# 7A28 Gets A Treat!



## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

As the original bracelet only just fitted me, I managed to find a NOS that was pretty close to it. I have retained the original (just in case I spot a spare with good links). Now sitting pretty in a new box!










Mike
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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

tixntox said:


> As the original bracelet only just fitted me, I managed to find a *NOS* that was pretty close to it.


Is that a genuine *Seiko* 'NOS' bracelet, Mike ? :huh: Looks a bit like the p/n G1410, that I fitted on my Orient J39. :hammer:



SEIKO7A38Fan said:


> So I've fitted a Seiko p/n G1410S, for the time being, which goes quite well, with a matching brushed finish Orient clasp:


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Probaly not a "genuine" NOS but I am not that fussy! It looks good on the wrist and keeps the original bracelet in good fettle in case I ever want to move the watch on. That way I get to wear the watch without putting too much WABI on the original bracelet (which is carefully tucked away).










Although I do like to keep my watches as original as possible, I like them to look good. My old BSA twin motorcycle had modern tyres, better brakes, an extra plate in the clutch, electronic ignition etc. to make it more rideable. I have some keepers in storage and others for the wrist.

Mike
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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

tixntox said:


> That way I get to wear the watch without putting too much WABI on the original bracelet (which is carefully tucked away).


I do exactly the same thing myself, sometimes Mike. :grin:

Take these 2 7A38-701B 'Vulcans':










The 'beater' on the right is on a non-original bracelet (but still a Seiko bracelet - a p/n B1688S, IIRC :umnik2: )

I wore it like that to preserve the original bracelet - to prevent it from getting any more stretched - till I sold it.

That same 'make-do-and-wear' B1688S bracelet has since done time on one of my Orient J39's ....

and is currently fitted to my 'beater' 7A38-7010, whose bracelet got robbed of links for another.


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

tixntox said:


> :acute:  :yahoo: *7A28* ? :blow: Just kidding! :stop: :fish:
> 
> Mike


Never kid a kidder, Mike.









As I've hinted elsewhere, at the time you wrote that, I did actually have my first 7A28 incoming. :grin:

I've resisted them for ages :schmoll:, so perhaps some of you will excuse my momentary relapse. :blush:

I bought it on the pretext of continuing my modding experiments with Franken 7Axx Divers :hammer:

This coming from the guy who used to say 'I don't do 'Divers' as a rule h34r:' remember ? 

I haven't taken any really nice photos of my own yet, so here's the eBay seller's listing photos:














































As you can see, it's in pretty nice very lightly worn condition, and maybe really too good to mess with. 

Apart from a couple of minor marks on the bezel, and a scratched crystal, it came with the original box.


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

SEIKO7A38Fan said:


> I haven't taken any really nice photos of my own yet ....


Here's a couple of poorly lit, slightly grainy Q&D photos I rattled off this morning:



















This is more or less exactly as I received it - it hasn't even been stripped and cleaned yet.

Whatever becomes of it, even if I do try fitting a 7A38 movement in it, as I'd originally planned :hammer: ....

Such a lovely example deserves a better fate, indeed it deserves a treat, and it's going to get one sometime very soon:












SEIKO7A38Fan said:


> Apart from a couple of minor marks on the bezel, and a scratched crystal ....


I've had these N.O.S. bits put to one side, just in case, for nearly 2 years. :naughty:

To quote 'TheTigerUK's obvious statement over on SCWF: "Spares it's all about spares !! " Yes, I know, John.


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Looks like a good project. :thumbsup: So are we expecting a username change then (7A28/38FAN)? 

Mike


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

tixntox said:


> Looks like a good project. :thumbsup:


Well, the plan is (or maybe *was*, if I hadn't bought such a nice example) was to fit the 7A38-7080 709L dial from this Franken:










.... into my recently acquired 7A28-7040:










There are a few more dimensions I need to check first. It's going to be a tight fit - *if* it will indeed fit. :hammer:



tixntox said:


> So are we expecting a username change then (*7A28/38FAN*)?


Or perhaps 'The7A28Butcher' might be more apt ? :butcher: :rofl2:


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## bpc (Jul 20, 2011)

Beautiful watch, tixntox.

And Paul, a 7A*2*8?!? Is the world ending and nobody told me??


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

bpc said:


> And Paul, a 7A*2*8?!? Is the world ending and nobody told me??


Next year 2012, apparently, Brandon, if the doom-mongers are right. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon

But seriously, it's just a one-off - purchased on a whim, for a little experiment. :butcher:


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

tixntox said:


> So are we expecting a username change then (7A28/38FAN)?


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)




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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

Well I did actually 'mess with it', in that earlier this week, I fitted that N.O.S. bezel and a N.O.S. crystal. :hammer:

Don't ask me what day it was, 'cos being a 7A28, it doesn't have any day / date windows to remind me. 




























