Vintage Grand Seiko Buckles

Part 1

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 newsletters on these catalogues that I’m sure most readers will be aware of.

The problem - as evidenced in the example catalogue page scanned below - is that it is generally not possible to use the catalogues as a source for identifying the correct buckles, for the simple reason that they are almost never visible.

This lack of clarity as to which buckle designs belong to which references has been the cause of some confusion amongst collectors and dealers, leading to what I believe are mistakes being made in putting the wrong buckle with the wrong watch.

Unsurprisingly, very few examples of vintage Grand Seikos come to the market with their original straps and buckles. These are after all watches that typically are over half a century old, and the majority of straps from the 1960’s and 1970’s simply were not made to last that long.

Unless secreted away in a drawer for decades, it would not be surprising if many of these watches were on their tenth strap by now. And with each strap change, the chances of the buckle being reused diminishes.

More and more these days I am seeing collectors looking to “build” full sets of watches, where they may acquire an example of a particular reference, and then search for the correct inner and outer boxes and paperwork to go with it. This trend has increased significantly following the publishing of the book “1950’s-1970’s Antique Japan Watch”, which showcased an incredible Japanese collection that comprises many watches complete with paperwork, boxes, swing tags, and in some cases even still on the original strap.

It is however important to note that even in that esteemed collection, I believe there are a few mis-matches shown.

So, if we can’t rely on the catalogues for the answer, and if people out there are putting things together that might not be correct, where can we go to establish what is correct and what isn’t?

Examining full sets is certainly one source, but given the trend highlighted above, it’s best to not rely on just one example, since it is sometimes not possible to establish whether or not the set originated as such, or was put together over time.

Fortunately, there are also other sources we can turn to, and those are contemporaneous publications featuring photographs of the watches that also show the buckles.

Last month I wrote a newsletter on the Seiko News issue from March 1961 that featured the first Grand Seiko on its cover. I have an almost complete collection of these monthly magazines covering the entire vintage Grand Seiko era, and on my recent trip to Japan was able to check the handful of issues missing from my library for any Grand Seiko content.

Having now gone through all 200+ issues, I have been able to identify the dozen or so magazines that include photos showing the buckles on the watches.

Other publications that I have collected such as adverts, in-store posters and the Seiko Special Luxury Catalogues have also proved to be very useful sources, and finally, I have over the years personally owned and seen in other collections a number of full sets that give me the confidence establish what the correct buckles are.

This is going to be a long newsletter (in fact, I’m going to have to split it into two parts), so if you haven’t already grabbed a cup or glass of your favourite beverage and settled into a comfy chair, I suggest you do so now!

I believe it makes most sense to structure this by series, so let’s kick off with where it all started.

The first Grand Seiko

To the best of my knowledge, the March 1961 issue of Seiko News is the only publication that shows the first Grand Seiko buckle, and since the image is very clear, there can be no doubting that the buckle shown above (on a true NOS full set) is the correct one.

Note that this buckle has no stamping on the reverse side.

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57GS

Despite launching to the market in February 1964, and remaining represented in the range through to the publication of the second volume of the 1968 catalogue, pictured above is the sole image of a 57GS in Seiko News or Sales that shows the correct buckle for the steel reference.

Here is a close-up photo taken from an old Yahoo auction - rather stupidly I did not take detailed photos of the examples I have had in the past.

Note how the long edges of the buckle are slightly curved.

There are also gold cap and solid 18K 57GS references. The buckle for the gold cap cased watches is the same as the steel one pictured above, but gold plated.

With regards the 18K gold watches, I have never seen an 18K gold buckle on any of the examples to be offered for sale, nor in any collections. Page 7 of the book on Toki’s collection shows a full set 18K 57GS and the buckle is pictured, however no mention is made of its composition. The design however is the same as that for the steel and gold cap variants.

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62GS

I have not been able to find a single photo of the buckle for the 62GS in any issue of Seiko News or Sales. However, I have seen enough examples of the reference - including sets that I have personally owned - to be very confident in stating that the buckle shown above is the correct design for the 62GS, and comes in both stainless steel and gold plated versions.

