Seiko World Time - Vintage DIGITAL Models

[dapellegrini]

Well, what a difference from your NOS example...  I just received this parts donor from Japan.  When they say "Junk", they mean it.

Maybe digital watches can have "tropical dial" too?  Any takers?



I still haven't got the battery hatch to open, but when I went to pull the crown out to the first position it came out with a pile of rust...



With the case back off, yikes:



Module out ...













On the bright side there isn't much for me to ruin or mess up here   and I think the case, bracelet and buttons are salvageable...  Not sure about the light, or any other parts worth keeping set aside?

[dapellegrini]

This came in a lot of junk watches...  Fun shot here shows the M158, then A358 then A239 - progressively smaller and smaller (from 37mm to about 33mm)

[inboost]

Feb 22, 2022 15:01:41 GMT -8 dapellegrini said:

On the bright side there isn't much for me to ruin or mess up here   and I think the case, bracelet and buttons are salvageable...  Not sure about the light, or any other parts worth keeping set aside?

dapellegrini - Oh this is so sad, what a shame to have a battery do so much damage. Check page 26 of the M158 service manual. There is a procedure for checking the bulb. If it's good be sure to hang on to it!

Inboost

[dapellegrini]

There are two models that are nearly impossible to find... and I'm curious if anyone here can find more info than I have on either of them...

First, the A708-5010.  I can find no photo proof of its existence, but it is listed in JB and Boley databases...  Perhaps an error in the Seiko database?

The second is the A718-5010 with light gray dial.  In this case, there is one (as in only one) photo to be found on all the internet:



This is on seikolcd.com - I reached out to the owner, but can't seem to get a reply.  

Perhaps these are just such obscure, zero-value watches that they are only found in junk lots?  Seems odd.

[dapellegrini]

While I was working on my A358's the doorbell rang with a package from Japan - needing signature...



Sweet, my first A708!

The crystal was really beat up, so I decided with all my tools out, it was time for a crystal swap.  This crystal is large and curved, creating a cool magnifying effect on the LCD:




Once I had it open I noticed rust around one of the pushers, so it got some light cleaning before reconstruction...




First time back together and the display hung....  Not a good sign:




So back open, remove and reinsert battery, re install caseback....  Now it runs for 36 seconds and then hangs.  Not sure if that is progress or not.  I am going to order new batteries...  In the meantime, one more time, battery out, battery in, and now it seems to be ticking away happily:



Here's a shot of the watches I have finally got running this week (or just received)

[inboost]

dapellegrini - Have you checked to see if there is an all-clear 'AC' terminal on the watch to reset the micro? I know the M158 doesn't have one, but maybe this A708 does? Many watches need this terminal momentarily shorted to an adjacent terminal or the the battery to get them going again.

[dapellegrini]

Hmmm....  Well there was part of a label trying to say something:



Nothing stands out to me in the tech guide:

www.digital-watch.com/images/seiko_manuals/A708A_A718A.pdf

[dapellegrini]

There are a couple of contact points on the back of the module, and a plastic piece the "kind of" holds the battery in place.  On the A239, you have to press all 4 buttons after new battery inserted.  The M158 and A358 seem to not need a reset procedure.  TBD on the A708 and A718...




I'll get better photos next time I open it up.

[inboost]

dapellegrini - yep that's what I was suggesting to look for! I'd bet it's one of the two exposed gold contacts you see, hopefully with a closer look next time you're in there you'll see AC marked next to the terminal(s).

[dapellegrini]

You must be right!  Will know soon, I have a gold A708 in bound + 2 dead SS A708's as salvage.

This has caused a new problem, I need a new watch box.  If/when my M158-5000 arrives, this box is full, and I have 3x A358's looking for a spot.





To finish the line up, here are the watches I still need (in case anyone sees one in great shape for a good price):

 - A239-5020 in SGP - marked WORLD TIME
 - A239-5010 in SS - green LCD and marked WORLD TIMER ALARM
 - A358-500X in SGP
 - A708-5010 - if it truly exists
 - A718-5030 in SGP
 - A718-5010 in SS - with light gray dial

If/when I have them all, that's 19 watches.  Priority is SS models for now.  At this point I have examples of every series in this digital generation - so collecting might slow down so I can focus on taking a lot more photos, doing comparisons etc.  Lots to do!