Any marks you might think you can see on the bezel or crystal are lint or dust, by the way.









I also stripped it and gave it a clean, and very lightly re-finished the case-back to remove the few scuffs:










Anyway, you'll be relieved to know that I'm not bonding with it :beee: ....

So I can see it heading back to the 'Bay sometime in the near future.


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## hermann (Sep 8, 2011)

SEIKO7A38 said:


> Well I did actually 'mess with it', in that earlier this week, I fitted that N.O.S. bezel and a N.O.S. crystal. :hammer:
> 
> Don't ask me what day it was, 'cos being a 7A28, it doesn't have any day / date windows to remind me.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul,

your 7A28-7040 looks fantastic; like new! :thumbup:

I guess this model is the favourite of many Seiko-collectors. ItÂ´s doubtful that the combination of chronograph and diver-beszel makes sense, but it looks great nevertheless.

Compared to the 7A38-7070 with the two-tone dial I like the 7A28-7040 better. It looks perfect to me. The "symmetry" of bezel design and crown/pushers is more obvious.

There is one on ebay Italy right now; I even think about bidding on it. The bezel looks not too bad. By the way; is the bezel insert of the the 7A38-7070 and 7A28-7040 exactly the same? And are there still original replacement bezels available? Or maybe fit other bezels (from other Seikos or aftermarket)?

*@ tixntox:*

Your 7A28-7040 with the alternate bracelet looks very good too! :thumbup:


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

hermann said:


> Your 7A28-7040 looks fantastic; like new! :thumbup:


Thanks, Achim. :hi: It was actually in pretty nice, carefully worn condition when I bought it. 

The bezel insert only had a couple of very light marks on it, which were barely visible to the naked eye. :blind:

It was only because I had to take the original bezel off to replace the scratched crystal, that I fitted the N.O.S. one.



hermann said:


> Compared to the 7A38-7070 with the two-tone dial I like the 7A28-7040 better. It looks perfect to me.
> 
> The "symmetry" of bezel design and crown/pushers is more obvious.


That's why I built this one for myself - a 'Franken' 7A38-7070, which I fitted with the all-black 709L dial from a 7A38-7080.

It's also got 7A28-7040 (main) hands, to make it look as close to a 7A28-7040 as I could, but using mostly using 7A38 parts.












hermann said:


> By the way; is the bezel insert of the the 7A38-7070 and 7A28-7040 exactly the same? And are there still original replacement bezels available? Or maybe fit other bezels (from other Seikos or aftermarket)?


Yes the inserts are exactly the same, but the 7A28-7040/9 and 7A38-7070's bezel are quite different.

Cousins UK did have stocks of the 7A28 bezel up until last year, but they're all gone now. 

I haven't personally had the need to investigate any after-market inserts which might fit.


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## danboy (Sep 14, 2011)

SEIKO7A38 said:


> tixntox said:
> 
> 
> > As the original bracelet only just fitted me, I managed to find a *NOS* that was pretty close to it.
> ...


absoluate belting watch


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

Thanks, Dan. :hi: I think so too - especially as that one was as good as a 'freebee' (cost me only 10 Euros postage). :grin:

The Orient J39's are effectively a re-branded 'poor man's Seiko 7A38' in disguise. h34r:

Nobody else seems to appreciate them for what they are, fortunately for me.


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## hermann (Sep 8, 2011)

Indeed a very nice Orient! The little bi-color on the dial looks good.

Coming back to Seiko:

Something I forgot to ask last time. What are the differences between a 7A28-70*40* and a 7A28-70*49*?


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

hermann said:


> Indeed a very nice Orient! The little bi-color on the dial looks good.


Thanks once again, Achim. :hi:

However (wrong Seiko bracelet fitted aside), I'm not entirely sure that this 'freebee' J39701-070 is entirely 'correct'. 

If you look at the other 2 similar J39 'Divers' which I already had in my collection, with that same black / gold dial:



SEIKO7A38 said:


> This is another Q&D group photo of them I'd posted elsewhere, recently, in another thread in 'General Discussion' section:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


.... both of them have gold lettering on the Tachymeter ring, to match the gold lettering on the dial.

I'd already expressed my own doubts about the originality of this one in post # 99 of the Orient J39 thread.


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

hermann said:


> Coming back to Seiko:


With my apologies to Mike ('Tixntox') for the slightly fftopic: posts. :wink2:



hermann said:


> Something I forgot to ask last time. What are the differences between a 7A28-70*40* and a 7A28-70*49*?


I couldn't honestly tell you, Achim. 

General consensus is that the 7A28-704*0* (SPR013J) was the European Export model and the 7A28-704*9* (SPR017J) the US Export model.

