Monthly update - January 2024
Introduction
Apologies for the late despatch of the summary newsletter this month!
The purpose of these updates is to announce any major changes to the publication; serve as an index to reference articles published on the Substack (since Substack does not provide any way currently to group historical newsletters in the mobile apps); and provide a reminder of the watches that I currently have available for sale, including the announcement of any discounts on prices previously listed.
You can read the previous monthly summaries here -
If you have signed up to the Substack recently, I would encourage you to read the December update (if you haven’t already), which outlines the difference between the three membership tiers, and if you are currently a free subscriber and would like to “upgrade” to either the regular paid membership, or even the founding membership, here’s a link explaining how to do just that!
Watches for sale
The following watches from my collection are currently available for purchase. When I publish a new listing of a watch for sale, paid subscribers get a 10% discount on the original listed price of a watch, and Founding Members get a 15% discount on the original listed price of a watch. There is no cut-off period for how long these discounts are available whilst the watch is listed at its original price.
Should a watch hang around for a while and I’m still looking to find it a loving new home, I will use this monthly newsletter to announce any permanent price reductions. Any reduced prices are the prices for all subscribers - no further discounts at this stage for paid or Founding Member subscribers.
For sale - Grand Seiko 4580-7010 VFA
Introduction Today I am listing for sale two examples of the same vintage Grand Seiko reference - the legendary 4580-7010 VFA. However, only one will be sold. Once a sale is confirmed for one of the wa…
Now priced at $54,000 for all subscribers (no further discount for paid or founding members on this price)
For sale - Grand Seiko 4522-7000
Historical background First launching in the supplement to 1968’s volume 2 Seiko catalogue, the 45GS series was the direct replacement for the short lived 44GS, with the main technological advance bei…
Now priced at $2,000 for all subscribers (no further discount for paid or founding members on this price)
For sale - Grand Seiko 6145-8020
Background OK apologies - I skipped a week listing something for sale because I unexpectedly had to travel last week, but I’m back now, and whilst I was away, this arrived! If you’re getting a slight s…
Now priced at $2,200 for all subscribers (no further discount for paid or founding members on this price). Please note - this watch is currently under consideration by a collector.
For Sale - Seiko Astronomical Observatory Chronometer
At the beginning of the year, I launched a new Substack that will effectively be a replacement for my existing watchdxb Instagram account. You can read all about the motivation for creating this additional newsletter on the about page.
Whilst it would have been possible to simply add everyone who subscribes to this newsletter to the new one, that isn’t something that I would ever do, so you do have to sign up separately to see the content that is posted over there.
Included in the new Substack will be listings of non-vintage-Grand-Seiko watches from my collection, as I look to better structure it during the course of this year. First up is an example of the remarkable Seiko Astronomical Observatory Chronometer, which you can read all about at the link provided above.
Please note that no subscriber discounts are applicable to watches listed for sale on…
Reference articles
I have published a number of reference articles here, which can be easily found should you be viewing Substack in a browser. For ease of reference for those who read primarily in the Substack app, here are some links to those articles, along with a brief description of their content.
I mentioned in the December newsletter that all of the reference articles would be moved behind the paywall at the start of this year. Surprise surprise, I have missed another self-imposed deadline, and many of the articles are still available for all to read.
I will get around to it “soon” though, so make the most of it whilst you can!
Reference index to the Friday newsletters
Introduction Last week a collector got in contact with me about a 44GS that they had bought, but had concerns about whether or not the dial had been reprinted. Unfortunately, it turned out that it had…
Vintage Grand Seikos in the Seiko Catalogues - Index
Below are links in catalogue chronological order to the newsletters I have sent out over the past year that detail every known vintage Grand Seiko reference and reference variant, appearing in the Se…
The first Grand Seiko - a primer for collectors
Introduction In this newsletter I will be previewing a wide selection of variants of the first Grand Seiko that I will be making available for purchase on December 18th. Included will be examples of the extraordinarily rare printed logo and sunburst AD dials, along with watches featuring the coveted carved logos, and even full sets.
Grand Seiko VFA's - a primer for collectors
Introduction I was rather surprised to discover the other day that it has been almost five years now since SJX published an article I wrote on the history of the Grand Seiko VFA’s. Having recently published a primer for collectors on the
Grand Seiko "First" recreations - a primer for collectors
Introduction When Grand Seiko recently launched the latest recreation of the first Grand Seiko - SBGW295 - I was immediately reminded of a ‘redone’ dialed first Grand Seiko that sold a few months back on Yahoo Japan.
Vintage Grand Seiko Buckles
Introduction One of the perennial challenges in collecting vintage Grand Seiko has always been establishing what the correct buckles are for each of the references. The primary sources of information as to which references were in the range at any one time are of course the Seiko catalogues from the era, and I have written an extensive series of
Vintage Grand Seiko Buckles
Introduction Last week I published the first of two newsletters that detail the evidence for what the correct buckles are for vintage Grand Seikos. The previous newsletter explained the challenges in establishing which buckles go with which watches, and what evidence we might be able to call on in order to come to reasonable conclusions as to what is “correct”.
Thanks for reading!
Ok that’s it for this month.
As mentioned earlier, I would very much welcome any and all feedback. Unlike many who publish on Substack, I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a professional writer - I just felt it would provide a more connected and interactive way to share my passion for vintage Grand Seiko than a simple website, and I remain very happy with the way things are going.