The Vintage Seiko has a new site!

Hey guys, thanks for all the support you've been giving me! I've met a lot of great guys who share the love for a good vintage watch, and think that it's time to make the site a little more professional!

As for today, this blog will no longer be updated. All entries will now be on our new website instead, and I am progressively moving the content here over. 

Be sure to bookmark the site!

www.tabletopwatches.com

I'm working on a blog for the site, so for those who like to read my reviews for a particular watch, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks again for all the support you've given this blog, and I look forward to serving you at our new website.

See you there!

1960s Vintage Titoni ETARotor "Shimmer"

Introducing

Titoni ETARotor "Shimmer"

Citrca 1960s

Vintage watches have a timeless appeal, able to fit into any moment in past and present. This example is a classic case of fashion adaptability. Whether you're decked in office wear or tees for a sunny day out, Shimmer will be a suitable match for your outfit.

The nice domed acrylic crystal sets the stage for this elegant timepiece. It's got a good curve that magnifies the guilloche pattern of the dial ever so slightly. The shape of the dome is perhaps also what sets it in the place between dressy and casual - easy enough to fit under a cuff, large enough to catch the sun on an exposed wrist.

Moving along past the crystal, your gaze lands on the machined guilloche sunburst, emanating from the center of the dial outwards, with space enough to avoid cutting into the applied hour indexes. 

The beauty of guilloche on a vintage offering like this is the amount of patina and age that it gathers throughout the years. Being a used watch, the amount of artistic quality accorded by age will differ between each individual spacing, leaving for an art gallery of vintage charm for the loupe-carrying aficionado. 

And last but not least, there's the single shining jewel placed slightly above the applied 6'O marker, characteristic of Titoni watches. It fits snugly between the larger spacing of the guilloche pattern, and balances the dial against the Titoni logomark at 12'O,

The devil's in the details, and this guy has got it all. One of my favorites.

1960s Vintage Titoni ETARotor "Shimmer"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with date window

Manual date switching between 10'O and 12'O

Cream machine-cut guilloche dial

35mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

18mm lug width

Titoni 23-jewel ETARotor movement @ 21,600vph

Acrylic crystal

Red aftermarket leather strap

*The manual winding for the movement is a little worn; 

won't wind well though automatic rotor still works*

S$200

Email

thevintageseiko@gmail.com

for orders or enquiry

Click here for ordering information

Visit the Catalogue for more selections

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1980 Vintage Seiko 5 7009-8580 "Radioactive"

Introducing

Seiko 5 7009-8580 "Radioactive"

Circa 1980

Large cushion case, a void of a black dial, large fearless green markers - what's there not to like about this watch?

It's like out of a the depth of nuclear waste, when the world is dark and lifeless, the first sound you hear is the beating of this 7009, risen from society's fallen, echoing across the barren wastelands. 

The green hits you, hard. Then the rest of the watch falls into place.

You noticed that if the watch was given silver markers it would no less be a handsome offering, but a rude twist of fate in the maker's office gave it green digits, and it's somehow worked out well, even in spite of the lack of lumibrite on the markers.

Remnants of the silver construct stand unfazed by the obscene intrusion, offering a welcome contrast between casual and classy - sword hands and day/date window, and the outlines of each hour marker.

And all this, encased in a stainless steel skeleton, perhaps the best kind to brave the harsh realities of desk diving.

1980 Vintage Seiko 5 7009-8580 "Radioactive"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with day/date display

Eng / Spn day display

Matte black dial

35mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width 

7019 automatic movement @ 21,600vph with quickset push for day change

Acrylic crystal

Seiko stainless steel bracelet

S$60

Email

thevintageseiko@gmail.com

for orders or enquiry

Click here for ordering information

Visit the Catalogue for more selections

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1950s Vintage Wittnauer Longines Cal 9 Rope Bezel "Wrinkles"

Introducing

Wittnauer Longines Cal 9 Rope Bezel "Wrinkles"

Circa 1950s

Art deco watches are amazing. Their makers bring to many variations to the table that it's virtually impossible to have seen all of them. Lugs, bezel, dial, hands, hour markers and crystal go through so many permutations.

Wrinkles here is so-named because of his dial. For something from the 1950s, this guy has a pretty clean dial with a wrinkle-like texture. Take it into the sun or under the loupe and you've got yourself a conversation starter.

Because of the subtle dial texture, the rope bezel will be the one to catch your eye. People who love art deco timepieces are invariably searching for a particularity in certain pieces that make them stand out from the rest on the shelf. The rope bezel did it for me. 

Not too garish, and in small amounts, leaving the rest of the watch to be admired,

Also on the dial is a window-in-window effect given by the obviously planned out mini-seconds subdial. The bevelled edges of the tiny windows give loupe-lovers a little more to admire, as does the dew drop of a counter balance on the mini-seconds hand.

On the dial are tapered hour markers and arabic numerals, both applied. The Wittnauer logo sits at 12'O in place of numerals, which to me is always a nice touch given the little space accorded to the dial for decorations. 

Also the stick minute hand grazes the edges of the hour markers, something I always look out for because it shows consideration on the designer's' part (and also of it's original hands).

But the main event for Wrinkles has got to be the dial texture. Spreading out from the dial centre are curved lines that cross and mesh into an artistic display of rises and nooks. In my mind I imagine rope texture to be as such when scrutinized under a microscope, so that more or less completes the artistic interpretation of the watch's concept.

