# Some Seiko Help Please



## The Canon Man (Apr 9, 2010)

Does anyone know the approximate time when Seiko used the stylized 'SQ' logo, watch left, and when they moved the the curly script 'SQxxx'logo,watch right,










The watch on the right dates from April 1998, no doubt about it, it was a 5 year service award from my employer, and the Seiko date code matches the engraving on the back.

The watch on the left was the first thing I ever bought on Ebay. I had steered clear of the dreaded Ebay until I found this place.

The date code is 9/8, which means, it was made in August in the last year of the decade.

But which decade? I have seen an almost identical watch on the web that claims to be a 1979.

That seems a little early to me. We were all still wearing Naff digitals and believing that Gary Numan was the future of pop music back then.

So is it a 1989? more believable, but I'm still not 100% sure.

It's not a 1999, you can see from my other SQ that the logo has been updated before then.

What I'm really hoping for, is that Seiko Fan, will be able to look it up in his library of Seiko product catalouges dating back to 1908. :grin:


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## Big Bad Boris (Dec 3, 2010)

You usually cross reference the date code with the movement type (Calibre) to accurately date Seiko's.

You'll find the calibre information on the caseback, its usually made up of 4 characters with a dash, and then another 4 characters (ie V999-999H)....... The characters could be any combination of numbers and letters. The first 4 characters is the calibre info, the 2nd 4 characters is the casing info.

http://quartzimodo.com/how-to-tell-when-your-seiko-watch-was-made-part-1/


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

The Canon Man said:


> The date code is 9/8, which means, it was made in August in the last year of the decade.
> 
> But which decade? I have seen an almost identical watch on the web that claims to be a 1979.
> 
> What I'm really hoping for, is that Seiko Fan, will be able to look it up in his library of Seiko product catalouges dating back to 1908. :grin:


I am not an oracle. :tongue_ss: However, one can figure it out easily enough.









From the dial code of 7123-506L (as opposed to the case-back code 7123-xxxx, which would have been a big help) ....

It's pretty obvious that it's a 7123 quartz calibre. I'm not personally familiar with this one. 

However, if you search on google images for Seiko 7123, it's distinctly 'old technology'.

I know the 7546 calibre rather better, and most of those I own are from the late 70's.

So I'll eat my hat if yours isn't from August 1979. :smartass:


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

Here's a blog post about a slightly later 7123-7120. Its serial number indicates a manufacturing date of November 1980:

http://mooseteets.blogspot.com/2009/09/seiko-1982-7120-7123-movement.html (the watch was engraved / presented in 1982).


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## normdiaz (May 5, 2004)

Not "scientific" but may give you a "ball park" year. I bought from a AD a Seiko with the "SQ" logo exactly like the logo you've pictured on the left in 1982.


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

normdiaz said:


> the "SQ" logo exactly like the logo you've pictured on the left in 1982.


That same stylized SQ logo was used on bracelet clasps of some 7A38's up to 1989 - so not really a good indication. 

BTW, the Seiko production date calculator database is *still* down. :thumbsdown:

See penultimate line of this post from SCWF: http://www.thewatchsite.com/index.php/topic,16863.0.html

I cannot believe how long it has taken those ******s to get this sorted.


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## The Canon Man (Apr 9, 2010)

Thanks for your help so far.

Some digging on movement 7123 pulls up some oddities, like the quartz '5', made at a time when it looked like watches with springs might disappear altogether, but the '5' sub-brand was already well established.

The case code is curious too. 5060. The only reference I have found for this relates to high end King and Grand models,which although this is quite nice, a Grand or King it most certainly isn't.

And yes, it has the stylized 'SQ' logo on the clasp. One of the things I liked, and made me bid on it, in the first place.

I'm quite excited that it might be a 1979. Made before I even owned a watch.


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## dbl_ (Jan 4, 2009)

The Canon Man said:


> Thanks for your help so far.
> 
> Some digging on movement 7123 pulls up some oddities, like the quartz '5', made at a time when it looked like watches with springs might disappear altogether, but the '5' sub-brand was already well established.
> 
> ...


Can't help you with decade estimation but would like to say that your watch (the left one) is really very nice.

Chears


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## The Canon Man (Apr 9, 2010)

dbl_ said:


> Can't help you with decade estimation but would like to say that your watch (the left one) is really very nice.
> 
> Chears


Glad you like it.

Now I know it's vintage, I'll take some more pic's, so can sneek a Quartz into the 'Sunday Oldies' thread this week.


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