Seiko 7S26-02J0, stopped!
Discussion
I have a Seiko 5 watch, model number 7S26-02J0, which I like very much. Here's a photo.
It was purchased after I read the large Seiko 5 thread on here and it was nigh-on perfect for my needs. However it stopped yesterday and I'm unsure what to do. It was purchased in September 2013 so is only a little over 3 years old and I'd have hoped for more life from a watch from a decent brand.
I've called Seiko who were helpful but said that as it was purchased from Amazon and marked 'Malaysia' on the back it is probably not a UK model and hence would only have a 1 year warranty. A repair would be £60 or so including return postage although the watch only cost £45.
What are the odds that Seiko would offer any goodwill if I was to post it in to them? I asked about this on the 'phone but the lady was more than a little cagy.
What are my options? And what should/could I buy to replace it? It needs to be fairly small, discreet and have a dark face. I very much like the styling of the 7S26-02J0 and would happily have something very similar as a replacement - although I'll avoid Seiko as a brand after this experience.
Thanks.
It was purchased after I read the large Seiko 5 thread on here and it was nigh-on perfect for my needs. However it stopped yesterday and I'm unsure what to do. It was purchased in September 2013 so is only a little over 3 years old and I'd have hoped for more life from a watch from a decent brand.
I've called Seiko who were helpful but said that as it was purchased from Amazon and marked 'Malaysia' on the back it is probably not a UK model and hence would only have a 1 year warranty. A repair would be £60 or so including return postage although the watch only cost £45.
What are the odds that Seiko would offer any goodwill if I was to post it in to them? I asked about this on the 'phone but the lady was more than a little cagy.
What are my options? And what should/could I buy to replace it? It needs to be fairly small, discreet and have a dark face. I very much like the styling of the 7S26-02J0 and would happily have something very similar as a replacement - although I'll avoid Seiko as a brand after this experience.
Thanks.
I'd be annoyed too, three years life for a Seiko automatic isn't typical at all. Mine are 26 and 11 and have never been serviced.
Not much you can do if it is out of warranty, if it was me I'd probably pay to have it repaired. Not sure if you know a reputable watch repair place locally, but can't imagine many would charge less than the £60 Seiko want, so might be safest to go with them. I'd hope once it's running properly it should be good for many years to come.
Not much you can do if it is out of warranty, if it was me I'd probably pay to have it repaired. Not sure if you know a reputable watch repair place locally, but can't imagine many would charge less than the £60 Seiko want, so might be safest to go with them. I'd hope once it's running properly it should be good for many years to come.
If you want something similar, you could have a look on here and if anything takes your fancy see if you can find model online.
http://www.watchsleuth.com/seiko5finder/
http://www.watchsleuth.com/seiko5finder/
Interesting comments chaps, thanks. I had expected more of Seiko and, given this is my first experience of them, I'm distinctly wary about splashing out on another one. It was purchased from Amazon and there may be scope for a grumble there, particularly as it wasn't made clear that it wasn't UK stock. (The lady at Seiko was much more positive about the notion of a 'goodwill gesture' had it been UK stock).
Thanks for the link frye. I had never realised there were so many different Seiko watches - there are thousands!
Thanks for the link frye. I had never realised there were so many different Seiko watches - there are thousands!
tobinen said:
You've been unfortunate. Just buy another one.
^ What he said. Pretend it's a quartz and you took it in for a £60 new battery and clean up, and it came back looking like new, with a spare strap. You'd probably be happy with that 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seiko-Automatic-Analogue-...
Pop it into a local watch repairers (Ideally NOT Timpsons, but if that's all you have access to, it'll do) and see if they can diagnose a problem.
It might be a broken part (mainspring), but it might just need a drop of lube.
You've nothing to lose, have you?
That said, if someone you didn't know asked you to fix something would you expect more than £45 if you did? If you look at it as £15 a year, that's less than 5 pints of beer around here! Hardly bad value for money and, as others have said, many have Seiko 5s that have worked fine for years, you may have just got unlucky...
