Is this a holdup?

It's a science experiment!

Introduction

Well, another month has rolled on by, and so this newsletter will be going out to all, with a paywall after the first recommended listing on Yahoo Japan Auctions for those with free subscriptions.

If you are tempted by what you see, please do consider signing up as a paid subscriber - it’s only $5 a month, and if you don’t feel like you are getting value for your money, you can of course cancel your subscription at any time!

In fact, given it’s my birthday month, how about a present for everyone!

Some great listings to cover this week, including a reference that I know there are many looking out for, so let’s take a look at what Yahoo has to offer this week.

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Marty Mcfly

Grand Seiko 4522-8000

This week we kick off with a rather lovely looking example of the 4522-8000 in cap gold. Now, it’s fair to say that the stainless steel variants of the 452x-8000’s are significantly more sought after than the cap golds, but when one of the latter turns up looking as crisp as this one, I rather think it might tempt a few people to stray off their intended collecting paths.

There is a mechanical issue here, as the seller states in the description that the watch has a “defective crown”, so you would be taking on a bit of a project, but what fascinates me about this watch is revealed when we take a look at the caseback -

Now that certainly looks to be the remnants of the original caseback protection film, but it is clear that this watch has an engraved inscription on the back, and it very much looks like that inscription is actually underneath the film.

Unfortunately I’m not having much luck with Google Translate to understand what is engraved on the caseback, so if anyone can shed any light on it, it would be much appreciated.

Clearly the dedication is dated to 1972, which of course makes sense given the watch’s production in the previous year, and Google can make out the text at the top of the inscription as “Gift”, but has no luck with the rest.

This would have got a recommendation without the inscription (regardless of its clear “project” status), but with it, and with the inscription seemingly underneath the original caseback protection sticker, it becomes a very interesting watch indeed.

I guess it is possible that the engraving was done by a third party who managed to carefully peel back the protection film, do his handiwork, and then replace it. Or, maybe, the engraving was actually done in-house. We’ll probably never know, but it’s fun to ponder on!

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Grand Seiko 5646-7005

I’m losing count as to the number of times this particular watch has been listed - I think we’re up to three now?

In the previous two listings, the “winning” bid was canceled around a week after the close of the auction. This might give one the impression that the winning bidder didn’t pay up, and so the bid was canceled and the seller relisted. Usually if the seller is not happy with the final price, they would cancel very soon after the close of the auction.

To come across one bad winning bidder would be unlucky, but two in succession? Hmm.

The detailed write-up can be found in this newsletter. It’s certainly an interesting listing, but after two false closes, be wary of getting shilled on this one.

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Grand Seiko 4420-9000 late dial

Over 120 people are watching this auction, and it’s easy to see why. A very nice example of the late dial 44GS indeed. Yes, these are way more common than many people (well, people who don’t read these newsletters!) realise, and this seller has a particular knack for finding them.

A super clean dial, with just some light signs of staining at the periphery that you might miss if you don’t look really carefully -

- along with a sharp case that doesn’t appear to have any major dings or deep scratches (of course there will be plenty of light scratches on it, and you can’t expect the case to be unpolished), and the original coarse-knurled crown, all go to make this one a very attractive proposition if you’ve been holding out for a while.

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Grand Seiko 5646-7040

As the only vintage Grand Seiko with Arabic numerals (and applied Breguet-style at that), the 5646-7040 is a firm favourite around these parts.

They don’t turn up too often, but if you are tempted by this one, do take a very close look at the dial, as even in these low resolution images it is evident that there is some degradation of the texture, which is not uncommon on these.

Whether it is as bad as one might be led to believe when looking at the third image in the listing is very hard to say. Possibly a lot of what we see here is just natural shadows on the texture -

- but it is clear when cross-checking against the first image, that there is some wear and tear on the dial between the 11 and 12 indices.

The seller states the watch has been overhauled, so one might expect that the oft-broken day/date mechanism will be OK, but as always, my advice is that unless it is specifically called out in the description, work on the assumption that you are going to need to get it fixed.

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Grand Seiko 5645-5010

If you were to list all 157 (well, I make it 157 as of today!) distinct references from the vintage Grand Seiko era in descending order of desirability, it’s probably fair to say that you’d find the four 564x-5010’s pretty near the bottom of the list.

Which is a little unfair really, because they are fascinating watches with a case that is quite unlike anything else in the range.

Having only ever been featured in a single catalogue (1973’s Volume 1), it’s probably fair to assume that they weren’t much of a commercial success back in the day, but when one turns up in great condition, it’s not hard to recommend it.

The only slight downside here is those two slight flaws on the dial towards the bottom right, but they are pretty minor, and I think shouldn’t detract you from watching this one closely if you fancy adding one of the more quirky vintage Grand Seikos to your collection.

It’s certainly not a “classic” that I would recommend to someone who just wanted a single vintage GS in a wider watch collection (although a certain 1980’s pop star who had the biggest selling single of 1986 in the UK owns one!), but for those looking for some variety when casting their gaze over their watch boxes or trays, it’s a great one to add.

Aside from the aforementioned dial, the case looks to be in very good condition, having survived the years retaining its original brushed flanks, and very well defined facets (of which there are plenty!).

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Grand seiko 6146-8010 “Arabesque” with pyramid faceted dial

How can you not be completely and utterly besotted with a watch whose crystal does this…

Clean dial, sharp case, and what looks to be a flawless crystal. The bracelet does not belong to this reference (it’s for the 614x-8020 series, but interestingly here it has squared off endlinks), but I guess entirely up to the winning bidder as to whether to keep it on the watch or not.

I know there are many, many collectors out there who are after one of these, and this certainly looks to be a good one. Best of luck to you all!

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Burford “Mad Dog” Tannen

Grand Seiko 6156-8000

For those who have signed up to the newsletter in more recent weeks, it possibly might not be clear what I am referencing to when I describe a listing as a “regular contribution” from “our regular guy”.

Suffice to say, there is a dealer in Yahoo Japan who specialises in “redone” dials, and every week has numerous watches listed (not just Grand Seiko). Rather than go through the laborious task of highlighting all his auctions, I simply pick on indicative one - such as the 6156-8000 pictured and linked to above - along with the advice to ignore everything he lists.

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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”, so be careful out there.

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