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John

4006-xxxx : Dial or caseback?

While reorganizing photos and reworking the current reference website's layout and functionality, I was reminded of how many sellers refer to their Bell-Matics by the dial number. This ignores the clear association of case styles to caseback 4006-xxxx number. An easy example are dials designated 4006-6020 and -6021.

Based upon observation and information in the various Casing Guides, dials with these 4006-xxxx numbers can be in the 4006-602x as well as the 4006-603x style cases. However, this does not necessarily mean that any -602x dial used in the -602x style case was also used in the -603x case (and vice versa). It appears that the -603x dials had many more variations than those used in the 4006-602x style case.

Oh, to someday stumble upon a Bell-Matic product line guide for the entire manufacturing run! ;)

If you are interested in seeing an example of a possible change to the website, click here. Only 4005-7000 watches were used for this beta-beta alteration.

SEIKO Bell-Matic pricing...

I am often asked how much someone should spend on a Bell-Matic today. Of course, the answer is "It all depends." You need to consider the apparent condition of the watch, the reputation of the seller, the location of the watch, and whether it looks like someone has mixed different Bell-Matics into one. One thing I can share with you are some original prices from the days when these SEIKO's were new.
For example, on the left is a 1969 newspaper ad for a Canadian seller. Note this is for the now very rare 21J model and the price is Canadian $139.95 for stainless steel and $149.95 for the "gold colored" case and bracelet. If we do some calculations for inflation, it soon becomes clear that the SEIKO Bell-Matic was one of the most expensive models in SEIKO's line of watches. For comparison, some of the SEIKO dive watches of that day that are now in such demand with collectors actually cost less than the Bell-Matic when both were new.

Next is an ad showing two 4006-603x's and a 4006-602x. I believe that this ad is circa 1969-70. The Bell-Matic on the left has the (now) very popular "coffin case" bracelet. Next to this ad you can see the price for a high-end diver of that time.

Regardless of prices paid today for these vintage SEIKO's, one thing we can say for sure: Bell-Matics were an elite, high-end offering at that time. No wonder so many of us today have fallen in love with them.

Here's a -6070 project that went well...

The 4006-6070 style with the Arabic numerals is a bit of a rarity in the Bell-Matic world. Not the most rare, of course, but it is certainly unique in being the only Bell-Matic with numerals on the dial. As you can see below, when I received this one (overpaid for it, I must admit), it was in pretty sad shape. Naturally, the crystal was a wreck, but the case was also a bit worn...


Since the movement was strong and the dial, hands, and markers were in pretty good shape, last Spring I decided this would be my first project watch. After removing the movement and the crystal, I got to work with some serious wet-sanding to see what I could do with the case. This would have been much easier with a Dremel-style tool, but I decided to take it on manually. After moving from coarse to successively finer grains of sandpaper, you can see the results here...

Once the polishing was finished, it was time to install the new crystal and then slide the movement back in. It looked so good I decided to break with tradition and find a nice new bracelet to go with this reborn watch. I did not keep track of the time I spend on this project, since it was sure to run long as I experimented and sought advice from my many helpful and knowledgeable fellow enthusiasts. Click on the image below for the "after" photos of this project. Thanks for looking!

Adjusting the alarm bezel.....

"Richie_101" provides valuable information about correcting the problem of inaccurate alarm settings on the Bell-Matics Forum.

To quote: The alarm triggering too early or too late is quite a common fault with Bell-Matics. ... It will be one of two things, if the alarm goes off when the indicator is pointing directly at the hour hand then the hands have been incorrectly set, this should be easy to spot, especially if it's 20 mins out as the hands won't line up correctly on the hours either. READ MORE

The elusive but important "casing spring" >>

The "casing spring" is an extremely important but fragile component of the SEIKO Bell-Matic. Simply put, without it, the movement rattles in the case. Because of their thin, metal structure they are especially prone to corrosion and rust. Far too many Bell-Matics are sold without these springs, or with poor substitutes (such as movement gaskets) in their place.

Here is a link to an image of its technical info in the Archives:

And here it is in all its glory:

Finding that needle in that haystack ...

Sometimes rarity is only in the eyes of the beholder, but this Bell-Matic is one of the hardest to find. The 4005 movement with date-only is rarely if ever seen at auction or on watch sales forums. This particular 4005 dates to 1968 and came from a private seller in Asia. I hope you enjoy the photos!
For more photos of this watch, click on the picture.

A particularly unique Bell-Matic joins the Republic ...

Occasionally a collector has an opportunity that is just too good to pass up. This 4006-7000 from 1969 came to me from a trusted seller who discovered it at an estate sale. The daughter of the man who owned this watch told him how her father used to make the alarm ring to amuse her when she was a little girl. That is the kind of provenance Bell-maniacs live for.

This "grail" vintage watch came with the original outer and inner boxes, as well as the user guide and SEIKO guarantee documentation. The only thing missing was the sales receipt. This is actually the first "boxed" Bell-Matic I have come across. I hope you enjoy the photos below.

See more photos of this Bell-Matic.

Thoughts on case sizes ....

One of the intriguing elements of collecting Bell-Matics is their varied case styles. If you like large cases, the -600x models (and -602x) are as large as 44mm across:


"Cushion-case" models are (in my experience) in the -603x realm and are somewhat smaller then these larger -6002 and -602x styles, like this -6030 (one of the earliest of the -603x's, with a "water proof" caseback notation):


The -601x styles and -70xx styles have smaller, more "dressy" cases, such as this -6011:


If you are looking for more angled Bell-Matic cases, look no further than the -604x, -6050, or -608x case styles. These uniformly come with an integrated bracelet, making it difficult for vintage owners to enjoy them as they looked when new (bracelets invariably break, lose links, etc.).