Whilst it is superficially similar to the buckle for the 57GS series, note that the long edges on the 62GS one are straight, and not curved.

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44GS

Can you believe I once owned what is without question the best example of an unworn 4420-9000 to ever surface, and this is the only photo I took showing the buckle?

Given that as with the 62GS, I have not been able to find any contemporaneous images of the 44GS that show its buckle, yes - I’m an idiot.

But not so much of an idiot that I didn’t save the photos from the original listing, so here it is without the plastic wrap -

Note how this buckle has curved edges - I believe it is the exact same buckle that was used for the 57GS series, and that the buckle used on the 62GS series is almost certainly incorrect for the 44 (despite the fact I have seen examples sold with it). Any buckle with “GS” on it is definitely incorrect.

I believe the buckle for the cap gold 4420-9990 is this same design, but gold plated.

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61GS

Ok, so this is where things get interesting, with many references shown with buckles in issues of Seiko Sales, and other publications.

614x-8000

Whilst there are no photos of the early dialed variant of the 614x-8000 showing the buckles, there are some of the later variant. And they make for very interesting studying.

The earliest issue of Seiko Sales to show a photo a 614x-8000 showing its buckle dates from December 1968, with an image featured on the back cover, and the buckle shown may well surprise many -

Once again, we see the same buckle that first debuted on the 57GS and was then used on the 44GS. This perhaps does make some sense however when you consider that on the introduction of the 61GS (albeit the early dial variant) in volume 2 of the 1968 catalogue, the entire Grand Seiko range consisted of the 57GS, the 44GS, and the 61GS (the 62GS had been dropped). Therefore, all watches in the range would have featured the same buckle.

The watch is also pictured on page 2 of the same issue, with the same buckle -

My view is that this buckle would be the only correct buckle for the early dialed variant of the 614x-8000.

However, for the later dialed variant, things are going to get complicated later on.

The next appearance of the reference showing the buckle is in a special supplement to the June 1969 issue of Seiko Sales, which featured Grand and King Seikos.

Page 4 of the same publication also shows the cross-dial variants of the 6145- and 6146-8000, again with the same buckle, although it does appear that the buckles here are actually the plated ones for the cap gold references. Rather odd.

The cap gold 6146-8000 is shown with the same buckle in an advert that can be found on the back cover of the “Visit Japan Guide 1969” brochure -

November 1969’s issue of Seiko Sales is also heavy on the Grand and King Seikos, with the cap gold 6146-8000 featured on the front cover, and the stainless steel 6146-8000 featured on the back cover.

That in itself might not be too surprising, but take a look at the images -

Yup - the front cover and back cover show new, but completely distinct, buckles.

The buckle shown on the back cover is probably the most common GS buckle to turn up these days, an we will be seeing it on a number of other references. But the buckle on the front cover is definitely one of the rarer ones.

Inside the magazine are more photos showing different layouts using many of the same watches. The photo at the bottom of page 27 is of most interest -

Here we can see that now both the cap gold and stainless steel cased 6146-8000’s are shown on the rarer buckle. Below on the regular GS buckle is what I think is a 4522-8000, but it’s very hard to make out.

So that’s a total of three different buckles shown on the same reference over the course of just under a year.

What to make if this? Well, given the evidence above, and the examples I have seen sold over the years (these are very common watches), it’s certainly reasonable to assume that the early examples of the 614x-8000 would have been sold on the same buckle as the 44GS and 57GS, and later examples sold on the common “GS” buckle (as seen on the back cover photo of this issue).

But the rarer thinner buckle is a bit of a mystery. Was it only used for this photoshoot, or were watches actually sold with it for a period? Whilst I have in recent times seen examples of the 61GS sold with this buckle, I’ve never seen it on a true (as opposed to clearly put together after the fact) set. If anyone has any insight to add to this little mystery, please do get in touch.

