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Advice for a 7002-7000 Franken Mod

12K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  pollyc  
#1 ·
I have bought a couple of Philippino restored Seiko Divers off eBay. They have some of the normal defects - over polished, poor quality replacement dials, etc. But, most irritating they don't run reliably despite having been "serviced". All in all though, they were cheap, the cases are in good condition and I am thinking about doing some modding. I have a 6309-7049 that needs some help too. But for this topic, I am looking at a 7002-7000.


My thought is to install a new 7s26 movement. What do I need to be concerned about here? Will the 7002 stem fit? or will I need to fit a new stem to the crown? Any other issues with fitting the movement in the case?


Thanks!


DD
 
#4 ·
Isthmus said:
To the best of my recollection a 7s movement does not fit properly into a 7002 case. You will have issues with the stem and crown as well. Also the mod will gain you nothing. You are better off having your 7002 caliber serviced and reusing it in it's case.

I suppose I am not that much a fan of the 7000 series caliber, and I don't know if I would want to invest the cost of service. I have had a few 7000s and none have been very reliable for me. I have yet to own a 7s, but from what I have read Seiko addressed some of the 7000's shortcomings. I believe I can buy a 7s movement for a reasonable price.


The tech sheets show exactly the same dimensions for both movements, so I am not sure where the difficulty would be. I suspect that I might have to do some work with the stem and crown.


Thanks for your input! :)


DD
 
#5 ·
I could be wrong about the dimensions, but I do remember that the craown and stem were nt compatible with each case. Also the crown in a 7002 is oriented at 0400, whiel in a 7s it is a 0345. This means that you won't be able to line up dials correctly if you make the switch unless you break the dial feet. I still haveto say though, there is really nothing to gain from such a mod and it is definitely not worth the cost. do it if you want to expereiment, but IMHO you are bettter off keeping the 7002 stock or better yet, picking up an SKX diver. The closes SKX to a 7002 would be the SKX173.
 
#6 ·
Well, I am a bit hard-headed, and I had a desire to tinker with this mod. I went ahead and bought a new SNK789 watch on eBay for about $50.00. Besides the 7s26 movement, I'll have a spare folded link bracelet and some parts.


Isthmus, you were pretty much correct on all counts, except that the 7002 crown and stem seem to work perfectly with the 7s26 movement. This is pretty critical because there were a few other concerns. The 3:45 crown position meant that I had to break the feet off the dial and affix it with double sided adhesive. It also meant that a 7s26 date wheel would never would in a 7002 case. I used a dial with no date window. I wonder why Seiko decided to re-position the crown after many decades at 4:00?


The plastic ring that forms the OD of the 7s26 movement also required a bit of trimming to fit around the 7002 stem tube. Other than that it pretty much dropped in. I used the exhibition case back from the SNK since there was a bit of corrosion in the sealing surface of the 7002.


I am fairly pleased with the result. It is a mongrel, but it is my creation, and I still don't have a bunch invested in it. And it was a good learning experience. Maybe this info can be useful to someone else who is contemplating something similar. However, as Isthmus recommended, you are probably dollars ahead to go ahead and buy a new SKX.


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