# 6309 7049...... Or Is It?



## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

This might interest the Seiko fanatics out there.

I have a Seiko diver that I bought privately something like 20 years ago. The back says it is a 6309 7049 model but I am having my doubts....

The case is a cushion case and appears to be correct, but the dial tells a different story.

According to what seems a very authoritative article in the Network54.com/Seiko & Citizen watch forum all 6309 models were automatic, and had black aluminium bezel inserts. Mine has a quartz movement and a pepsi red and blue bezel insert. The shape of the twelve o clock marker on my dial is a solid inverted triangle and the six and nine o clock markers are rounded off rectangles (if you see what I mean...). Immediately below the twelve marker are the words SEIKO and "QUARTZ" underneath it. there is a day and date at three o clock with a very small marker to the right of it which I believe is the Surawa symbol. Immediately above the 6 marker are the words "DIVERS 150m" with a very stylized "SQ" in larger script immediately above that. Right at the very edge of the dial in minute print are the words "JAPAN 7548" between the 7 and 6 markers, and " - 7OOL T" between the 6 and 5 markers.

The movement doesn't give up any clues. It seems to have a green plastic cover engraved in white with the words "FIVE 5 JEWELS" "SEIKO QUARTZ" "JAPAN".

So could this be a 7548 movement fitted to a 6309 case? Does this make it a 6309 7548, if there ever was such a beast? If so is it a 6309 7548 with the wrong back? Or has somebody taken a 7409 mechanical movement and swapped it with a cheaper quartz movement? Is this the lost Seiko of Dr. Frankenstein? All very confusing to a novice like me.

The only other thing of interest is that over the years I have had to have the battery changed every 3 or 4 years and nobody has ever mentioned this to me. The last time it was looked at was about 3 months ago by a company called Watch Doctors who charged me Â£46 for a service. They also failed to notice this, or bring it to my attention.

If anyone can shine some definitive light on this I would be greatly obliged. Unfortunately I cannot help with good quality photos. I do have one that I could email to anyone interested, but it's not very good at all.

Rob


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Hi Rob, here my understanding of the 6309's (be it limited) all watches were fitted with a non hacking movement so I'm not to sure how your's has ended up with a quartz movement in it







As for the pepsi bezel again the 6309-7049 model only came with black bezel inserts so again not to sure how a Pepsi has ended up in your watch. But I'm with yourself here as I would love to hear more about this from some of our resident Seiko experts


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

It just sounds like the wrong caseback, there was indeed several versions of a quartz 7548 150m '6309' It isnt called a 6309 of course as these 4 numbers denote the caliber of movement hence your watch is a 7548 xxxx ( the xxxx is the case reference)

It is identical in every way to a auto 6309 except for the movement being a quartz, even the stem and crown is the same...This explains why a caseback from a 6309 would be easy to substitute....

If you go back to the web site you mentioned and go to the section marked Seiko Divers Reference all is explained 

Ive just had a look at the reference and its not much help for the quartz 150s









Anyway, your watch is correct apart from the case back I think...Pepsi bezel is normal


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

You say you've had the watch some 20 years - can I ask if you bought the watch new (from Seiko) or secondhand? If secondhand then my guess is that the original 6309 movement & dial got damaged & conked out (water damage possibly?) ages ago & the watch was fitted with the dial & quartz movement as a replacement (20 years ago quartz would have been the "in" thing). As for the bezel insert well that could be replaced at anytime & maybe whoever replaced it just liked the pepsi version better or that was the only style they could get hold of? So what I think you have is an original 6309 case and caseback which has been fitted with the dial, quartz movement & pepsi bezel (possibly) from a 7548 150m diver at some stage in its life. One of the first frankenwatches - cool









Of course I may be talking cobblers (wouldn't be the first time) & that Jason's got the right answer to your query - but I've never seen a 7548 diver with the 6309 cushion case







All the 7548 quartz 150m divers I've seen have used the slimmer cases (very similar in style & shape to the current skx007).