The 5 is very much Seiko's entry level mechanical range. I'm not sure how they can sell a watch as cheap as they do (presumably by churning out millions a year), it's a disposable item.
Without being rude, if you're just after something that will tell the time and think £45 is too much over 3 years, then just spend a couple of quid on eBay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2016-Men-Silicone-Analog...
I've one very like that, cost me £1.81 (I wanted to see if it would even arrive for that price
) and 18 months later it stubbornly refuses to perform to expectation and die! 
It's so cheap, it's barely worth putting a new battery in it!
M.
It might be a broken part (mainspring), but it might just need a drop of lube.
You've nothing to lose, have you?
That said, if someone you didn't know asked you to fix something would you expect more than £45 if you did? If you look at it as £15 a year, that's less than 5 pints of beer around here! Hardly bad value for money and, as others have said, many have Seiko 5s that have worked fine for years, you may have just got unlucky...
The 5 is very much Seiko's entry level mechanical range. I'm not sure how they can sell a watch as cheap as they do (presumably by churning out millions a year), it's a disposable item.
Without being rude, if you're just after something that will tell the time and think £45 is too much over 3 years, then just spend a couple of quid on eBay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2016-Men-Silicone-Analog...
I've one very like that, cost me £1.81 (I wanted to see if it would even arrive for that price
) and 18 months later it stubbornly refuses to perform to expectation and die! It's so cheap, it's barely worth putting a new battery in it! M.
Edited by marcosgt on Tuesday 10th January 16:05
Sounds like the concensus is that Seiko are a decent manufacturer and I was unlucky. I'll have a grumble at Amazon and see what they say but I like this attitude from FarmyardPants;
FarmyardPants said:
Pretend it's a quartz and you took it in for a £60 new battery and clean up, and it came back looking like new, with a spare strap. You'd probably be happy with that
Well, an update .... I've grumbled at Amazon and, once again, their customer service proves to be excellent - they have said that they will refund the purchase price!
I take on board the comments about Seiko being generally very good and that I just had a rogue item. If I was to order another one of the same model (which I still like) then I'd ideally like one that is UK-supplied and has the proper 3-year warranty. Would I be right in guessing that all of the discounted ones on Amazon (such as the one that FarmyardPants linked to earlier) will be the same as the one I currently have - namely, supplied for foreign markets and hence with a shorter warranty?
(On a tangential note, is there any difference between the items produced for the UK market and models for other markets?)
Thanks again for your help.
I take on board the comments about Seiko being generally very good and that I just had a rogue item. If I was to order another one of the same model (which I still like) then I'd ideally like one that is UK-supplied and has the proper 3-year warranty. Would I be right in guessing that all of the discounted ones on Amazon (such as the one that FarmyardPants linked to earlier) will be the same as the one I currently have - namely, supplied for foreign markets and hence with a shorter warranty?
(On a tangential note, is there any difference between the items produced for the UK market and models for other markets?)
Thanks again for your help.
Seiko 5s are not, and never have been, an official line brought in by Seiko UK – at their price point they’ve preferred to offer quartz and solar.
Creation Watches is a good mention, and great, so long as the watch doesn’t develop a fault – Amazon they most certainly won’t be.
Another option from afar, is Skywatches – but closer to home is Rob at Monsterwatches.nl
Creation Watches is a good mention, and great, so long as the watch doesn’t develop a fault – Amazon they most certainly won’t be.
Another option from afar, is Skywatches – but closer to home is Rob at Monsterwatches.nl
Creation Watches stock hundreds of automatic Seiko models. You're bound to find something very similar on there. Lots of Seiko 5 models for <£80.
I bought 2 watches from Creation (Seiko monster and Orient dive watch), both of which arrived within 4 days of ordering. I was also never asked to pay any duty on them for some reason. I don't know why that was, as they were stopped and cleared by customs, but I didn't query it.
I bought 2 watches from Creation (Seiko monster and Orient dive watch), both of which arrived within 4 days of ordering. I was also never asked to pay any duty on them for some reason. I don't know why that was, as they were stopped and cleared by customs, but I didn't query it.
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