Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Seiko Crown, Cal. 560, vintage watch

Another old watch in my collection is this Seiko Crown. It is somewhat a prelude to the release of the much sought after Grand Seiko and has an efficient manual winding caliber from the Suwa branch of Seiko.

I like watches with simple faces. This one does not have any complications, even lumes.
Side view showing the crown
The other side view - which shows a stain atop the watch name. This is part of the allure of vintage watches and the patina on this one shows it has aged well.
The case back. I am not sure if this is gold plated.
Here's a close up of the case back
This angle and lighting gave me a clear reading of the serial number.
I recently changed the leather strap for this watch and got one with a deployant clasp similar to the mechanism on my Hampton. Here is the watch on my wrist after the change.

The model, movement caliber and serial number indicate this watch to have been manufactured sometime January 1960. The movement on this watch is a Cal. 560 manual winding that beats at 18,000 bph. I have observed the watch a few times to see how long its reserve is. So far, it has been consistent at averaging about 43 hours on a full wind. Again, not bad for an old watch (58 year and counting).
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Note: I let go of this watch in early 2019. The buyer seemed to be another collector who quickly bought the watch without even asking for a low price. It's a good piece that can still be a regular beater for those who fancy a vintage piece on their wrist. [4/6/2020]

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