buckle certainly looks to be.
Flipping the watch over, the originality of the case condition is further supported by remnants of the original caseback protection sticker still stuck to the medallion.
All in all, a superb looking example of what is probably the most desirable of the regular 614x-8000 variants, and one that I’m sure would be a worthy addition to any collection. And remember, with this being the 6145 date only caliber, no worries about practicality for irregular wear, as of course the date is quick-setable.
Grand Seiko 5646-7040
I actually think the 5646-7040 makes a strong case for being the perfect “stick it to the man” one watch vintage Grand Seiko collection. The “man” in this instance being the modern Grand Seiko marketing guys who perpetuate the myth that the “Grammar of Design” was a turning point in the vintage era and that all watches that followed adhered to what is now referred to as “The Grand Seiko Style”.
There are of course plenty of other historic references introduced after the 44GS that prove this claim to be nonsense, but none more so than this watch.
Let’s take a brief pause to examine what is claimed to be behind the design of every Grand Seiko since 1967 -
Principle 1
The design should have flat surfaces and two-dimensional curves. Three-dimensional curves are generally not utilized.
Principle 2
The flat surfaces of the case, dial and hands should be as wide as possible.
(note - think about this for a moment, and you’ll realise it is a ridiculously self-contradictory statement. Unsurprising perhaps when you read earlier in the text that this principle is actually described thus: “The second principle is: “Everything on the case, dial and hands should have as many flat surface areas as possible.”
How did this come about? Well, if you check the original Japanese page for the text under Principle 2, you find this -
ケース・ダイヤル・針のすべてにわたって極力平面部の面積を多くする。
Which - according to Google - translates to…
“The area of flat surfaces is maximized across the case, dial, and hands.”
Note quite the same, is it? But hey - no need to worry about completely mis-stating one of your own core design principles, eh GSUSA?)
Principle 3
Every surface should be distortion-free and have a mirror surface.
And the 9 “design elements” -
Now don’t get me wrong - I don’t have a problem with Grand Seiko choosing to adhere to this design language in the most recent years of the modern era, but as you can probably tell by now, I’m somewhat annoyed when it comes to deliberately revisionist history such as this.
So yeah, feel free to work through those key design principles and elements of the Grand Seiko Style as they were applied to the 5646-7040 ;)
Aaaanyway… enough about that pet peeve.
This reference is one of those that it’s worth recalling your reaction to when seeing it for the first time. I still very clearly remember mine - it was “holy crap how can that possibly be a Grand Seiko?!!”.
I know it’s a firm favourite around these parts, and this looks to be a very good example. If you haven’t picked up one of these for your collection yet, it’s well worth a chase!
Note that the bracelet - whilst genuine - is not designed for this reference, which was only ever sold on a strap.
It’s not a vintage Grand Seiko, but I like it. Well, err, normally I do.
Seiko 0634-5000
Ok so the watch (Seiko’s first digital chronograph) I am a huge fan of. That “bracelet” though, WTAF is going on there? 🤣
Just had to include this so that I could confuse everyone by using it as the lead image for the newsletter.
What a shame it will only fit a 13cm wrist.
(And can you imagine what this would look like on a 13cm wrist?!)
Phil Connors
Well, it’s finally happened!
I mean, sure - there are watches to be avoided, such as this one - but you certainly don’t need my help in highlighting ones like that, and unless I’ve missed something, there is not a dodgy listing (with bids) to be found this week!
Maybe my work here is done after all :)
Redone coloured dial example
Not only are there no egregiously fraudulent listings this week, there is but one example of a redone coloured dial vintage Grand Seiko with bids. And funnily enough, it’s actually the listing in the Grand Seiko category that has the most “action” at the time of publishing this newsletter -
A 56GS with a redone coloured dial
Next week will be the final newsletter, and I hear the Vogons are on their way to do some demolition work…