And as with all art deco watches, this guy is a great size delivered in a small package. Who needs large garish blocks on one's wrist anyway?

1950s Vintage Wittnauer Longines 

Cal 9 Rope Bezel "Wrinkles"

Hour, minute and mini-seconds hands

Gold dial with guilloche

23mm 10k gold-filled stainless steel case

32mm lug-to-lug

18mm lug-width

Cal. 9 WNG manual wind movement @ 18,000vph

Thick domed acrylic crystal

Black aftermarket leather strap

S$360

Email

thevintageseiko@gmail.com

for orders or enquiry

Click here for ordering information

Visit the Catalogue for more selections

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1971 Vintage Seiko 5 Superior 6309-5530 "Cassandra"

Introducing

Seiko 5 Superior 6309-5530 "Cassandra"

Circa 1971

You don't see a lot of the Seiko 5 Superiors around. They're pretty special with the water resistant print on the dial. Cassandra here even adds a wave pattern guilloche the face.

Sword hands sweep the oval dial, which wears large on the wrist. There's a certain strangeness about a gold dial with wave guilloche, but the one presented here pulls it off pretty well, studs and all. 

An oyster bracelet completes the look - a shiny wrist watch endeavoured with a graceful gold, hidden beneath the sportiness of a stainless steel case.

1971 Vintage Seiko 5 Superior 6309-5530 "Cassandra"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with quickset day-date

Eng / Rom day display

Gold dial with wave guilloche pattern

35mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

6309 automatic @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass

Stainless steel bracelet

S$80

Email

thevintageseiko@gmail.com

for orders or enquiry

Click here for ordering information

Visit the Catalogue for more selections

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2013 Seiko SRP231K 4R36 Baby Tuna Shrouded Diver

Introducing

Seiko SRP231K 4R36 

Baby Tuna Shrouded Diver

Circa 2013

The Seiko diver series of watches need no introduction. Having celebrated 50 years of diving watch making this year, the Japanese giants have no doubt cemented their mark in horology history.

Among their wallet-friendly ranges of diving watches is the Baby Tuna, or the Sardine. So named because the huge case resembles that of a tuna / sardine can. 

The SRP series of shrouded divers offer a plastic shroud for protection against the harsh reefs and rocks that the diver will face down under. The uni-directional bezel then sits comfortably inside the shroud except for the two grooves to allow the diver to utilize the bezel. 

The dial is also very well constructed - matte black forms the perfect backdrop for the white Lumibrite markers and hands, providing unrivalled legibility in low light conditions. Each luminous hour marker sits in small grooves cut into the chapter ring, a small detail that goes a long way with me.

The 2013 series of shrouded divers also come with the nicest hands on a Seiko diver I've ever encountered, making the appreciate of the timepiece even more worthwhile. 

Strapped to the significantly sized case is Seiko's accordion rubber strap, which allows for maximum comfort even while the diver's wrist expands during the dive.  

All in, the Seiko SRP231K is an excellent offering for a sporty outfit. It may be designed to dive 200m down, but it'll also fit a nice t-shirt and jeans. Surprisingly trendy for a utility tool. 

2013 Seiko SRP231K 4R36 Baby Tuna Shrouded Diver

Hour, minute and central sweeping seconds

Eng / Rom day display

Black dial

45mm stainless steel case with plastic shroud

50mm lug-to-lug

22mm lug width

4R36 automatic @ 21,600vph

Hardlex crystal

Seiko rubber diving strap

S$450

Email

thevintageseiko@gmail.com

for orders or enquiry

Click here for ordering information

Visit the Catalogue for more selections

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1974 Vintage Seiko 6139-7070 "Aquatimer" Chronograph

Introducing

Seiko 6139-7070 "Aquatimer" Chronograph

Circa 1974

This 6319 sat on the display shelf for a few weeks before I decided to take it home. I think it's best to use the thought process that I went through to illustrate why it sits in my collection today.

First of all, it's blue. Who doesn't like blue?

One of the initial thoughts apart from the dial color was the depth of the face. There were effectively three layers to it - the minute track, inner dial where the day/date window were cut separately, and then the chronograph 30-minute totalizer subdial.

Add in the tachymeter bezel and you've got one heck of a dial to look at. 

Next would be its hands. All white oars. which was what gave me its namesake of the IWC Aquatimer. The straight lines and no nonsense design details accorded the watch its aesthetic style in addition to its functionality. 

Thanks to the hands, the dial faded into the background, only to be admired when you're done telling the time. And I do have to add that the dial in the daylight is too good to be true.

Last but not least is the simple, oft-overlooked detail of how the totalizer subdial cut into the minute track dial. The long printed hour markers at 5 and 7'O have been perfectly cut into, their ends cut into a curve following the subdial's circumference.

Oh yes, time to bring this home.

1974 Vintage Seiko 6139-7070 "Aquatimer" Chronograph

Hour and minute hands with quickset day (push) and date

Eng / Arb day display

Deep blue stepped dial

39mm stainless steel case

44mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

6139 automatic chronograph @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass crystal

Seiko Canvas Strap

S$450

Email

thevintageseiko@gmail.com

for orders or enquiry

Click here for ordering information

Visit the Catalogue for more selections

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