Getting Presidential…with your Uncle Seiko
Sept 28, 2016 10:48:32 GMT -8
bobbymike, lordflagpolecrabtree, and 9 more like this
Post by saul on Sept 28, 2016 10:48:32 GMT -8
This is not a political ad. There ain’t no candidates running cool enough to wear these watches. This post is about someone who is cool, really cool, your Uncle Seiko.
Larry must be insane. What kind of person wakes up one morning and decides to start a business producing watch bands for vintage Japanese wrist watches? The market for repro dive straps is already healthy, so is the market for all manner of stainless steel bracelets. This kind of undertaking can only be done by someone with passion and a little bit of Don Quixote in his soul. So keep tilting at those windmills Larry…
If you are fortunate enough to own the ubiquitous and yet ever challenging to shoe, Seiko 6105-811x , then you already know that there is no factory bracelet for this watch. Furthermore you also know that as was typical of the era Seiko produced a rather largish watch with rather smallish lugs, 19mm to be precise. The dive straps produced by Seiko also had somewhat pixyish proportions, the classic waffle and candy bars tapering to a dainty 16mm and only the legendary XGL731 maintaining a more or less straight flow (19/18). In recent years reproductions of these straps have come from a number of sources, including Larry.
Larry’s most recent offering is a SEL (Solid End Link) President for the 6105-811x. This is one of my favorite link styles as it very flexible and thus generally very comfortable. It also compliments the aesthetic of any watch, new or vintage. It is the very definition of a “classic”
SEL reverse engineered for a watch that never had one is always a challenge. More so when you consider that the watches are 40 years old, produced over a decade in multiple factories and subjected to a lifetime of who-knows-what physical abuse. I have seldom procured a SEL for my 6309 divers (cushion cased or narrow) where some amount of work with a hand file wasn’t needed to get them to fit. It was no different with my 6105. One SEL needed to have a very small amount of material relieved with a hand file to easily fit my watch. About three minutes work of very light filing with constant checking for fit. You generally are talking about a minuscule amount of material.
Another major caveat about SEL is that unless you have drilled lugs, removing the bracelet can range from challenging to infuriating. These SEL’s were not terribly difficult to remove. While folded end links can be easier to work with, and when well-made can be very pleasing to the eye, nothing really looks as good as a SEL. This bracelet/SEL combo is not made to support 2.5mm spring bars. The 1.78mm spring bars provided worked fine. The fit is tight, no motion, no chance of anything popping out.
The dimensions of this bracelet are classic and of the era. 19mm at the lugs tapering to simple friction clasp at 16mm. One may argue that such a slender bracelet doesn’t do justice to such a large watch and I have often been of that opinion myself. I have tried every combination of 20mm, 22mm, and even a Monster with its lugs filed to 19mm that flares at the first link to 24mm. They all had their good points but none really satisfies and most add too much weight. I was skeptical about this bracelet but having already fallen for its 6139 SEL predecessor I figured it was worth trying.
The thing about the 6105-811x case is that while it is large, even by modern standards, it is very well balanced. It hugs the wrist and has a relatively low profile. It doesn’t need a massive piece of steel to keep it in place. Larry’s 19mm President does the job and does it discreetly and solidly. Aesthetics are a personal thing, you may not be able to wrap your head around this combo but if you try it out you may just be pleasantly surprised.
6105-8110
6138-0017
6139-6005
Three Amigos on Uncle Seiko Presidents
Larry must be insane. What kind of person wakes up one morning and decides to start a business producing watch bands for vintage Japanese wrist watches? The market for repro dive straps is already healthy, so is the market for all manner of stainless steel bracelets. This kind of undertaking can only be done by someone with passion and a little bit of Don Quixote in his soul. So keep tilting at those windmills Larry…
If you are fortunate enough to own the ubiquitous and yet ever challenging to shoe, Seiko 6105-811x , then you already know that there is no factory bracelet for this watch. Furthermore you also know that as was typical of the era Seiko produced a rather largish watch with rather smallish lugs, 19mm to be precise. The dive straps produced by Seiko also had somewhat pixyish proportions, the classic waffle and candy bars tapering to a dainty 16mm and only the legendary XGL731 maintaining a more or less straight flow (19/18). In recent years reproductions of these straps have come from a number of sources, including Larry.
Larry’s most recent offering is a SEL (Solid End Link) President for the 6105-811x. This is one of my favorite link styles as it very flexible and thus generally very comfortable. It also compliments the aesthetic of any watch, new or vintage. It is the very definition of a “classic”
SEL reverse engineered for a watch that never had one is always a challenge. More so when you consider that the watches are 40 years old, produced over a decade in multiple factories and subjected to a lifetime of who-knows-what physical abuse. I have seldom procured a SEL for my 6309 divers (cushion cased or narrow) where some amount of work with a hand file wasn’t needed to get them to fit. It was no different with my 6105. One SEL needed to have a very small amount of material relieved with a hand file to easily fit my watch. About three minutes work of very light filing with constant checking for fit. You generally are talking about a minuscule amount of material.
Another major caveat about SEL is that unless you have drilled lugs, removing the bracelet can range from challenging to infuriating. These SEL’s were not terribly difficult to remove. While folded end links can be easier to work with, and when well-made can be very pleasing to the eye, nothing really looks as good as a SEL. This bracelet/SEL combo is not made to support 2.5mm spring bars. The 1.78mm spring bars provided worked fine. The fit is tight, no motion, no chance of anything popping out.
The dimensions of this bracelet are classic and of the era. 19mm at the lugs tapering to simple friction clasp at 16mm. One may argue that such a slender bracelet doesn’t do justice to such a large watch and I have often been of that opinion myself. I have tried every combination of 20mm, 22mm, and even a Monster with its lugs filed to 19mm that flares at the first link to 24mm. They all had their good points but none really satisfies and most add too much weight. I was skeptical about this bracelet but having already fallen for its 6139 SEL predecessor I figured it was worth trying.
The thing about the 6105-811x case is that while it is large, even by modern standards, it is very well balanced. It hugs the wrist and has a relatively low profile. It doesn’t need a massive piece of steel to keep it in place. Larry’s 19mm President does the job and does it discreetly and solidly. Aesthetics are a personal thing, you may not be able to wrap your head around this combo but if you try it out you may just be pleasantly surprised.
6105-8110
6138-0017
6139-6005
Three Amigos on Uncle Seiko Presidents
:winner: .
