Seiko Hoarder

The Poor Man's 62MAS gets its nickname from the resemblance of its dial and hands to Seiko’s first true dive watch, the 150 meter ISO-rated 62MAS.



Where the Poor Man's 62MAS differs most from its namesake is the fact that it only has 70m water resistance (meaning that it's not really a dive watch). Furthermore, the squarish case is more in the style of a dress watch than a dive watch.


And while the bezel on Seiko's true dive watches had a flat finishes and were marked in one-minute increments while the rest of the scale was marked in five-minute increment dots to precisely keep track of every minute spent underwater; the Poor Man's bezel has a refined glossy finish, is only scantly marked at just the five-minute intervals, and is sloped at a slight angle.



For these reasons I like to think of the Poor Man's 62MAS as a Seiko’s first “dress diver”.

The case of the Poor Man's 62MAS is sometimes compared to the Sandoz Depth Master (aka Sandoz Baby Panerai).



Other sources refer to the Poor Man's 62MAS as having a "Monaco" style case, and it does have almost the exact same dimensions as the Seiko 7005-7130 dress watch.



Since the lug dimensions are the same, it is possible to borrow endpieces and bracelets from the dressier 7005-7130 that can enrich the look of your Poor Man in ways that Seiko never foresaw.



An original H-link bracelet can be identified by its unusually wide 12mm center links, which appear to rise to a peak.





Dimensions:
Width: 38mm (39 with crown)
Lug to Lug: 44mm
Lug Width: 18mm
Height: 10mm
Bezel Insert: 30/37mm


While small by today’s standards, the Poor Man's 62MAS is actually about the same width than the real 62MAS.



Models
The Poor Man's 62MAS was produced from 1969 until 1977 and came in four incarnations: the 7005-8050(2), the 7005-8140, and finally the
7005-8099 and 7025-8099.


7005-8050(2)
The the 7005-8050 and 7005-8052 came out in 1969 and were produced until 1976. The case styles are identical. The only difference between them were their intended markets.

The final digit is the Regional Sales Code. Different regions got different sales codes. "0" is Japan or SE Asia, while the “2” code was used for Australia. "9" usually is for North America, but since to my knowledge no 7005-8059s exists, none probably were ever meant for the North American market.

The earliest specimens are marked “Water Proof” on their dials and casebacks.


The 7005-8050(2) was offered in three dial colors: Black, White, and Blue.





7005-8140
The 7005-8140 has to be one of the most unusual backstories of any Seiko I have researched. It was only produced in 1970 and was specifically designed and built to be issued to members of the Iranian officer corps. It has been documented that this watch was personally distributed by the Shah of Iran to his favored army officers.



The SEIKO lettering on the 8140 has been moved to the left side of the dial near the 9 o'clock position. In the center the dial is imprinted with the Iranian royal crest and Farsi script which reads "Arteshe Shahanshahiye Iran", meaning “Iran's Royal Army”. The caseback is engraved, "Amvale Dolati" which means ”State Property”.




In my opinion, the 7005-8140 is truly one of the most underappreciated and overlooked Seiko models ever produced.



7005-8099 and 7025-8099

The final incarnation of the Poor Man's 62MAS came in 1977 with the introduction of the 7005-8099 and the 7025-8099.

Gone is the clean simple bezel design of the previous years. The bezel now sports a pretentious silver triangle around the pip, and hash marks between the 12 and 3 o’clock positions.

These two variants are also bereft of the “70 Meters” lettering on the dial. The dials themselves were only available only in black.

The fact that the last digit of both case numbers ends in a "9" strongly hints that they were intended for sale in North America, unlike their predecessors, which were intended for sale in the eastern hemisphere.



The only true difference between these models is small improvements in the the movement, which was updated from 7005 to 7025. Nothing more really separates these two calibres however than a few screws and the push quickset.


Buying
The Poor Man's 62MAS seems to be more scarce than the 62MAS, but scarcity does not always correlate with price. While the original 62MAS sells for around $3000, the Poor Man's 62MAS is currently going for between $200 to $500 on eBay. There are examples that are offered for around $1000, but I have yet to see one actually sell for over $500.

