[SOLD] 1980s Vintage Seiko 5 7S26 "Midnight"

Introducing

Seiko 5 7S26 "Midnight"

Circa 1980s

The color blue, and the romantic night sky - both a major selling point for marques touting their latest wares to the horology loving populace. 

And this piece has them both.

Many boys will remember their first favorite color - blue. There's just something about the hue that brings a fascination to the man. It is cool, yet commanding, and exudes a certain luxury to it.

Swiss watch makers have always equated the color with its higher range selection, and oh do the boys sucker for it. Who wouldn't want to be gifted with the envious looks of a fellow man?

Modern styles and classic steel come together in dance with Midnight. The cool polished azure dial radiates outwards to polished steel hour indices, with large roman XII and VI to add that touch of class. 

For the office or a night out, Midnight certain fits all bills.

1980s Vintage Seiko 5 7S26 "Midnight"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with quickset day/date

Eng / Frn day display

Polished blue dial with guilloche outer dial

35mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

7S26 automatic @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass crystal

Seiko Japan stainless steel bracelet

[SOLD]

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[SOLD] 2004 Seiko 5 7S26 "LumiDial"

Introducing

Seiko 5 7S26 "LumiDial"

Circa 2004

All living things gravitate towards light. We are constantly amazed by the energy given off by a light source, bewildered, if you must, by luminescence. 

The same principle that sends billions of insects to their doom has been employed to much constructive use by the watch industry. Luminous paint has long been used to capture the sun and place it the space of our wrists. Seiko has even developed their own version of luminous paint - LumiBrite, and it is used copiously on this watch,

The LumiDial gives off a very sporty appeal, first from the tonneau case that links nicely to the bracelet. The polished baton indices add to the theme of light, reflecting light from all angles to give you that increased legibility. Hour and minute hands blend very well into the indices, adding to the sports watch favour.

Much of the design elements have been concentrated on the outer and inner bezels. A 24-hour indication and minute markers complete the sports watch look, leaving much of the dial clean for it's unique purpose - to capture the sun. 

It's funky I give you that, but I can't really say that I find it distasteful. It somehow gives the watch a new persona, and man will it be the conversation starter. 

Over it all, the bright red second hand sweeps across the radiating base, providing a nice contrast should your taste tire from the luminescent allure. If that doesn't strike your fancy, perhaps a look through the display back at the workhorse 7S26 calibre will do the trick. 

2004 Seiko 5 7S26 "LumiDial"

Hour, minute, second hands with day-date display

Eng/Arb day display

Luminous-coated dial

36mm stainless steel case

42mm lug-to-lug

22mm proprietary lug width 

7S26 automatic @ 21,600vph

Hardex glass crystal

Seiko stainless steel bracelet

[SOLD]

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[SOLD] 1970s Vintage Seiko 5 "Black Sun"

Introducing

Seiko 5 "Black Sun"

Circa 1970s

What's this? A classy Seiko 5? No way.

There's this stigma about mass production. When you're busy making many of one thing, something's gotta give, and usually it's design. I don't think Seiko has ever shrimped on quality. A lot of the Seiko 5s in the mass market has a generic swap-color template. You'll usually find the same thing in different color variations, and that's ok for a company wants to capture market share. 

Many colors of the same thing means more people will probably get to like some of them, right? The long tail theory and all of that.

This Seiko 5 Black Sun proved me wrong. 

From Far you're greeted with the solid large appliqued hour markers at 12, 6, and 9. It's quite unusual for a Seiko 5 to have digits that large, so when this one came around I had to look. 

The tapered indices for the rest of the hour markers adds to that classy approach of the Black Sun. The use of black and silver going down very well with me.

The magic happens when you go up close. The dial presents itself in a black sun burst, reminiscent from higher end dress watches. The amount of blank space accorded to the dial seems purposeful, like the designers held back in desecrating the gentlemanly visage of the Black Sun.

Everything is held back in the name of elegance - the minute tracks are minimal, the lume restricted to tiny dollops on the outer track, even the typical 21-jewel marking on the dial has been tastefully removed. 

While I could have asked for a nice dauphine hand to seal the deal, the baton hands of the Black Sun do quite well.

This particular specimen has aged very well - not overly corroded or dirty, The shine in the bracelet is still there, and the digits and indices are nicely tarnished. Contrasted against the brilliant black dial, it intensifies the whole appeal of the vintage watch. There's a bump, there are scratches, there are patinas and tarnishes - wonderful. 

1970s Vintage Seiko 5 "Black Sun"

Hour, minute, second hands with day-date display

Eng/Arb day display

Sunburst black dial

36mm stainless steel case

42mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

7S26 automatic @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass crystal

Non-Seiko stainless steel bracelet

[SOLD]

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