Help with a vintage Seiko

I'm wary of any vintage watches coming out of India. They've got a bad reputation for peddling fakes on auction sites like eBay. The good news is that the watch actually does look like it's legit though. I searched for that reference online and it looks correct at a glance. And yeah, Seiko bracelets back then can be pretty mediocre, especially with their more entry level watches.

Quickset works a bit differently on the 6106. You have to press the crown inwards like a button. If you have the 6106C you can quickset the date and the day. If not, it'll just be the former.

It's hard to tell from a single picture, but it's probably safe to assume that the movement needs to be serviced. It looks dirty to me. Hopefully no water got inside, but that'll become clear when it's taken apart for cleaning and lubrication.

That's probably a safe bet. With the less expensive Seikos especially, people would just wear them until they broke and then they'd chuck them in a sock drawer or something. I would get it serviced if it were mine. Seiko made a lot of watches that used the 6106 so even if it needs an overhaul, spare parts shouldn't be hard to obtain and it's a pretty robust workhorse movement when it's well maintained. Definitely worth fixing up.

On this caliber I believe you push the crown in to quickset the date. You have to go around and around to set the day though. According to the serial number on the case back it does appear to be manufactured in June 1975. The bracelet looks to be typical of the period and I would say keep it but if you must replace it check out Uncle Seiko straps for an appropriate modern vintage style facsimile.

Seiko can’t make a good bracelet today, so I wouldn’t expect much from a vintage watch. Whatever the case, it’s a good looking watch.

It looks authentic, they did a few ranges with wild coloured dials and yes as said the bracelets aren't the best,but its an original one so really it's a plus. The movement wants a service (and hopefully the money you saved on the purchase will go someway to the cost) luckily it's a common movement and shouldn't be too hard to get it running again properly. The black goo is probably what remains of the gasket, and a little pitting n corrosion, but nothing that can't be salvaged.Great looking watch and it will be a cracker after servicing. (Always a bit of a heart in mouth moment when unboxing a watch from that part of the world,I know).

For me it seems to be a real Seiko5 DX. Just in need of a maintenance. 😉

More details on this Seiko could be found on some links below:

Seiko Date Finder

http://www.watchsleuth.com/seikodatefinder/?mvmt=6106&case=7730&serial=564155

CaliberCorner on caliber 6106C

https://calibercorner.com/seiko-caliber-6106c/

Some pictures of this model on WatchCharts

https://watchcharts.com/listing/1133769-vintage-seiko-dx-japan-hacking-23j-automatic-6106-7730-day-date-steel-mens

They might be folded over links, and you might have to pry one open to remove it. If the links look solid from the sides that will be the way to go.

I've had several bad experiences with eBay watches from India even though I asked questions and requested more pictures. I don't want to paint with too broad a brush but I think it's the riskiest location for watches on eBay. Glad yours is turning out to look legit.

Watches out of India might not be totally authentic but for a cheap old watch they put more effort into a used watch than the Chinese do with a new one.

As a long-time stalker, occasional buyer of vintage Seikos, the first thing I check is seller's location. If it's India, Pakistan, or the like, it's a no. They just go through too much, and preserving originality and authenticity are last priority when pushing these out.

That pattern on the dial - is it factory, or? From these pics it looks like it was hit with a Dremel tool.

That's an original Seiko H-Link. Very few left out there. The clasp is much later though. I paid $80 for a new orig. Seiko 24mm H-Link (Seikosis). They're 'hollow and sloppy' from new. Yours is not original to the watch. Wrong style.

Appears to be correct caseback. Have you run 8-digit model number though eBay? You should get matches, and something to compare too.

The watch head looks to be all there. My only question is has the dial been 'worked on' in any way. The bracelet, although very rare, is trashed. Get a nice black leather with white stitching strap imo. Crown appears to be original.

Break it down and give it a good clean with alcohol. New gaskets, etc. You'll be horrified at how much 'India' comes out of it.

Does the crown have 3 positions? 1st position pulled out should do day/date. Another position out sets the time. I presume no manual wind. Quick set is one hard push to do day, and less push for date.

As for day/date no work, well if you're not proficient in watch making, then this is a good unit to learn on.

How much did you pay for it?

Only use the quick date function with the hour and minute hands between 3-9 preferably both hands at the 6 position. You can easily brake the gear by doing otherwise.

If it was JDM it would have a Kanji date wheel Not Spanish. The first serial number is blurry, Is that the photo? Also the lume pips look like they've been re-done. As mentioned above, India seems to generate a lot of fakes. But they are more of a restoration and or mod to some degree. Using vintage watches and giving them a Hotwheels look on the dial with little or no work on the inside

Just quick tips. Personally I would avoid anything pre-own coming from India or Ukraine.

Most fakes or bad watches/sellers they never ever include the model number which is the dead give away. Also their prices are too low.

Also some pretend they are located in the US.

This is a good example of a seller they post the model number and 100 pics.

I'm jaded with cheap vintage automatics. Unless you can fix the watch it cost way more to service a watch vs just buying a new one.

Not an expert myself but the watch looks legit. Beautiful 👌🏻

Looks all authentic to me so you may consider yourself one of the lucky ones.....!

Quickset date on these early 70s Seiko's "dimple crown models" is an intial push of the crown. The giveaway is the "dimple" crown as this indicates you need to push in to date change. A further push beyond the initial point that changes the date should also adjust the day of the week as well. This is a little less obvious and it may or may not work, depending on the crown stem condition etc. These quickset "day of the week function" have been known to break every now and again when new, let alone after 50 years or so!....but if the date works, then give it an "extra" little push and see what happens. It should be on a small spring and should just bounce back anyway and if it works it should not need much pressure to engage the day of the week wheel, then that would be a bonus indeed.

That dial is absolutely incredible. Where might I find a modern watch that looks like that? Because I don't want to get into the mess that is buying vintage watches...

This is such a beautiful piece! Absolutely love it! Glad you're getting restoration tips. Looking forward to seeing her in full effect and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it! Great find and amidst the concerns, I already love it and I hope you get to love it properly too.

Oh interesting. They definitely gave it a very cool look!

Are the Dremel marks (shirt-off ripple effect) uniform to every unit, or unique bc hand done?

Yeah, two different classes of watch. Not comparing.

Just because it's not a JDM doesn't mean it's not a cool watch. Because it's a really cool find! This model/dial doesn't come up for sale very often. With a service it will run a lifetime!

Just remember to keep the hands below 3 and 9 when using the quickset button to set the date.

It's especially important with the quickset date button on vintage Seiko's

Each hand done is not like Seiko. Grand Seiko maybe. Dunno what's up there.