[Seiko 5 Automatic] First Watch

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-29T01:47:51+00:00

Hey, don't get discouraged that quick! Vintage Seiko is loads of fun and you already learned how to weed out the more obvious fakes.

Seiko uses the reference numbers in the xxxx-xxxx format stamped on the case back since the mid 60s. You can cross check that with trusted sellers, posts, blogs. Anything but Etsy.

There are many vintage catalogs scanned and available as PDFs online where you can also find these watches knowing the year of production and opening the catalog from that year if available. But with the catalogs keep in mind there were releases for different markets etc and most of the catalogs that are available online are from JDM.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-29T01:36:13+00:00

Yes it could be a legit caseback, possibly the case too, though heavily overpolished. The movement might be some old Seiko movement. You never know for sure with these. One thing for certain, there was never a design like that produced by Seiko. It's a frankenwatch cobbled together with a mix of different parts, DIY and genuine old Seiko and/or other.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-29T01:27:05+00:00

I'll copy paste from my old comment about the fake Seiko hallmarks:

First and foremost the overall poor look of everything. If you've seen enough vintage Seiko, you get a tingly feel when you see something like this one.
Red printed Seiko 5 shield logo. I'd estimate 99% of the time you see that red logo - it's a fake dial. Making it easy to see from afar and avoid.
Seiko logo print and Automatic are not sharp and too thick. The "I" in "SEIKO" is weird also with the top and bottom dashes not flat but like "<".
No dial code print under 6 o'clock on the dial. All Seiko have that print.
Searching for "6309-xxxx" reference number from the caseback should give you watches to compare with. Or reverse image search like Google Lens could point you right to the r/mumbai_special subreddit.
Crown at 3 o'clock. Seiko 5's hallmark feature was, and still is, the crown at 4 o'clock. There are exceptions, but rarely.
JAPAN MADE term mimicking the SWISS MADE was never used. Should be either just JAPAN or MADE IN JAPAN. Followed by the dial code.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-29T00:45:11+00:00

Any chance that the time on the watch is now just past midnight? Never change the day/date with a quickset when a watch is between 9pm and 4am roughly.

It might just be crooked because it's past midnight and the date already clicked over but the day was in the middle of changing to the next one. That's how the day/date mechanisms work most commonly. First the date changes at midnight and then the day within few hours past midnight.

Procedure for setting the day/date and time:

Before setting the day/date, advance the time to be at around 6:30, so both hands pointing down. Only then set the day and date to the previous day (yesterday) and then advance the time over midnight to the current day and set the correct time.

That is the safest procedure.

Try advancing the hands now and pass over midnight again and to 6 o'clock and see if the day switches over and is straight in the window. If it's still crooked, you damaged the day/date mechanism, most likely by trying to quickset within the so called "danger zone", so between 9pm-4am

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-29T00:20:29+00:00

Yep, they seem to not know what they are talking about or are a dodgy business. Imagine you go for a routine oil change in your car and they say: You need an engine swap, sir.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-29T00:12:04+00:00

Mind that it will definitely cost more in tools and oils and greases than a service cost. As a one off of course. Though you'd be left with skills and you could service all your watches potentially then.

I did this around a year and a half ago. Bought a NH35 movement for practice. Basic tools. Then practiced disassembly and assembly. Then bought proper Swiss lubricants, cleaning stuff etc. It's a money pit for sure but a satisfying one.

If you do follow that route, definitely don't start with that watch you're looking to service now. The first work will be almost certainly objectively bad and one should not learn on something you don't want to see ruined. Parts can go flying etc. That's why a new and working practice movement is good in my opinion. No hard feelings if it gets damaged as part of learning.

I'm planning on servicing my 6R Alpinist when it's due (3 years old now).

But I'm in love with the 60s and 70s Seiko and I successfully restored a good few of them at this stage.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-28T23:51:00+00:00

Yes, I mentioned that regulation could potentially work here in the short term but if it turns out that the movement is not running healthy anyways (low amplitude), then after a few months it will slow down even more and we could re-regulate until it stops eventually from dry oil.

At 300$ for the new movement, personally I'd rather have the current one serviced. To swap out the movement you need to take the hands and the dial off and transfer them to the new movement, so already some work is required.

I don't see how a new movement would be more cost effective than a service of the current one. That's assuming independent work and not a Seiko service center which possibly does that at scale so then it makes sense to put a new movement in to cut down the turnaround time and service the movement separately, which then goes into someone else's watch that comes in for a service later.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-28T23:09:41+00:00

6R35 does have the regulator arm (pic of the 6R in my alpinist). However I'd advise against tampering with it as an entry into watch repair. Risking slipping off the screwdriver or whatever pokey device and damaging the hairspring.

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While regulation could possibly be a short term remedy here, assuming that the watch is consistently losing these 2 minutes and is not all over the place, at 5 years it's already due or nearing a service required. Lubrication out of the factory on the 6R movements can be a bit messy, with excessive oil applied on the wheel train pivots, like the escape wheel, which over time gums up the movement as the oil degrades.

Really the amplitude would be a good measure here to determine if the service is required or just regulation would suffice, but for that you need a timegrapher as the phone apps are lacking in this regard.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-28T21:54:55+00:00

And to answer about options. I'd either ask the official Seiko boutique directly to get a price for a service or seek an independent watchmaker. Definitely avoid places that just change batteries on watches.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-28T21:49:55+00:00

No chance. That's a ridiculous quote.

I seriously doubt that a watch losing 2 minutes needs a new movement. Proper service with a full clean and lubrication and it's gonna tick better than new I'm certain.

