# Vulcan Bomber Crew Seiko 7a38 - 701b - Crikey!!



## saggs (Feb 10, 2007)

Ebay item 130097031776

Not heard of one of these before but it looks like it's going for Â£820 (with a broken strap). It was a gift from the owner's now ex-wife and his current wife is selling it for him.

Hopefully he knows it is up for sale.

I've got a 7a46-5000 which was worn whilst sitting in Nick Grace's BF109G and the Grace Spitfire - if I paint the dial yellow anyone want to offer me Â£500 for it?

Anyone seen one of the Vulcan Aircrew watches before?

regards

Saggs

(not posted much but I have been lurking)


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Hi Saggs, yep, been watching that one.....

Crazy money but a rare watch..


----------



## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

how much !!!

Hope to see the real thing back in the air soon


----------



## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

i was wondering about this when i saw it...., is seiko worth that much (nice that it is?)


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

I guess it is worth it if someones is going to pay that much for it....


----------



## ESL (Jan 27, 2004)

If that's ex-mil, where is the NSN?


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Acording to Foggy (and I reckon he knows more than most) they don't have NSN numbers

from a 2003 thread



> *The fabled yellow dial Vulcan bomber crew Seiko chronograph*
> 
> A yellow dialled Seiko chronograph is said to have been supplied to Vulcan bomber crews from 1983. The movement is a 7A38, which is the same as the 7A28 but with the addition of a day date window. All examples that I have seen of this watch have been dated from October 1983. There are no military markings on the watch itself, but it does seem likely that this watch was specially put together for the MOD. Numbers are scarce indeed â€" one source suggests only 700 were produced â€" and one would assume that if this had been a commercially available model, then more would be seen.
> 
> ...


----------



## saggs (Feb 10, 2007)

rondeco said:


> Looks like a pimps watch bro
> 
> 
> 
> ...


1982 a Vulcan bombed Port Stanley airfield - not very well by all accounts but an amazing bit of refuelling logistics! I made an airfix model of one a few weeks later with pride!!

regards

Saggs

p.s. seiko went for Â£870 to an american, who according to his recent ebay purchases drives a ford 150 pickup, has a 36inch waist, and lays concrete floors whilst wearing russian cammo!

regards

Saggs


----------



## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Now there's an interesting theme I never thought of ?










Psych profiling by e-bay purchases! I must use watches to check the timing of sequence dance CD's whilst wearing bubble-wrap!


----------



## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

mel said:


> Psych profiling by e-bay purchases! I must use watches to check the timing of sequence dance CD's whilst wearing bubble-wrap!


You've been looking at my profile haven't you


----------



## Roger (May 17, 2003)

7A38s are quite uncommon, but I am a little sceptical


----------



## Verkitso (Aug 28, 2006)

I quite enjoyed following that sale, in the same way that watching Celebrity Big Brother was enjoyable. You know that it's costing someone a lot of money and you've got no stake in it, but you can't quite turn your eyes away...


----------



## saggs (Feb 10, 2007)

mel said:


> Now there's an interesting theme I never thought of ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's fine just don't post any pictures of you doing it!!!!!










regards

Saggs


----------



## Verkitso (Aug 28, 2006)

Saggs, have you actually flown in the Grace Spitfire? If so, I am, officially, the most jealous person in the world...


----------



## saggs (Feb 10, 2007)

Verkitso said:


> Saggs, have you actually flown in the Grace Spitfire? If so, I am, officially, the most jealous person in the world...


Unfortunately not !! But here is the tale......

This was back in 1988, my dad won a competition after sending off for a catalogue from a heating pump manufacturer and the prize was a flight in the grace spitfire. The first time he went to goodwood for the flight it was cancelled and the firm took him out to the races for the day instead. They then took him in a hot air baloon trip the second time it was cancelled and finally he got to fly in the spitfire.

I drove him down there to take some pictures and as the weather was a bit grotty in the morning I ended up being taken around the hangar by Nick Grace and was alowed to sit in his BF109 (tight fit as I am 6' 3" and not small) it had a merlin engine as it was ex battle of britain film and spanish air force. Very poor visibility from it but I gripped the control column pressed the cannon button and said 'achtung spitfeur' quietly to myself.

In the afternoon the weather improved and I helped push the spit out of the hangar, they fired it up and the old man jumped in. I got plenty of shots as it took off and it shot through a gap in the clouds, (then according to my dad) it did an immelman turn and came steaming back down through the gap and bombed across the field and disapeared.

About 55 (!!!!) later it came back to goodwood ,did a victory roll, and landed. When it had taxied back and dad got out Nick grace asked If I wanted to sit in the back whilst he ran the engine up - I did not refuse!!!!! Fantastic feeling but god how I wanted to fly in it.

They had flown along most of the south coast much of it at about 4-500 feet and even lower! Dad took the controls for about ten minutes when they had climbed to 5000 and did a full roll in it. Nick Grace apprently flung the plane about the sky like a man posessed and made the old man very happy. He kept humming the battle of Britain theme tune for about a week afterwards.

Nick Grace was killed in a car crash about four months later - a great loss.

God knows what it would cost today to get a flight in it? I believe there are insurance dificulties in taking passengers but I would happily pay Â£5k for a flight like that.

So at least the 7a48 has been in two ww2 fighters in one day....

regards

Saggs


----------



## saggs (Feb 10, 2007)

.


----------



## dex (Jan 1, 2008)

saggs said:


> God knows what it would cost today to get a flight in it? I believe there are insurance dificulties in taking passengers but I would happily pay Â£5k for a flight like that.


Last info I had was that a single seat spitfire costs upwards of Â£1000/Hour to fly. Obviously different ones will cost different amounts, for example HFL built spitfires tend to cost less to run as they are often cheaper to insure. And break less lol.

But for a twin stick, being so rare, and the added costs of insurance for a passenger etc - it probably won't be cheap...

Mind you - if you were serious about being willing to pay a reasonable sum for a flight, you could do a lot worse than to contact John at Historic Flying and ask.

Sorry for the OT post - but I can't PM as i'm not allowed :S


----------



## Ibrahombre (Jun 19, 2005)

My RAF QFI Pat Lander was a Vulcan Pilot We had them parked at RAF Abingdon when i was learning to fly on the BAe Bulldog.Great memories and what a cool looking bomber!


----------

