Seiko 5, Then and Now
TL;DR - Another non-problem only a watch-obsessive would angst over: to keep a new but obsolete watch stock or mod it to current technology?
Recently got an SNXS73 new old stock Seiko 5 as a neo vintage example of a solid mechanical offering from just the last decade. I love it far more than expected but also notice its deficiencies more than I expected. Now, do I keep it stock as a representative of early-21st century mechanical watches (Is my collection a museum?) or bring it up-to-date with a movement that hacks and handwinds, a tougher sapphire crystal, and a better bracelet? (Well, bracelet upgrade is likely to happen no matter what.)
Seiko 5 then: more elegant, slimmer case and cleaner design
Seiko 5 now: better movement, chunkier sport/dive style
Is improving the guts of the prettier old one making it a frankenwatch? Or, heaven help me, do I get another neo vintage one to mod so I can have both stock and “hot rod?” (Poorly disguised rationalization for buying another watch. 🙄)
FWIW - watch is ~$100, as are upgrades, so get an improved watch for <$250, which is reasonable for a nice automatic…
Engineer, Technical Trainer, lapsed pilot, nerd of many stripes.
Upgrade it
Watches are meant to be worn
Like you said it's not a museum it's your personal belongings
Keep it as is and just get another one 🤣
Keep it as is and just get another one 🤣
And this is why we should be friends…! 🤪
Keep it as is and just get another one 🤣
Enablers! Unite!!! ⚡️⚡️⚡️✊⚡️⚡️⚡️
And this is why we should be friends…! 🤪
Aren’t we already?! 🤣
Aren’t we already?! 🤣
I hope so, but hate to presume. And I need a lot of validation. 😔
I hope so, but hate to presume. And I need a lot of validation. 😔
I love mine
Keep it as is and just get another one 🤣
I'm not very against modding, and upgrades are even more acceptable.
I would upgrade and/or mod it in a second. With no second thoughts.
I recently also bought a new old stock snxs. I was surprised by how nice it is even though all of the internet has been yelling it from the rooftops for a while now. Yes the bracelet has to go; and yes it would be nice if it had a sapphire and 100m of water resistance, but the lack of hacking hasn’t bothered me. In fact, I embraced it as a way of curing me of my obsession with accuracy. The greatest irony of this is that mine seems to be keeping perfect time. 🤯
I recently also bought a new old stock snxs. I was surprised by how nice it is even though all of the internet has been yelling it from the rooftops for a while now. Yes the bracelet has to go; and yes it would be nice if it had a sapphire and 100m of water resistance, but the lack of hacking hasn’t bothered me. In fact, I embraced it as a way of curing me of my obsession with accuracy. The greatest irony of this is that mine seems to be keeping perfect time. 🤯
Right there with you. Which is why I should just enjoy it, as is. But, then there’s this watch obsessive who lives in my brain, rent free… 🤪😉
I recently also bought a new old stock snxs. I was surprised by how nice it is even though all of the internet has been yelling it from the rooftops for a while now. Yes the bracelet has to go; and yes it would be nice if it had a sapphire and 100m of water resistance, but the lack of hacking hasn’t bothered me. In fact, I embraced it as a way of curing me of my obsession with accuracy. The greatest irony of this is that mine seems to be keeping perfect time. 🤯
Oh, and I could even live with the bracelet, but that’s another post I’m thinking on…
Thought exactly the same about this wonderful SNXS81 and upgraded the movement to NH36, changed glass to sapphire and added a J style bracelet. Now it is a modern era Seiko 5 where the 5 belongs to! I think the logical upgrade of those good old 7S26 models is the Presage line. The 5 changed its address does not live here any more.
I recently also bought a new old stock snxs. I was surprised by how nice it is even though all of the internet has been yelling it from the rooftops for a while now. Yes the bracelet has to go; and yes it would be nice if it had a sapphire and 100m of water resistance, but the lack of hacking hasn’t bothered me. In fact, I embraced it as a way of curing me of my obsession with accuracy. The greatest irony of this is that mine seems to be keeping perfect time. 🤯
I can identify with this as I too recently acquired an SNXS79J, and far from feeling that the lack of hacking would be constrictive, I feel more liberated that all I need to do is simply do the shake/shuffle and set the day/date and time. Doesn’t hurt that the watch is a real looker too!
Thought exactly the same about this wonderful SNXS81 and upgraded the movement to NH36, changed glass to sapphire and added a J style bracelet. Now it is a modern era Seiko 5 where the 5 belongs to! I think the logical upgrade of those good old 7S26 models is the Presage line. The 5 changed its address does not live here any more.
I think you’re right about the shift in style up to the Presage neighborhood, where the rent is a bit higher. 😉
I, like you, have made a similar purchase recently.
You’re correct in that the Seiko bracelets almost always fail to make the cut. I replaced the bracelets for my ‘73 and ‘79 with a presidents bracelet and a jubilee bracelet respectively from Uncle (Seiko) Straps. Outside of that, I really haven’t thought about modding those two. Sure, the movement inside is antiquated but to me it adds to its charm. The fact that it doesn’t hack nor hand wind doesn’t really disturb me. Perhaps the fact that I only paid around $100 each for them makes it tolerable. I guess what I’m saying is, I really appreciate the differences between the old and newer versions of the Seiko 5 collections. Separate styles, separate personalities but both can coexist in the same watch box.
I, like you, have made a similar purchase recently.
You’re correct in that the Seiko bracelets almost always fail to make the cut. I replaced the bracelets for my ‘73 and ‘79 with a presidents bracelet and a jubilee bracelet respectively from Uncle (Seiko) Straps. Outside of that, I really haven’t thought about modding those two. Sure, the movement inside is antiquated but to me it adds to its charm. The fact that it doesn’t hack nor hand wind doesn’t really disturb me. Perhaps the fact that I only paid around $100 each for them makes it tolerable. I guess what I’m saying is, I really appreciate the differences between the old and newer versions of the Seiko 5 collections. Separate styles, separate personalities but both can coexist in the same watch box.
I love that you have a ‘73 and a ‘79! I like the ‘73 so much I want the ‘79, too, but thought it silly to have the same watch with just a different dial color. But they really are both lovely. Upgrading one might just have been one of my convoluted ways to justify another one to myself. 🤦🏼♂️
Thanks for commenting! 🤝
Keep it stock, more and more good Seikos are being modded. Once the fad dies off no one will want the modded ones and the genuine article will be in short supply.
Keep it stock, more and more good Seikos are being modded. Once the fad dies off no one will want the modded ones and the genuine article will be in short supply.
Thinking I’ll get another to mod. I’ll have a stock model and a hot rod. (Anything I mod can be reversed and returned to stock.) Unnecessary? Yup. Silly? Perhaps. But that’s not far from describing me, as well. 🤝😉
Keep it as is and get the whole SNXS7x series 😉 Enjoy its quirks because that's what makes it what it is. #snxs7x