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I have had the opportunity to work on a few Seiko 2205 movement based watches now, the most recent being a 2205-0769 150m Lady's Diver I gave to my daughter for her college graduation in 2021 documented here. I was recently asked by a fellow SCWF member (Jeff) to restore a similar 2205-0760 150m Lady Diver for his wife. Jeff provided a NOS crystal (very hard to find) and believe it or not I was able to source NOS seals for this watch from Cousins UK.
I cannot express how incredible I think these watches are; real works or engineering art as far as I am concerned. You really get a sense of the pride and craftsmanship Seiko put into these small professional dive watches for women. So small yet so sophisticated in their design and build architecture for a 3 hand diver.
The case is constructed in a very similar fashion to the 70s 6105 men's dive watches with Seiko going a step further including crown guards and a screw down crown for better water tightness. Beneth the 60 click bi-directional bezel is a robust stainless steel case measuring 34mm. The crystal is domed hardlex glass sitting in an L shaped rubber gasket held by a a separate stainless steel crystal retaining ring.
The movement is a Hi-Beat 2205A cal measuring 17.20mm dia and 5.65mm height. Movement beats at a fast 28,800 BPH and encompasses automatic winding, hand winding, hacking, and quickset date function. Quickset date is achieved by pulling the crown to the time setting position 1 and then activating a spring loaded advance of the date by puling on the crown a bit further from the time setting position. Very easy and efficient.
The dial is a mat black with minimal text and very symmetrical in design with the small square date window at 3 o'clock built into the rectangular lume indice. This watch is pure tool watch through and through. I often wonder what would have happened if Seiko had simply built a 40mm version of this watch for men. Yes, the 6105-8110 Willard is similar, but this lady diver goes beyond the Willard with hand winding and screw down crown.
The watch in question was in very nice condition overall with wear consistent for its age. The bezel was frozen and the crystal scratched but the bezel insert and case were crisp with minimal scratches and fading on the bezel insert. The bezel insert lume pip was slightly degraded from the back side but I was able to replace the missing lume and apply some clear binder for future longevity. The dial and hands were very good with only some slight surface discoloration to the dial lume which I was able to improve cosmetically with some select scraping of the top surfaces of the lume. Metal hands were hazy but cleaned up nice with some light polishing using a silver polish cloth.
The movement, while dirty and lacking lubrication, cleaning up nicely and snapped back to life with good timing and performance following cleaning and service. The 2205A is a bit tricky to service due to its diminutive size and several small shepherd springs used throughout the movement, but with proper care and attention it all goes back together nicely. This particular example was presented with a nice AM link bracelet which suits this lady diver watch very well. All in all, I am very pleased with how this piece turned out and I am sure Jeff's wife will enjoy wearing this coveted collector piece of Seiko dive watch history. I am continually amazed at the quality and engineering that went into this timepiece by Seiko. What a watch. Thanks for looking.
Before:
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Bezel Insert Lume Pip Repair:
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Case Parts Clean and Ready for Re-Assembly with New Seals:
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Dial Cleaning:
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Bracelet Refinishing and Repair:
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I cannot express how incredible I think these watches are; real works or engineering art as far as I am concerned. You really get a sense of the pride and craftsmanship Seiko put into these small professional dive watches for women. So small yet so sophisticated in their design and build architecture for a 3 hand diver.
The case is constructed in a very similar fashion to the 70s 6105 men's dive watches with Seiko going a step further including crown guards and a screw down crown for better water tightness. Beneth the 60 click bi-directional bezel is a robust stainless steel case measuring 34mm. The crystal is domed hardlex glass sitting in an L shaped rubber gasket held by a a separate stainless steel crystal retaining ring.
The movement is a Hi-Beat 2205A cal measuring 17.20mm dia and 5.65mm height. Movement beats at a fast 28,800 BPH and encompasses automatic winding, hand winding, hacking, and quickset date function. Quickset date is achieved by pulling the crown to the time setting position 1 and then activating a spring loaded advance of the date by puling on the crown a bit further from the time setting position. Very easy and efficient.
The dial is a mat black with minimal text and very symmetrical in design with the small square date window at 3 o'clock built into the rectangular lume indice. This watch is pure tool watch through and through. I often wonder what would have happened if Seiko had simply built a 40mm version of this watch for men. Yes, the 6105-8110 Willard is similar, but this lady diver goes beyond the Willard with hand winding and screw down crown.
The watch in question was in very nice condition overall with wear consistent for its age. The bezel was frozen and the crystal scratched but the bezel insert and case were crisp with minimal scratches and fading on the bezel insert. The bezel insert lume pip was slightly degraded from the back side but I was able to replace the missing lume and apply some clear binder for future longevity. The dial and hands were very good with only some slight surface discoloration to the dial lume which I was able to improve cosmetically with some select scraping of the top surfaces of the lume. Metal hands were hazy but cleaned up nice with some light polishing using a silver polish cloth.
The movement, while dirty and lacking lubrication, cleaning up nicely and snapped back to life with good timing and performance following cleaning and service. The 2205A is a bit tricky to service due to its diminutive size and several small shepherd springs used throughout the movement, but with proper care and attention it all goes back together nicely. This particular example was presented with a nice AM link bracelet which suits this lady diver watch very well. All in all, I am very pleased with how this piece turned out and I am sure Jeff's wife will enjoy wearing this coveted collector piece of Seiko dive watch history. I am continually amazed at the quality and engineering that went into this timepiece by Seiko. What a watch. Thanks for looking.
Before:
Bezel Insert Lume Pip Repair:
Case Parts Clean and Ready for Re-Assembly with New Seals:
Dial Cleaning:
Bracelet Refinishing and Repair:
