Seiko 7S26 vs ROLEX 3135

[milspec]

Hi folks,

Is 7s26 considered SEIKO's premier movement? If so, then how does it compare in accuracy with ROLEX's 3135 movement?

thanks,

[padi56]

Originally Posted by milspec

Hi folks,

Is 7s26 considered SEIKO's premier movement? If so, then how does it compare in accuracy with ROLEX's 3135 movement?

thanks,

Well IMO without the Seiko 7S26 and comparable movements from Miyota (Citizen), Orient, and ETA, many people would not be able to experience the joy of owning a mechanical watch.And given the reliability and robustness of the Seiko 7S26 movement.IMO I would not be shocked to see this movement run for 15-20 years without a service.Its a well made movement,but not a pretty movement,but with many good things like the Diafix cap jewels,and the nickel power train wheels,that are stronger than the traditional brass.And can be easily tuned to +5 a day,most mass produced Seiko's I have found, tent to run +15 to+20 out of the box.But the 7S26 its not a Seiko premier movement just from there bread and butter range.And you cannot compare it with the Rolex 3135 that is a chronometer grade movement.


But you can also get vintage and new high end Seiko's, which, until the advent of the Internet, were relatively unknown outside of Japan. And a few other far east Asian countries (Taiwan, HK, Singapore ETC.) "King Seiko","Grand Seiko", and "Seiko Credor", you will find in these watches that, movement and case finish wise, easily compete with the best of mass produced swiss watches, i.e. Omega, Rolex, etc. As for style… well, that is in the eye of the beholder. At best they can be considered very conservative. But it really depends which movements,and watches you are comparing to. What this all boils down to is: Seiko makes some truly outstanding products, the Grand Seiko Caliber 6146 for one, tested to a far higher standard than the Swiss COSC -2+4 a day most do better and almost all hand made and assembled.

[JimSnyder]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well IMO without the Seiko 7S26 and comparable movements from Miyota (Citizen), Orient, and ETA, many people would not be able to experience the joy of owning a mechanical watch.And given the reliability and robustness of the Seiko 7S26 movement.IMO I would not be shocked to see this movement run for 15-20 years without a service.Its a well made movement,but not a pretty movement,but with many good things like the Diafix cap jewels,and the nickel power train wheels,that are stronger than the traditional brass.And can be easily tuned to +5 a day,most mass produced Seiko's I have found, tent to run +15 to+20 out of the box.But the 7S26 its not a Seiko premier movement just from there bread and butter range.And you cannot compare it with the Rolex 3135 that is a chronometer grade movement.


But you can also get vintage and new high end Seiko's, which, until the advent of the Internet, were relatively unknown outside of Japan. And a few other far east Asian countries (Taiwan, HK, Singapore ETC.) "King Seiko","Grand Seiko", and "Seiko Credor", you will find in these watches that, movement and case finish wise, easily compete with the best of mass produced swiss watches, i.e. Omega, Rolex, etc. As for style… well, that is in the eye of the beholder. At best they can be considered very conservative. But it really depends which movements,and watches you are comparing to. What this all boils down to is: Seiko makes some truly outstanding products, the Grand Seiko 6146 for one, tested to a far higher standard than the Swiss COSC -2+4 a day most do better and almost all hand made and assembled.

x2! The Seiko Caliber 9R86 in a Grand Seiko. Swiss Cosc compitition was closed to all but Swiss watchmakers after a Grand Seiko won

[cody p]

Originally Posted by milspec

Hi folks,

Is 7s26 considered SEIKO's premier movement? If so, then how does it compare in accuracy with ROLEX's 3135 movement?

thanks,

Padi hit the nail on the head! i'll just add that seiko has introduced a new 4r15 caliber that seems to be positioned between the 7s26 and the 6r15.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by JimSnyder

x2! The Seiko 9R86 in a Grand Seiko. Swiss Cosc compitition was closed to all but Swiss watchmakers after a Grand Seiko won

Not quite true Seiko entered the compertion with just a straight off production model.Here are a couple of other relevant points relating to Seiko's development as a major player........

In 1969 Seiko produced the world's first automatic column-wheel chronograph, beating both the Breitling-led development group and Zenith-Movado to market. These chronographs were very popular with American airmen and other military units, as were the Diver watches. Sold under the Speed Timer and Seiko 5 Sports Chrono names -- among others -- they featured one or two sub dials, and had day and date guichet displays. It is these watches, the Seiko 5s, Divers and chronographs, when brought back by US servicemen serving in Vietnam, that finally introduced Seiko to the US consumer.