The tear-drop case (-6060) and the sloping tear drop (-6070) are two other smaller case styles. For example:


The -6070 style is especially unique in that it is the only one I have seen that has a dial with Arabic numbers or a dial without a jewel count. The -70xx styles are in the 38mm size range, such as this -7002, and have broader (and wider) lugs than the -601x style cases:


I have also noticed that the size and shape of the lugs reflect the dates of manufacture. Here is a rare Business Bell whose lugs are just a bit smaller:


The lugs aren't as wide as the -700x but aren't as slim as the -702x style. But note how some -702x style cases have much slimmer lugs, particularly on the oldest examples:


If you closely examine the -702x style above, you will see subtle differences. On some the lugs curve smoothly, while on others there is an obvious angle to the curve. This is most obvious if you compare the -7000 to the -7001. The same can also be observed on -601x style cases.

The variety of case styles and combinations of case and dial and bezel mean that being a Bell-Maniac means never having to say you've got 'em all.

Waterproof vs. Water Resistant...

One of the pleasures I find in collecting Bell-Matics is when people provide me with interesting information about this timepiece (or SEIKOs, in general). These comments about "Waterproof" vs. "Water Resistant" came to me from a semi-retired watchmaker ("Ezycoat") who lives in southern Australia.

Ezycoat informs me that, based on his experience and knowledge, the last year SEIKO used "Waterproof" was in 1970, with some exceptions in 1971. The reasons for this change should be obvious, as anyone who purchased a watch marked "Waterproof" that later experienced water damage, would no doubt be somewhat upset. Here are some examples that appear to confirm this information...

A rare 27J 4005-7000 from November 1968...

Note "Water Proof" on the caseback.

Considering that the 4005 movement was used only with the earliest Bell-Matics (and features the date-only dial), if you ever found a date-only Bell-Matic with a caseback other than 4005 (and "Waterproof") then you could confidently say the caseback was not original.

Here is a 4006-6010 from 1969...

Observe how on the 1969 4005-7000 it is "Water Proof" but on the 1969 4006-6010 it is "Waterproof."

Does the 4006-6030 17J "cushion case" from 1970 pictured below conform to this information?



Let's take a look at a 4006-6002 17J Bell-Matic with a 1972 caseback...



Note the placement of the "water resistant" imprint on the caseback of this NOS 4006-6031 from 1976...


Now, to keep things interesting, here is a puzzler. Could the 4006-6070 7O0081 Bell-Matic pictured below be evidence in favor of the 1977 date for the end of 4006 production?



My first assumption would be a production date of October 1967 (1967 being the generally accepted first year of Bell-Matic production), but "Water Resistant" on the caseback tells us something altogether different. The only logical assumption to make is that this -6070 style came late in the Bell-Matic manufacturing run and establishes that Bell-Matics were made at least through 1977. However, the 4006-6061 shown below indicates a manufacture date of 1978, further adding to the mystery.


I hope you find this posting of some use to you in your effort to learn more about your prized Bell-Matics.

Some thoughts about Bell-Matic cases...

One of the pleasures of collecting vintage watches, particularly SEIKO Bell-Matics, is learning about how they were made (and what they were made of). Asking questions of the vintage SEIKO collectors' communities such as the SEIKO-Citizen Forum and the Poor Man's Watch Forum (PMWF) is a good way to educate yourself. To prepare this posting, I have benefited from the advice of several knowledgeable individuals, but, keep in mind, any errors or omissions are mine, not theirs. All that being said, let us talk about cases.

Bell-Matic cases appear to come in three "flavors:" stainless steel (which is usually highly polished) and two types of plated brass used for "yellow/gold" cases. As you can see from the two photos below (click on the image to see more pictures of that particular watch), plated brass can be identified as "SGP" or "base metal." I have been informed that when Bell-Matics were produced the technology to "gold plate" stainless steel did not yet exist. This would explain the use of brass cases for plating, as brass is a soft, malleable metal. I have also been informed by a COSERV representative that "SGP" means "Standard (or SEIKO) gold plate."

The designation "SGP" versus "base metal" may reflect manufacturing dates more than any significant difference in the plating process, but only a SEIKO archivist could answer that definitively. I have been told that the "SGP" designation appears on many SEIKO "yellow/gold" watches. (From my admittedly limited perspective, it is highly unlikely that any of these "yellow/gold" cases is solid gold, as that would result in a very high price.)

One assumption might be that during the production run of approximately ten years, the "SGP" designation was changed to "base metal." But this is contradicted by examples of watches whose caseback dates them to the earliest production days and those that date to the end of the production run. For example, the first photo above (4005-7000) dates to 1968 and it is identified as "SGP." The second photo (4006-6016) identified as "base metal" dates to 1971. However, two examples in the Bell-Matic Republic that date to 1974 and 1975 are identified as "SGP."

This would lead to the conclusion that the "SGP" and "base metal" designations do refer to a manufacturing process, rather than a production date.

You can also see that "yellow/gold" cases come in polished and brushed versions. Purchasing a "yellow/gold" Bell-matic can be risky, as these cases generally show wear very easily. The case was so badly worn that I decided to have its movement and dial swapped into a stainless steel case I found from a supplier (second photo)."Yellow/gold" cases can be replated but this can be fairly expensive.

I hope you have enjoyed this discussion and if you have comments or corrections, please feel free to add them to this post. Thank you for visiting!

Dedicated to all things Bell-Matic

Welcome to the Bellmania blog. Here we will consider all things Bell-matic. As in, SEIKO Bell-Matic, an automatic watch manufactured between 1967 and 1976 (or '77). A mechanical alarm watch made in Japan, it was a unique and popular timepiece with a wide range of styles. Feel free to join in the discussion of this vintage SEIKO timepiece. You can also email me.