__________________
For me watch collecting is a diversion from troubling existential thoughts. It is obvious that we are engaged in a murder suicide pact with the other species on our planet. The climate disasters have begun to occur on an upward acceleration curve. As they become more frequent, leading to crop failures, mass migrations, military conflicts etc. our inedible watch collections won't mean much.

All I can do is try to live a decent life of kindness and generosity.




SEIKO REVIEWS:
6119-8120: Seiko’s 1st 70m “Sports” Diver?, 5126-8090 "The Kamen Rider", 5126-6030 “The Double Hurricane!”, 6138 UFO Chronograph, Seiko’s Rally Sports Divers, 6119-6050 “The Regatta Watch”, Poor Man's 62MAS: 7005-8050, “The Gene Kranz” 6119-8460, 6106-6430 UFO Sports Diver, Seiko’s New Rally Divers, 6106-7107 “Aztec Red” , The 7019 JDM Sports Diver Family, 6619-8230 “Simple Beauty”, Sporty Seikos of the Late 60s and early 70s, 7006-8030: Last of the 70m Sports Divers

Grammarofdesign

I love this reference. My set:

Attached Images

70058052s.jpg (300.9 KB, 22 views)

raudoraf

Well done! I’m looking for the white one, maybe from ‘69.....

Reflex

Thanks for the information.

The bracelets and the end links are notoriously hard to find. Still hunting for end links for my 8052.

Seiko Hoarder

I just borrowed your picture. I hope you don't mind.

__________________
For me watch collecting is a diversion from troubling existential thoughts. It is obvious that we are engaged in a murder suicide pact with the other species on our planet. The climate disasters have begun to occur on an upward acceleration curve. As they become more frequent, leading to crop failures, mass migrations, military conflicts etc. our inedible watch collections won't mean much.

All I can do is try to live a decent life of kindness and generosity.




SEIKO REVIEWS:
6119-8120: Seiko’s 1st 70m “Sports” Diver?, 5126-8090 "The Kamen Rider", 5126-6030 “The Double Hurricane!”, 6138 UFO Chronograph, Seiko’s Rally Sports Divers, 6119-6050 “The Regatta Watch”, Poor Man's 62MAS: 7005-8050, “The Gene Kranz” 6119-8460, 6106-6430 UFO Sports Diver, Seiko’s New Rally Divers, 6106-7107 “Aztec Red” , The 7019 JDM Sports Diver Family, 6619-8230 “Simple Beauty”, Sporty Seikos of the Late 60s and early 70s, 7006-8030: Last of the 70m Sports Divers

Grammarofdesign

Don't mind at all, hope you rotated it the darn phone uploads seemingly normal and then it appears on the computer screen turned 90 degrees !

Seiko Hoarder

Mine came today.



I put it on an 18mm rally strap I have had for years.



I have a couple original bracelets, but I don't want to scuff them up.

__________________
For me watch collecting is a diversion from troubling existential thoughts. It is obvious that we are engaged in a murder suicide pact with the other species on our planet. The climate disasters have begun to occur on an upward acceleration curve. As they become more frequent, leading to crop failures, mass migrations, military conflicts etc. our inedible watch collections won't mean much.

All I can do is try to live a decent life of kindness and generosity.




SEIKO REVIEWS:
6119-8120: Seiko’s 1st 70m “Sports” Diver?, 5126-8090 "The Kamen Rider", 5126-6030 “The Double Hurricane!”, 6138 UFO Chronograph, Seiko’s Rally Sports Divers, 6119-6050 “The Regatta Watch”, Poor Man's 62MAS: 7005-8050, “The Gene Kranz” 6119-8460, 6106-6430 UFO Sports Diver, Seiko’s New Rally Divers, 6106-7107 “Aztec Red” , The 7019 JDM Sports Diver Family, 6619-8230 “Simple Beauty”, Sporty Seikos of the Late 60s and early 70s, 7006-8030: Last of the 70m Sports Divers

Seiko Hoarder

I keep revising my review as I learn new things.

I really enjoy researching and writing these. They are meant to benefit Seiko enthusiasts for as however long they stay up. Many times I have gleened information from a decade-old post, and I would like to provide the same service.



If anyone spots a mistake, please correct me.

