If I'm not being convincing enough, there are other ways

Introduction

One day late, and here is the “full” weekly newsletter! But never fear, you didn’t miss out on anything because the quick update yesterday detailed what was really the only auction closing on Friday that was worth keeping an eye on (and what a bargain that turned out to be for the winning bidder - unfortunately I was in the air at the time, so was unable to go for it).

A great variety of watches featured this week, with contributions from the “First”, 62GS, 44GS, 61GS, 45GS, and 56GS series all present, so let’s get on with the show.

(Oh - if you know this week’s featured film, my commiserations. What utter drivel that was to watch, but at least it made the flight back from Hong Kong go by a little easier!)

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Travis Block

Grand Seiko 4420-9000 late dial

A very nice example of the later dail variant of the iconic 44GS. The case has had some gentle polishing, but I wouldn’t consider it to be to the extent that should make most collectors reject it outright.

The dial looks to be almost immaculate - even better than last week’s example. One slightly odd thing though is that - as the seller discusses when questioned about it - the case would appear to be too early (December 1966) for a late dial variant. I’ve not got around to compiling a database of examples of the 44GS yet, but I certainly can’t ever recall seeing a late dial variant in a case this early before.

One can only assume that at some point in its life, the original dial was damaged, and was replaced with this later style one.

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Grand Seiko 6246-9001

The case on this 62GS has definitely been refinished, but it has been done with at least some degree of respect for the original caselines, and with that beautiful dial it remains a watch worth considering.

The watch has been serviced this year, and so should give several years of trouble free wearing. If you’re after a 62GS and don’t mind a little softening of the edges on that amazing case design, you might be able to pick this one up for a bargain when the auction closes on Monday evening.

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Grand Seiko 4520-8000

Always in high demand, this 4520-8000 should do well. The case in particular is very sharp, and the dial (beneath those crystal scratches) also looks to be in tip-top condition.

You will definitely want to be sourcing a replacement crystal though (part number 310T07AN), and fortunately 3rd party examples are very easy to come by.

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Grand Seiko 5646-7010

Sympathetic polishing of cases seems to be a bit of a running theme in this week’s picks, and quite honestly had this seller not stated in the description that the case had been refinished, from some of the photos I might have thought it was untouched.

If you look carefully though, the signs are there, but they are very subtle, and this is clearly the work of a pair of highly skilled hands. Polishing is of course a bit of a hot potato topic, and as I’ve said on many occasions, it is extremely rare for truly “unpolished” examples of any of the vintage Grand Seiko (or indeed, any other brand from this era) references to turn up.

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Grand Seiko 4520-7000 cap gold

Rather an odd combination this - obviously the box is not correct for a vintage Grand Seiko (I think that box was possibly used for some King Seikos in this general period), but it also needs to be highlighted that the certificate is not correct either. Certificates for these should be numbered and specific to the watch.

The watch itself however looks to be in very good shape. From the numerous photos from different angles provided, we can ascertain that pretty much all the damage is on the crystal and not the dial -

- and just look how sharp that case is.

I sense a bit of a growing trend for people appreciating the natural patination of these cap gold cases, so very possibly whoever wins this one will choose not to clean it up with jewelry cleaner, but if you wanted it returned to its original glistening glory, I’m sure it would be relatively simple to do.

Absolutely no indication from the seller as to whether or not the watch is running well, so a bit of a risk on that front, but these are very robust movements so fingers crossed!

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The first Grand Seiko with raised logo dial

An aesthetically very pleasing example of the first Grand Seiko from March 1962, but do note that the seller states clearly in the title of the listing that the watch is “defective”, and in the description explains that the mainspring is probably broken, so that may well be a bit of a challenge to find (part number is 401640).

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Grand Seiko 6156-8040

Always a popular model, the final “Special” has a wonderful sand-textured dial (impossible to make out in these rather poor photos) accompanying a hooded lugged case that has a lot of presence.

Unfortunately due the the quality of the photos it's a little challenging to be entirely sure as to how the case is on this example, but from the following photo, we can just make out the original brushed finish of the lower section of the case flanks (along with a rather prominent scratch and some dings on the flat polished upper section).

Although there are no photos of the inside of the endlinks to confirm, I’m fairly certain that’s the original XQB220 bracelet, which the seller states will fit up to an 18.5cm wrist.

IF that scratch on the topside of the upper right case flank is the only significant issue, then this could be a really nice pick-up for someone.

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Grand Seiko 4420-9990

The overexposure of the images accompanying this listing could be hiding some nasty surprises, which makes this a bit of a risky punt - I doubt someone is going to be brave enough to go for the buy-out price of 468,700 Yen.

It’s a real shame, because this could very well be a super example of the reference, but the seller has compromised his chances of getting a good price for the watch with the poor presentation.

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The first Grand Seiko with raised logo dial

Interestingly this listing was posted with a minimum bid of 250,000 Yen, and someone has a bid in already, with more than two days to go. Arguably a poor strategy, since it is quite easy to miss auctions that don’t attract any bids.

That early bidder may come to rue his mistake, as now it has some “action”, a lot more people will get to see the listing, and I rather suspect it will attract some further bids.

Quality-wise, the watch certainly passes the mark for inclusion in the newsletter, with a relatively well preserved dial (albeit with some obvious small issues, a few of which I have highlighted below - that stain at the 3 o’clock index is easy to miss) and a decent case.

Do make sure you scroll all the way through the auction description to see many more photos than those that appear in the regular gallery at the top.

It’s impossible to know whether or not the buckle is an original one or a modern recreation, but if the latter, it’s a very good one, and I rather suspect has accompanied the watch for many years, not just one that has been added for the auction.

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Gabriel Robinson

Grand Seiko 4420-9000 early dial

As is only to be expected, when this seller lists a vintage Grand Seiko for sale, it is pretty much inevitable that the dial will have been “redone”. The usual advice remains - a hard pass for anything that he lists (I only call out one of his listings each week).

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The first Grand Seiko with raised logo dial

This is a rather odd listing in that the watch is being sold with a spare dial, hour and minute hands, and crown. However, the spare dial is definitely fake, and the spare crown is not the correct one (although it is often seen on examples of the reference).

Quite why the seller’s father had the extra parts will forever remain a mystery - perhaps he bought the dial with the intention of swapping it into his watch, only to realise when it arrived it was completely fake.

The watch itself is very poorly photographed, but even with these shots we can see some slight damage to the dial and I’m not entirely convinced that the caseback medallion is legitimate. Honestly, I wouldn’t have bothered to list this one were it not for the fake spare dial, but I felt it was worth calling out.

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Redone coloured dial summary

I close with the usual copy/pasted reminder to steer clear of any vintage Grand Seikos with coloured dials similar to the above. This is not a comprehensive photo - there are many references that get this “treatment” (and a significant number listed this week), so be careful out there.

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