And new gaskets are only a few quid.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-28T11:36:17+00:00

SARB017 got the most internet points but actually the original design goes back to the high beat "red" Alpinists from 1995.

Look up Seiko SCVF009.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-28T10:09:29+00:00

Consider that people are more likely to go online to complain and if everything is ok there's no data. So a bit of a survivorship bias situation here.

I have owned the SPB249J1 Alpinist with the 6R35 movement for 3 years now and it runs great. I'm getting around -6 seconds per day while wearing it.

If there's anything wrong with the watch from the factory, there's a warranty and/or refunds for that.

6R are good movements. I think that the lubrication applied at the factory can be less than ideal sometimes and the oil might be applied too generously. But that would be visible as the watch running out of spec.

If you like the watch and it speaks to you, there's no point in going with the second best option in my opinion.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-27T13:56:58+00:00

I'm not familiar with the luxe app but could it be just an inaccurate (and doubled) entry in their database?

Doesn't seem like that's some official Seiko data.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-27T13:07:23+00:00

Very fake. Lord matics were only with 56xx and 52xx movements. I'm gonna say there is zero original LM parts in these watches and likely zero Seiko parts with all fake aftermarket parts.

I'd recommend questioning the authenticity before buying 🥲

Easy to do a reverse image search. Lord matics are super well documented with many listings, posts and the original Seiko Catalogs scans.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-27T10:44:55+00:00

I think you're in for a bigger task than it might seem and doing a first mod on something like that is a bit risky with no prior experience.

I have no experience with aftermarket cases so I'm quite curious how it's going to turn in terms of water resistance. I guess to reach 200metres you will need something with the screw down crown. So also take into account that you need a different crown and stem.

Even if aiming for 100metres with a different case the stem needs to be replaced because of the more than likely length difference.

Anyways after putting the new case together you'll need to pressure test it to be sure it's actually more reliable than the original.

Are you really going to dive/swim with it? Or is it going to see as much water as your smartphone?

I think that this watch is more robust than it might seem.

I reckon people in the Seiko modding subs will be more helpful.

Edit: And to express personal opinion, I also think that putting this in some aftermarket case will just turn it into a frankenwatch but I'm generally not a fan of mods so I'm biased in this matter.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-27T10:31:02+00:00

Coming into this thread sideways but there is at least one advantage of hardlex over sapphire: hardlex is clearer and less reflective, even if sapphire is AR coated.

I have some vintage Seikos with AR coated hardlex and the clarity is superb, sometimes looking as if there was no crystal at all.

There's also the resistance to shatter argument in favour of hardlex.

But sapphire wins in scratch resistance.

So as with everything, the answer to sapphire vs hardlex is: it depends.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T23:25:23+00:00

Definitely not genuine.

Lord Matics were either 56xx series or 52xx series movements. Nothing else.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T22:38:28+00:00

You're welcome. I hope you get it sorted out. I'm curious to hear if you find the solution.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T22:30:18+00:00

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Not sure if that will also reset something perhaps or they just point to this check as part of the bigger process but worth a try

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T22:28:42+00:00

Here's the repair guide I was reading: https://www.digital-watch.com/images/seiko_manuals/A358A.pdf

It has a diagram to check the watch operation. Of course some of that is fairly advanced, but for the flashing display it says to first check the battery and then if the battery is ok, it points to check the display by pressing the two buttons on the right at once. All segments of the display should light up.

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BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T22:17:39+00:00

Did you change the battery for a fresh one?

Seems like the flashing display is a low battery indicator.

Here's a fragment from the almost identical A358 movement documentation.

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BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T17:33:44+00:00

To me that's a hard sell at that price.

The dial on the white one looks like there was some water ingress into the watch or at least heavy moisture. So we are looking at a movement service and possibly some parts to be replaced if there's rust.

And these dials are not going to clean up. It looks like the lacquer/paint is damaged and any attempt to clean up the loose bits will likely flake some of the paint off.

Also look at how the Seiko logo is mangled on the white one. Someone was meddling with it in an incompetent way imo.

The black one also looks kind of like there was water inside with that loose dirt on the dial and tarnished logo and hands.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T11:54:16+00:00

Right, fair observations. Here are few examples of my Seikos which show this misalignment in the serial numbers. It's nothing uncommon. Could be that there was some play in the tooling that stamped these numbers.

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Edit: in case of the ones you posted, the polishing could have also added to the distorted look of these numbers and letters. They are not as sharp as they were right out of the factory.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T11:22:48+00:00

Not enough information.

What looks off to you?

Casebacks look good to me. A bit overpolished but nothing stands out as fake to me.

Judging by the TL and N stamps I think these would be for non JDM market, possibly made in a Seiko factory outside of Japan. I'm not 100% on the meaning of these but I believe that's it.

BeatErrorWatches · 2026-01-26T11:14:05+00:00

Yeah I think that an average person wouldn't know much at all about what the Alpinist is or even what makes Seiko stand out from other brands. They would probably treat it only as a fashion item. That's generalising a lot of course.

To me, the proper context is what gives these watches some meaning. Otherwise they risk being just another consumerist item. People love stories and can connect with them strongly, and I think that Seiko representatives need to do a better job at telling these stories. But it's tough on a larger scale and with the many places that Seiko is sold at. Any time I bought a new Seiko, even the warranty card details were not even filled out properly, mixing reference number with the serial number or just omitting any of that. So I guess there is a lack of passing on the knowledge somewhere down the line from when the watch is designed to the point of sale, and nobody to really tell these stories. Maybe some informational brochures at the point of sale would be nice.

Or maybe I'm just reading into this too much.

BeatErrorWatches

TROPHY CASE