Same as was the case with the 7A38-7020 (S/S version) and the 7A38-7029, as I pointed out on your home forum.









Sadly, because the parts data is missing from Seiko Oz database, one can't run a comparison of their BoM's to prove it. 










Just to qualify your question slightly, you do of course realize that there were two versions marked 7A28-7040 ?

SSAY028 was the JDM home market version, fitted with a different p/n (AA58A vs B1075S) bracelet with a speedmaster clasp.

As indeed is Mike's example. 

Other way to quickly spot these is that their dials don't have 'SPORTS 100',

and the Chronograph script is written in smaller block capitals CHRONOGRAPH.

Not a particularly good example, but here's one I found on the 'Net: http://www.antiwatchman.com/J-4782



















Not seen outside of Japan much, but there are always a couple on Yahoo Japan Auctions: http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?p=7A28&auccat=&aq=-1&oq=&ei=UTF-8&tab_ex=commerce&slider=0


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## hermann (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks a lot, Paul, for this comprehensive answer. :thumbsup:



> Just to qualify your question slightly, you do of course realize that there were two versions marked 7A28-7040 ?


I was aware of two different dial versions, but I was not sure if it has something to do with the numbers 7040/7049. My conclusion: if a 7A28-7049 without the 'SPORTS 100' letters comes up on ebay some day, something must be wrong. :no2: By the way: I like the dial with 'SPORTS 100' better than the ones without. It looks quite nice and "lightens up" the otherwise strict design of the dial.

The more I look on pictures of the 7A28-7040/49, my desire to buy one gets stronger (albeit the diver bezel :wink2: ). In fact I will get one on Saturday, but sadly itÂ´s only the ragged "bonus watch" of the Titanium 7T42. I guess it will not make sense to restore this one; weÂ´ll see.












> Not seen outside of Japan much, but there are always a couple on Yahoo Japan Auctions


From time to time I look into Yahoo Japan but I never purchased a watch there. I think itÂ´s rather complicated (besides the need to translate everything) when it comes to payment. Do you buy watches there?


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

hermann said:


> Thanks a lot, Paul, for this comprehensive answer. :thumbsup:
> 
> I was aware of two different dial versions, but I was not sure if it has something to do with the numbers 7040/7049.


Achim.

If you look at that table I included above in post # 20, it shows you the connection between the three models and the dials:

The European Export 7A28-7040 (SPR013J) and the US Export 7A28-7049 (SPR017J) both use the 704L 'Sports 100' dial.

The JDM 7A28-7040 (SSAY028) uses the 706L dial (*without* 'Sports 100' and with the smaller CHRONOGRAPH lettering).

Your 'bonus watch' is the JDM version. When you get it, you should be able to read 7A28 706L at the bottom of the dial.

Someone wrote a rather belated review of the 7A28-7040 on SCWF recently: http://www.thewatchsite.com/index.php/topic,24295



> *The first line of his post reads:* I have never done a watch review in my life, so appreciate it if I get any details wrong ....


He was obviously not in any qualified position to write on the subject, and got quite a few of his assumptions wrong. :duh:



hermann said:


> My conclusion: if a 7A28-7049 without the 'SPORTS 100' letters comes up on ebay some day, something must be wrong.


Indeed - it would be a 'Franken' - either that, or possibly a JDM 7A28-7040 fitted with the wrong case-back. :thumbsdown:



hermann said:


> From time to time I look into Yahoo Japan but I never purchased a watch there. Do you buy watches there?


Not yet. But I look at quite a few. I bid on one a few months ago (using Japamart.com) but got out-sniped.


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

Ha. I just re-read that so-called 'review' thread on SCWF, and see that 'Gufi' has put him right on a couple of points. :wink2:



> *(From that SCWF 'review')*
> 
> I did some research weeks ago vaguely recall coming across a forum posting explaining the difference,
> 
> ...


Yes, it all seems logical, now doesn't it.


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

Achim.

As further proof of the connection between the JDM 'home market' versions of Seiko 7Axx's

and the word CHRONOGRAPH printed in block capitals and lack of Sports 100 on their dials ....

Check out this scan of a page from the 1985 Japanese catalogue (you'll need to zoom in on some images):










The SSAY028 7A28-7040 is in the middle of the page.

The only 7A38 on that page is the all-black 7A38-6030 at the bottom left, which was only available to Japan.

Note also the 7A28 'Bishop' and 'Aliens' at the top also have their own '*non*-Sports 100' versions of the dials. :wink2:


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## hermann (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks for your further explainings, Paul. I wasnÂ´t aware of this aspect of the JDM versions until now.