__________________
For me watch collecting is a diversion from troubling existential thoughts. It is obvious that we are engaged in a murder suicide pact with the other species on our planet. The climate disasters have begun to occur on an upward acceleration curve. As they become more frequent, leading to crop failures, mass migrations, military conflicts etc. our inedible watch collections won't mean much.

All I can do is try to live a decent life of kindness and generosity.




SEIKO REVIEWS:
6119-8120: Seiko’s 1st 70m “Sports” Diver?, 5126-8090 "The Kamen Rider", 5126-6030 “The Double Hurricane!”, 6138 UFO Chronograph, Seiko’s Rally Sports Divers, 6119-6050 “The Regatta Watch”, Poor Man's 62MAS: 7005-8050, “The Gene Kranz” 6119-8460, 6106-6430 UFO Sports Diver, Seiko’s New Rally Divers, 6106-7107 “Aztec Red” , The 7019 JDM Sports Diver Family, 6619-8230 “Simple Beauty”, Sporty Seikos of the Late 60s and early 70s, 7006-8030: Last of the 70m Sports Divers

Grammarofdesign

This is a really GREAT reference thread. Well done, thank you.

Digitalone

I know this is an old thread however if any of you have attempted to remove the bezel insert I would appreciate your thoughts. I have a PM's 62MAS that I originally bought in 73 and just made purchase of a replacement original bezel insert.

Thanks.


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freakyscope

Nice watches, hard to find in a good state, even harder to pay

Grammarofdesign

Not to burst your bubble, but Seiko has never sold inserts, only bezels with inserts attached.

Perhaps you found one extracted from a genuine bezel but the odds of that are slim, again, informational post only not saying your recent purchase isn’t.

The ones on eBay look good but the seller can be a raving lunatic so buyer beware.

Digitalone

I’ll be sure to let you know how it works out. Can always complain to PayPal, Visa and eBay if it doesn’t work out. Anyway I’ll keep you all posted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Seiko Hoarder

True about OEM bezels only being sold mounted in the ring, never as an insert.

The ebay seller, Seikosis, is far from a raving lunitic however. I've bought from him several times and am very satisfied. The problem is, his AM parts are TOO good. if you do a side-by-side comparison with an OEM bezel, dial, or dial ring, it's a dead on ringer for color, font, finish, lume color, iridescence... everything.

While the same part from the Philippines is an obvious fake. How to spot the fake dial or bezel part when buying a watch if it is indistinguishable from the original? And if they are that good, would it really even matter?

__________________
For me watch collecting is a diversion from troubling existential thoughts. It is obvious that we are engaged in a murder suicide pact with the other species on our planet. The climate disasters have begun to occur on an upward acceleration curve. As they become more frequent, leading to crop failures, mass migrations, military conflicts etc. our inedible watch collections won't mean much.

All I can do is try to live a decent life of kindness and generosity.




SEIKO REVIEWS:
6119-8120: Seiko’s 1st 70m “Sports” Diver?, 5126-8090 "The Kamen Rider", 5126-6030 “The Double Hurricane!”, 6138 UFO Chronograph, Seiko’s Rally Sports Divers, 6119-6050 “The Regatta Watch”, Poor Man's 62MAS: 7005-8050, “The Gene Kranz” 6119-8460, 6106-6430 UFO Sports Diver, Seiko’s New Rally Divers, 6106-7107 “Aztec Red” , The 7019 JDM Sports Diver Family, 6619-8230 “Simple Beauty”, Sporty Seikos of the Late 60s and early 70s, 7006-8030: Last of the 70m Sports Divers

raudoraf

I’m looking for a original one for my proof-proof poor man!

peterrizzo

i've got two 7005, a white and a black, and two original bracelets,
both the same size, fit my 6-3/4" wrist very nicely, not too tight.
can we get a consensus here on what an original bracelet is worth?
i don't wear mine, so i'd be willing to let one go...

thanks,
'


peterrizzo

Seiko Hoarder

With the endlinks, a low price may be $120. I have two NOS bracelets without endlinks which I bought for $20 each, but the seller didn't know what they were.

__________________
For me watch collecting is a diversion from troubling existential thoughts. It is obvious that we are engaged in a murder suicide pact with the other species on our planet. The climate disasters have begun to occur on an upward acceleration curve. As they become more frequent, leading to crop failures, mass migrations, military conflicts etc. our inedible watch collections won't mean much.

All I can do is try to live a decent life of kindness and generosity.




SEIKO REVIEWS:
6119-8120: Seiko’s 1st 70m “Sports” Diver?, 5126-8090 "The Kamen Rider", 5126-6030 “The Double Hurricane!”, 6138 UFO Chronograph, Seiko’s Rally Sports Divers, 6119-6050 “The Regatta Watch”, Poor Man's 62MAS: 7005-8050, “The Gene Kranz” 6119-8460, 6106-6430 UFO Sports Diver, Seiko’s New Rally Divers, 6106-7107 “Aztec Red” , The 7019 JDM Sports Diver Family, 6619-8230 “Simple Beauty”, Sporty Seikos of the Late 60s and early 70s, 7006-8030: Last of the 70m Sports Divers

peterrizzo

digitalone, i am in the same boat as you, i ordered a bezel from the same
guy on ebay, my intention is to swap bezels so the original stays as pristine as it is and the replacement takes the hits....i was planning on removing the
bezel by conventional means, rubber donut or case knife, and then i figured i could push the old one out from below and glue the new one in...if this sounds
like a bad plan to sanyone, please let digitalone and i know...

thanks all,

peter

tritto

The bracket itself is shared across a variety of low value dress 7005/6s and at least in 6308 that my neighbour asked me to look at. What's tricky is the end links. I'm not aware of another watch that uses the same end links.
Someone handy that makes parks could easily sell out a small run of end links.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Digitalone

I tried to do it and then decided to hold off to do some more research. Have yet to find anything on the net. My experience was that it doesn't feel like it will come out without cutting it out. It must be press fitted. Perhaps a jewler could do it. I think the risk is that if I try to force out the old one I could bend the bezel and that old be bad.


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peterrizzo

i think i agree, i got my bezel off, and the idea was to put the replacement
bezel in there to spare the wear and tear on the original, which is in pretty
good shape. it was FILTHY under that bezel, i seriously doubt that it has
ever been removed, and the original insert seems to be very tightly bonded
to the bezel.

so, does anyone know, is that insert glued in, or press-fitted? if i try to
knock it out from the back, will i damage the insert? that would be quite the opposite of my intention of reducing wear and tear on it with any ordinary
insert, i've just pressed it out from behind, maybe it's battling 48 years of inertia? or is it made to really stay in one piece?

maybe we should ask seikosis, i think his name is arin, maybe he's a member
here?

i have to say, it's a beautiful, beautiful part. seikohoarder is correct, this part
pretty indistinguishable from the original, the difference being it's perfect condition.

peterrizzo

ok, so i answered my own question, i pushed it out from behind, i'm used to doing that with my thumbnail, but i used a good blunt slot head screwdriver,
and managed to be gentle enough not to deform the original bezel. the new
one pushed right in, but i am going to use bezel insert adhesive when that
watch is ready to wear...all i need now is to get the bezel spring to work.
that is a really annoying job, i am waiting for bright sunlight....

raudoraf

Yes! I found a bracelet in the net from a dress whatch and now I’m looking for correct end links ....
...still looking....

Seiko Hoarder

I picked up a white one.

__________________
For me watch collecting is a diversion from troubling existential thoughts. It is obvious that we are engaged in a murder suicide pact with the other species on our planet. The climate disasters have begun to occur on an upward acceleration curve. As they become more frequent, leading to crop failures, mass migrations, military conflicts etc. our inedible watch collections won't mean much.

All I can do is try to live a decent life of kindness and generosity.




SEIKO REVIEWS:
6119-8120: Seiko’s 1st 70m “Sports” Diver?, 5126-8090 "The Kamen Rider", 5126-6030 “The Double Hurricane!”, 6138 UFO Chronograph, Seiko’s Rally Sports Divers, 6119-6050 “The Regatta Watch”, Poor Man's 62MAS: 7005-8050, “The Gene Kranz” 6119-8460, 6106-6430 UFO Sports Diver, Seiko’s New Rally Divers, 6106-7107 “Aztec Red” , The 7019 JDM Sports Diver Family, 6619-8230 “Simple Beauty”, Sporty Seikos of the Late 60s and early 70s, 7006-8030: Last of the 70m Sports Divers

Digitalone

I'll have to try that.


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