[inboost]

That's a really awesome photo dapellegrini but I have to agree that the watch box is going to be a problem. I got a new box for Christmas from my Son & his Girlfriend made by Tawbury that houses 24 but in two levels. It's already starting to look a bit congested

Inboost

[aac58]

Feb 26, 2022 14:45:10 GMT -8 inboost said:

dapellegrini - Have you checked to see if there is an all-clear 'AC' terminal on the watch to reset the micro? I know the M158 doesn't have one, but maybe this A708 does? Many watches need this terminal momentarily shorted to an adjacent terminal or the the battery to get them going again.

There is an AC terminal on the A708/718 circuit

[dapellegrini]

Excellent. Thanks for that. Will be trying that out when the next batch arrives.

[dapellegrini]

This one was lost in the mail for a while - but finally arrived today.



Cool to have the full kit, but it looks like the missing battery door was a sign of bigger problems with the watch itself.  A new battery doesn't help and there are signs of corrosion that lead me to believe this may be cooked once I get it open.  The case back is stuck at the moment - waiting for new tools to try and get it open without any further damage...  

On the bright side, there should be enough here to build back a watch with original box and paperwork, including sales receipt and warranty card...  Just might need a new module!

[inboost]

Hooray! That's awesome that it arrived!

Once open I'll be eager to weigh in on what's gone wrong with it. I've broken one of my scrap movements all the way down so I have spares I can offer if needed. I'm still waiting on the crystals for my two project M158s but there is every indication I won't need anything from the pieces in my spares tray.

I hope it comes apart for you on your next attempt!

[dapellegrini]

Here's where I am at with the Digital World Timers:



(ignore the 3 right-most watches)



I've got an SGP A708-5000 inbound + hope to have a nice (and functioning) M158-5000 JDM very soon. 

At that point there are one or two more A239's I will pick up if I stumble on good examples - then just the unicorns:

 - A718-5010 in grey dial frame
 - and A708-5010 (no idea what dial frame color that is)

Well, I guess if I get bored there are a couple more SGP's that would round out the collection (A358 and A718).

[dapellegrini]

I've now added an SGP A708 + a second SS A708 to the collection for the time being.  These are very touchy/fiddly modules.  I would like to believe that I can pull off the hipster/ironic look wearing a fake gold watch from the 1980's - but I may be the only one that believes it

[dapellegrini]

FWIW, aesthetics wise the A708 is the spiritual successor to the M158 and very cool.  Unfortunately, in my admittedly non-expert opinion, the A708 module is not as nice or robust as the M158, and getting a good one can be a challenge.  If you just go by part count, it seems with each successive digital version Seiko got a little cheaper. By the time they got the A708 even the light appears to be soldered in place...

[dapellegrini]

And I finally have a JDM M158 put together and working... Whew that was not as easy as it should have been




A couple discoveries along the way.

First, there are two types of cases on the M158, those that have a cutout in the case where the case back snap-on/pry location is and those that don't.  The one on the left below does NOT, the one to the right of it DOES.



Second - some of these end up cemented shut - where the o-ring melts into glue over the years, with no easy way to get them open.  Most however will open with a little bit of effort and a decent case back tool.  In my experience 3 of 4 opened up with a little effort - 1 proved impossible to open (really impossible).  This case design is not a standard snap on type - the outer case snaps into an inner case with a recessed o-ring that you can get to with a razor blade or really by any other means.  I suggest taping the case back up with some masking tape or similar if you are having trouble getting it open - to avoid more damage.

Third thing, I ordered new OEM crystals and crystal gaskets - but was surprised when I opened the crystal gaskets - the ones I received are both brown - not black.  Perhaps the SGP and SS versions shared a part number, but you had to open them up to confirm the color?  In the daylight tomorrow I will have to take a closer look at the crystal gaskets on my SGP examples (I thought they were black too, but maybe they are brown, TBD).  In any case, I had to reuse one of my black ones here ...  Not ideal.

[dapellegrini]

Here are some more photos from my time with the M158-5000 today