By the way; a nice collection of 7A28Â´s on this page of the catalogue. GiugiaroÂ´s models are very attractive (my favourite of them is the 7A28-7050) but fortunately not that much attractive that I want to collect them all. It saves me a lot of money.



hermann said:


> The more I look on pictures of the 7A28-7040/49, my desire to buy one gets stronger (albeit the diver bezel :wink2: ). In fact I will get one on Saturday, but sadly itÂ´s only the ragged "bonus watch" of the Titanium 7T42. I guess it will not make sense to restore this one; weÂ´ll see.


The 7A28-7040 arrived today; itÂ´s a JDM-version too. My main interrest at this auction was the Titanium 7T32-7A10 (which looks great!-it even has a saphire glass) but now I have to think about what doing with the 7040. The overall condition is a little better than the photo above would suggest but still the bezel is scratched, and the 5-minute markers should be re-lumed. But first of all the movement (it was sold as non-runner) looks bad. There is a water/acid dammage and some parts are missing:










I guess that there are no 7A28 movements alone available. Only possibility would be to buy a 7A28 model which isnÂ´t attractive and therefore cheaper and use itÂ´s movement.

But of course itÂ´s doubtful whether this possibility would make economic sense. The only thing I know now for sure: a 7A28-7040 would be a very nice addition to my small Seiko-collection.

PS. Please excuse my English; I guess that there a lot of mistakes in my text.


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

hermann said:


> I wasnÂ´t aware of this aspect of the JDM versions until now.


Achim. As you probably may already know ....

Many (but not all) of the JDM versions / JDM unique models are also fitted with a 'SpeedMaster' (+ helmet logo) clasp:










Usually this changes the bracelet assembly part number. E.g. on the JDM 7A28-7040 - it's p/n AA58A instead of B1075S.



hermann said:


> The 7A28-7040 arrived today; itÂ´s a JDM-version too .... But first of all the movement (it was sold as non-runner) looks bad.


That's not too bad, Achim, but it's obviously been messed about with. :thumbsdown: Now THIS movement is what I'd call *bad* ! :cray:



hermann said:


> There is a water/acid damage and some parts are missing:


Yes, you can see our little Korean friend 'Kwonbax' has been in there already, trying (and failing) to get it working. :hammer:

Not only are there a couple of back-plate screws missing ....

But also the rotary step switch is missing (again). This guy obviously has no idea what he's doing. :duh:

Did you read this thread which 'DaveS' wrote on SCWF, back in August ? http://www.thewatchsite.com/index.php/topic,23131

The 7A28-7049 which he is referring to is this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290600861772#ht_3098wt_934 - also from 'Kwonbax' 



hermann said:


> I guess that there are no 7A28 movements alone available.
> 
> Only possibility would be to buy a 7A28 model which isnÂ´t attractive and therefore cheaper and use itÂ´s movement.
> 
> But of course itÂ´s doubtful whether this possibility would make economic sense.


Presuming your movement's PCB has probably been acid damaged by the leaking battery,

Cousins UK do have stock of the 7A28A PCB - Seiko p/n 4001.725 - but they're Â£37.35 each. :shocking:

So the movement is uneconomic to repair - even before you start looking for a bracelet, better bezel; correct case-back, etc.

You'd be better advised to use it for practicing strip-down and re-builds.

Trust me, some of the movement parts will come in handy one day.









A little while back, I managed to build up two good 7A38A movements from three effectively 'scrap' ones. 



hermann said:


> PS. Please excuse my English; I guess that there a lot of mistakes in my text.


Your English is fine, Achim - better than many posters on this forum. :lookaround: and 1000% better than my German ! :notworthy:


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## hermann (Sep 8, 2011)

SEIKO7A38 said:


> Many (but not all) of the JDM versions / JDM unique models are also fitted with a 'SpeedMaster' (+ helmet logo) clasp:


I know that some of the JDM versions have the "Speedmaster" clasp; IÂ´m happy that my 7A28-701A (it dates from 1982) features it. This was only at the first few years and in the last years it disappeared? I wonder if there have been any legal problems about the "speedmaster" logo with the Omega/Swatch group.



> Yes, you can see our little Korean friend 'Kwonbax' has been in there already, trying (and failing) to get it working. :hammer:
> 
> Not only are there a couple of back-plate screws missing ....
> 
> But also the rotary step switch is missing (again). This guy obviously has no idea what he's doing.


Yes, the Far East watch dealers. ItÂ´s always some kind of gambling to buy from them. I made my experiences with them too. I think "watchkooking" is more or less ok; "clm" I like best when it comes to mechanical movements. He shows pictures of them and the watches I bought from him seemed to have been serviced quite good.



> You'd be better advised to use it for practicing strip-down and re-builds.


I agree with you, Paul. As you know, from the beginning I regarded this ragged 7A28-7040 as some kind of "bonus watch" when bidding on the Titanium 7T42. It will be better to look for a watch (with bracelet) in better condition.


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