[swedefreak]

Back on the bench after an absence. "Real life" can be a true pain in the butt.

While getting into some estimates for a customer I found this very odd rotating ring anomaly on an otherwise very nice-looking and seemingly all-original 6105-8110 from November 1976:

The rotating ring is missing four grooves. As you can see, the blank spot does not line-up with any other particular feature.

Could this be an instance of Seiko using up the last few parts despite the obvious imperfection as they wound-down production?

 

[anzac1957]

It would, however, line up nicely with the bezel pip if you reinserted the bezel insert..

 

[Saul]

Could be priceless - a Seiko inverted Jenny!

 

[TheTigerUK]

It would, however, line up nicely with the bezel pip if you reinserted the bezel insert..

Nice idea Tony !!

 

[fredinhawaii]

Aloha Jonathan, thanks for sharing this with the forum. Very interesting. This must be VERY unusual as Sieko was very keen on quality control> Mahalo, Fred

 

[cobrajet25]

I suspect whomever was doing QC that day had a little too much sake at lunch... Though Seiko's QC was (and is) second to none, pobody's nerfect. O ----A

 

[Spencer PK]

is it possible that someone at the factory built their own watch using parts that were discarded? A bezel ring here... a face there... I have never seen Seiko or any other reputable watch company release a product with such a serious flaw. Not only that, with full automation, I would imagine it would be harder to produce an error than not - the milling machine would have had to have failed or stopped during the run!


Is a Seiko-produced part for sure?

 

[swedefreak]

I doubt this was made-up by a factory worker as it's back was hand engraved with someone's name in Western script, indicating its travel through Seiko's retail network. Also, the grooves in this rotating ring match those of my own 6105-8119. I'm sure, like other machines, the one that made this rotating ring hiccuped and the flaw was missed by the QC person on that line. Not impossible considering the number parts spewed out by automatic tooling equipment.

I've advised my customer, and he agrees, to leave this watch alone other than some cleaning to preserve its original authenticity.

 

[ssseiko]

Wow, that's pretty interesting/cool!!! Thanks for posting that!!!

 

[sharkfinDave]

Just another interesting mark to talk about.


Its like a birth mark that one must embrace or for those who choose not to can go to see the plastic surgeon. lol.
I embrace the birth mark and enjoy all that nature has given. In this case, nature being a machined defect that adds character.


Dave.

 

[nhoj]

LOL...I wonder if this was purchased new today how many people would send it back to Higuchi?

 

[kmcnyc]

LOL...I wonder if this was purchased new today how many people would send it back to Higuchi?

first they would talk about it online, and complain about higuchi first.


actually I have seen some other goofs- that where minor-

Anjoy a PMWF type brought a 6309- diver to a local watch meet in NYC and said he needed to buy 'another click ball' for his 6309 it had two holes drilled for the spring and click ball.

 

[TheTigerUK]

Anjoy a PMWF type brought a 6309- diver to a local watch meet in NYC and said he needed to buy 'another click ball' for his 6309 it had two holes drilled for the spring and click ball.

I have seen a few now with two holes for the click ball and only the other day i saw one that had the ball missing at the normal place and a new one at the 7 o'clock position and after looking at the new one under a loupe i would say it has been done by perhaps a watch guy at a later day has the outside of the new hole runs too close to the bezel seat on the case, you can almost see were the outside dia of the drill has run down the side of the bezel seat.