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

This does sound like an interesting watch you have


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## deano42 (Jun 12, 2005)

Hi

Two issues here, first sounds like you have a franken-seiko and second you got ripped off for a service.!

You will have to post a few pictures as that will easily explain what you have got. For sure the interchangability bwtween the 6309 & 7548 is very high (gaskets / bezels etc) there are some points which we can determine what you have.

The first is the case, check the photos below 7548 and 6309:



















Although you cannot see the case/crown for the 6309, the difference between the 6309 and the 7548 is that 7548 have a crown guard whereas the 6309 the crown is more intergrated to the case.

Judging by your description you have a 6309 case

The dial, bezel you have I believe looks like the left had SQ in the first picture...

The case back, as you have said is a 6309...

That would lead me to deduce you have possibly the very first franken-seiko on the planet.

This is not a bad thing, it is quite popular nowdays to drop a SQ movement into a 6309 case... consider yourself lucky.

Regarding the Â£46 for a service, the only thing you can do with a SQ is:

New battery Â£4

New caseback gasket Â£2

Consuption test Â£1

Pressure test Â£1

Unless the watch doctor completely beadblasted the case, inserted and NOS crystal etc you were ripped off.!

Hope this helps

deano


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

A quartz movement can be stripped down cleaned and serviced and Â£46 from the high street is a normal price for this. I do not think you have been ripped off if this is what they have done and are giving you a guarantee.

A lot of retail shops charge Â£50 minimum for a watch service be it quartz or mechanical.


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## Isthmus (Sep 29, 2005)

As was mentioned before, you definitely do not have a 6309-7049.

All 6309's are automatics, and the 7049 did not come with a pepsi style bezel (those came later in the non-cushion variant of the 6309 diver). It sounds like you might have a quartz diver that someone put a 6309 caseback on.

Check this Gallery and see if any of these watches resembles yours, then let us know:

http://www.makedostudio.com/watches/seiko-...y/quartz-divers

BTW, thanks for the props on the guide to 6309's - glad to see it's been of use.


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## deano42 (Jun 12, 2005)

Roy said:


> A quartz movement can be stripped down cleaned and serviced and Â£46 from the high street is a normal price for this. I do not think you have been ripped off if this is what they have done and are giving you a guarantee.
> 
> A lot of retail shops charge Â£50 minimum for a watch service be it quartz or mechanical.


Good point by Roy, after all he is "in the trade"...

...but make sure you understand what was done to your watch as part of the service. For Â£46 you could have picked up a complete 7548 watch from another well known forum.

Thanks

deano


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

hi

i read somewhere that the 6309 was interchangeable with the 7548 and tried to put a 6309 movement & dial (which was freely donated by bry1975) into the case of the 7548 (can't remember code for that case), it was too tight, forcing it in would have damaged the very nice relumed (by bry) dial, so i put it away until a case turns up









regards, john.


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

Well I seem to have started up quite a discussion. I can address some of the questions that you all have raised...

Isthmus - None of those watches resemble mine.

Roy - I am not concerned about the Â£46 cost of the service. All you have to do is think of the Â£100 an hour labour charge at the BMW dealers to put that into perspective. What did tick me off (pun intended - geddit??) was the fact that they didn't notice (or bother to tell me) that the watch was fitted with the wrong movement.

When they quoted me for the service I gave them the 6309-7049 number from the case back so it obviously wasn't what they were expecting.

Deano - My case is definitely not that of a 7548. The 7548 case has pronounced 'horns' which I assume are designed to protedct the crown. Mine does not. I have scoured the images in a well known auction site and there is a 6309-7040 and a 6309-7290 which both have what appears to be an identical case to mine. The bezel is identical to the watch on the left of the 7548 group.

Pauluspaolo - It was bought privately, secondhand from a chap who does house clearances. To be honest all I knew at the time was that it was a divers watch and that it was a Seiko.

So then, it seems like I've got a 6309 case and back fitted with a 7548 movement. I don't know if the bezel itself is interchangeable - if it is then I could also have a 7548 bezel and insert fitted to the 6309 case, or if they are not interchangeable then the bezel insert has definitely been changed at some time for the Pepsi insert. Similarly I do not know if the crystal is interchangeable, and which crystal I have, although that is a moot point.

This watch has been all around the world with me. For 20 years it has been my 'holiday' watch, which I can wear swimming, showering, in Turkish baths and snorkelling. Ironically, one thing I have never, ever done with this watch on is Scuba Diving, although we plan to go to the Red Sea in November so it just might happen at last.


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

As promised here is a better photo of the 'FrankenSeiko'.
























You can now see how the case is inapppropriate to the movement.

Rob


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Personally, I wouldnt worry too much, if its been with you all this time I would be happy









You will love Egypt in November, are you going to Sharm El Sheik? We go every year in December and love it


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Nice Diver Rob even if it could be a rare FrankenSeiko


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## Isthmus (Sep 29, 2005)

Amazing what you have there. Even more amazing that it has withstood all these years of use without any problems. You sure have one heck of a frankenseiko there. It looks like someone has managed to fit the 7548 quartz movement into a 6309-7040/7049 case; put a bezel insert from a 6309-7290; and fitted a modern curved z-22 strap to it. Interestingly, if you look closely, it seems that this might have the correct flat 6309 hands, but the wrong second hand.

Hey if it's lasted you 20 years, then enojoy it. However as with any 20 year old watch that hasn't seen much service, I would not take it diving. Unless you want to take a chance at killing it permanently, I wouldn't take it in the water when you go to egypt.


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

Isthmus said:


> Amazing what you have there. Even more amazing that it has withstood all these years of use without any problems. You sure have one heck of a frankenseiko there. It looks like someone has managed to fit the 7548 quartz movement into a 6309-7040/7049 case; put a bezel insert from a 6309-7290; and fitted a modern curved z-22 strap to it. Interestingly, if you look closely, it seems that this might have the correct flat 6309 hands, but the wrong second hand.
> 
> Hey if it's lasted you 20 years, then enojoy it. However as with any 20 year old watch that hasn't seen much service, I would not take it diving. Unless you want to take a chance at killing it permanently, I wouldn't take it in the water when you go to egypt.


Thanks for the info. The strap is down to me.... (I thought they were all the same....) This is the fifth strap in 20 years, as after a while they seem to go 'hard' and eventually split. The others have been replaced by the local jeweller and the last one I bought was Â£20. Recently I got two of these rubber straps for US $8 the pair from a company in Singapore which I thought was a pretty good deal - even including P&P the bill was just Â£10.

I am a little concerned about taking it into the water now - is it really that much of a risk? I though that with a 150m watch, the 10 or 20 metres that I would go down to would be OK. I've got a nearly new Orange Monster which I could take instead. Do you think that is a better bet?


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

> I am a little concerned about taking it into the water now - is it really that much of a risk?


How long is it since the case back o ring and the stem seal were changed?

You know how you said the straps go hard and cracked after a while, well the same happens to the seals.

The slightest of cracks can let in water and even at a few feet down the pressure increases enough for the water to want to start forcing it's way in.

I personally wouldn't take it into water unless the seals are relatively new. I'd take the OM.


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

pg tips said:


> > I am a little concerned about taking it into the water now - is it really that much of a risk?
> 
> 
> How long is it since the case back o ring and the stem seal were changed?
> ...


Righto then, that's fair comment and good advice. It was 'serviced' for Â£46 earlier this year, but as mentioned earlier in the thread they were expecting a 6309 and didn't bother telling me it was an entirely different movement, so I have to doubt whther the stem seal and O ring were changed. I'll take the OM.

Thanks again.

Rob


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