Looking For Advice on a Vintage Seiko
This is a 1960s/70s Seiko 5 Sportsmatic that currently doesn’t work. While I know it is basically a junker at surface level, this is the watch that my grandfather wore throughout his service in the Vietnam War, which I inherited upon his passing. As you can tell, the watch has great sentimental value to my family and I, and I am certainly interested in having this watch repaired, if at all possible. I wanted to reach out to the WC community and see if anyone had any suggestions regarding where to go for possible repairs? I am incredibly interested in bringing this piece back to life, and any suggestions/leads would be most appreciated! Many thanks in advance, WC Community!
Just a simple guy with a watch addiction. Currently obsessed with dive watches 🌊
Good luck! I’m on the same mission to get my Grandpa’s watch that was passed down to me fixed too.
Dial seems to be in perfect condition which is often not the case with this old watches and it even still has a bezel ring on. So for those reasons alone it's not a "junker". Repair shouldn't be a problem at all since it's a Seiko and you can get spare parts basically anywhere. It could be that it just needs a good old deep clean and a bit of fresh oil and grease to get it running again which doesn't cost much at all. Definitely get it checked out and good luck 🤞
If you are in the UK my watchmaker might be able to salvage this but as I previously said you most certainly need to think about salvage watches when dealing with vintage pieces, I should know.. look at my Seiko collection over the last year
I can't quite make out the numbers on the case but I think it was manufactured in '66. You can check it here.
As above, while it's not worth a fortune the dial is in great condition and it probably just needs a general service. It's approaching 60 years old so hopefully a bit of a clean and relubrication and it'll bounce back nicely.
Replacing movement and crystal can easily done, (if required) as they are essentially consumable parts.
For a watch to be “original” it refers to case, dial and hands.
If you do fix it up…It will last another fifty odd years. 👍🏼
DCVINTAGE. They sell and restore vintage Seikos. If they can’t help. I’m sure they can point you in the right direction
https://www.dcvintagewatches.com
It's well worth servicing even if only for sentimental reasons. I've got a sportsmatic I had serviced a few years only & it now works fine running accurately. I'm in the UK but I believe watchguy.co.uk who I have used before may be able to help. They service watches from across the world.
I own a 1967 Sportsmatic 6619-9000 and have had it serviced and repaired at my local watch guy. I had dunked mine in the water, breaching the crown gasket and flooding the case. It sat for years, unloved. But, my local guy got it back in working condition and I give it lots of wrist time!
A v nice watch and obviously with a personal connection so well worth keeping it running nicely. It looks like it’s from January 1966.
Plenty I can think of in my geography but not much good for you. I do watch The Seikologist on YouTube; he’s in Canada and does service Seikos but I have no experience on which to base a recommendation but doubtless others in N America will be able to do so.
I hope it turns out well and gives you a great deal of satisfaction.
Thank you all kindly for the incredible recommendations and info! I will certainly follow your lead, and keep you updated on my journey towards bringing this beauty back to life. Take care all, and thanks again! 🙏🏻