One variant of the 614x-8000 whose buckle is never seen in any of the publications is that of the 18K gold cased version. However, sufficient numbers of these have survived - both as watches with buckles and full sets - to establish that the correct buckle for the 18K gold 6145-8000 and 6146-8000 is the one pictured below -

6145-8030

Another reference whose buckle makes no appearance in any catalogue nor issue of Seiko Sales is the 6145-8030. As with the 18K gold cased 614x-8000’s however, I have seen a sufficient number of these references - including a mint full set that I have in my collection - to establish that the correct buckle for this reference is the same as that for the 18K gold cased 614x-8000’s. Here’s a photo of the one from my unworn set (still on its original strap) -

6155-8000

The back cover of the November 1971 issue of Seiko Sales shows the buckle on the 6155-8000 Special.

This is the same buckle that is seen on the 6146-8000 on the rear cover of the November 1969 issue shared earlier.. This watch and buckle can also be seen on page 4 the May 1972 issue, which we will see a scan of shortly.

6156-8000

Page 6 of the May 1971 issue of Seiko Sales features a number of Grand Seikos, with the buckle for the 6156-8000 clearly visible.

This watch can also be seen on page 4 of the November 1971 issue -

6156-8010

Whilst it features prominently on the front cover of the May 1972 issue of Seiko Sales, the buckle of the 6156-8010 is not visible. However, turning to page 4 we find it clearly shown, alongside a number of other references of interest -

6156-8020

The cap gold cased special can be seen with its buckle, next to the 6156-8010 in the above scan, and next to it is another image of the 6155-8000 as discussed earlier in this article.

6185-8020

Although the first four VFA’s debuted in the 1969 Special Luxury Catalogue, it is not until the 1970 issue of that publication that we can see - well, almost see - the buckles on some of the references.

The buckle on the right-most watch (the 6185-8020) is partially visible, but unless you knew what you were looking at, it wouldn’t be possible to make it out.

Fortunately we have a much clearer shot in the 1972 Special Luxury Catalogue -

As can be seen above, the same buckle is used on all three of the VFA's shown, and interestingly, it is not a Grand Seiko branded buckle.

Here’s a closer look at the buckle, with the image taken from an auction I won last week -

What is particularly curious about this buckle is that is - or rather, more accurately, it would appear to be - fairly common.

It’s typically possible to pick up a buckle that looks identical to this one pretty much every week on Yahoo. Why would a buckle for the VFA’s be so easy to find examples of these days?

Well, the answer is that a buckle that looks identical to this was also used on many of the early quartz references (and indeed possibly many other vintage Seikos of the era that I am not aware of).

I’ll come back to this topic in the second installment of this newsletter when discussing the buckle on the 4580-7010.

6185-7000

As seen earlier, the 6185-7000 VFA in 18K gold was featured in the 1970 Special Luxury Catalogue, but there the buckle wasn’t visible. Fortunately it can be clearly seen in the 1971 SLC, a scan of which is shared above.

Once again, as found with the other VFA’s, we see that it is “just” a Seiko branded buckle, and not GS or Grand Seiko.

From the end of the 1960’s through to the mid 1970’s there were a number of Seiko references that had 18K gold buckles marked “Seiko”. Most notably, there is the Seiko Astronomical Observatory Chronometer, the Seiko Quartz Astron, the 6185-7000 VFA, and numerous later 18K quartz models.

It is important to note that the correct buckle for the 6185-7000 is not the same as the one found on the Astron and other quartz references. Here’s a photo of what that buckle looks like (taken from an example of the 3922-5020 18K quartz VFA dating to July 1972) -

And here’s one from a NOS full set Astron -

Note how on both these examples (that actually do differ from one another in a very subtle way that I won’t go into) the pin of the buckle settles into a small cut-out on the main face of the buckle.

Even in the low resolution image in the Special Luxury Catalogue, it is clear that the buckle for the 6185-7000 VFA has a bevel at the bottom of the main surface of the buckle, and the pin rests against that bevel.

Whilst I don’t have a photo to hand of the buckle on the VFA, here’s one of it on a full set NOS Seiko Astronomical Observatory Chronometer.

6186-8000

Repeated here for the sake of clarity is the page from the 1972 Seiko Special Luxury Catalogue that shows the correct buckle for the 6186-8000 VFA’s.

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Part two of this newsletter will be published in a week or so, and will detail the evidence for the correct buckles for the 45GS, 56GS, and 19GS series.