And it's almost impossible to find any detail about the last Observatory Chronometer competition held in Neuchatel from 1967 on, probably because Seiko destroyed the Swiss, and the competition was never held again. Girard-Perregaux won the competition with a specially constructed one off movement, and Seiko came second with a standard straight of production Grand Seiko and following years came first.

In 1971 observatory competitions in Neuchâtel were suspended indefinitely after a petition and then the threat of boycott by several prestigious Swiss wristwatch manufacturers, because Seiko had begun to dominate the results, winning two years in succession. It wasn't the arrival of quartz which brought mechanical accuracy competitions in Switzerland to an end, but IMHO losing a fair fight to Japan Seiko ..



For better or worse IMO, Seiko's are pretty rugged watches, The "Kalashnikov's of the watch world".and there is a place for them in WISdom.

The well-known workhorse Citizen Miyota movement is worthy of a mention,and Movements like the 7S26 and can easily be regulated to COSC standards with a bit of care and patience. would rate them on par,with a reputation for very long life without servicing, and extremely robust. They can also be manually wound which is irritatingly absent, in some Seiko

.

[JimSnyder]

Great info Padi thank you and a great post

[argee1977]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well IMO without the Seiko 7S26 and comparable movements from Miyota (Citizen), Orient, and ETA, many people would not be able to experience the joy of owning a mechanical watch.And given the reliability and robustness of the Seiko 7S26 movement.IMO I would not be shocked to see this movement run for 15-20 years without a service.Its a well made movement,but not a pretty movement,but with many good things like the Diafix cap jewels,and the nickel power train wheels,that are stronger than the traditional brass.And can be easily tuned to +5 a day,most mass produced Seiko's I have found, tent to run +15 to+20 out of the box.But the 7S26 its not a Seiko premier movement just from there bread and butter range.And you cannot compare it with the Rolex 3135 that is a chronometer grade movement.


But you can also get vintage and new high end Seiko's, which, until the advent of the Internet, were relatively unknown outside of Japan. And a few other far east Asian countries (Taiwan, HK, Singapore ETC.) "King Seiko","Grand Seiko", and "Seiko Credor", you will find in these watches that, movement and case finish wise, easily compete with the best of mass produced swiss watches, i.e. Omega, Rolex, etc. As for style… well, that is in the eye of the beholder. At best they can be considered very conservative. But it really depends which movements,and watches you are comparing to. What this all boils down to is: Seiko makes some truly outstanding products, the Grand Seiko 6146 for one, tested to a far higher standard than the Swiss COSC -2+4 a day most do better and almost all hand made and assembled.

What's the difference between the 5r86 and the 9r86, i've seen a seiko i like with the 5r86 but a quick check there and i can't find anything with a 9r86?

[TheVTCGuy]

PADI is correct, there was an influx of Seiko 6138 and 6139 chronographs in the early 70s, I know this watch well as it was the first watch I saved for and purchased with my own money as a young teenager. Over the years I built up quite a collection, all gone now to help fuel my lust for Rollies, but they were fine watches and can still be found in excellent condition.

[simbal]

Wow, great information Padi, thanks!
I was thinking about getting a SBGM003, but can't quite justify spending this kind of money on a 'Seiko'!!

http://www.seiyajapan.com/product/S-...T_SBGM003.html

[bdub]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well IMO without the Seiko 7S26 and comparable movements from Miyota (Citizen), Orient, and ETA, many people would not be able to experience the joy of owning a mechanical watch.And given the reliability and robustness of the Seiko 7S26 movement.IMO I would not be shocked to see this movement run for 15-20 years without a service.Its a well made movement,but not a pretty movement,but with many good things like the Diafix cap jewels,and the nickel power train wheels,that are stronger than the traditional brass.And can be easily tuned to +5 a day,most mass produced Seiko's I have found, tent to run +15 to+20 out of the box.But the 7S26 its not a Seiko premier movement just from there bread and butter range.And you cannot compare it with the Rolex 3135 that is a chronometer grade movement.


But you can also get vintage and new high end Seiko's, which, until the advent of the Internet, were relatively unknown outside of Japan. And a few other far east Asian countries (Taiwan, HK, Singapore ETC.) "King Seiko","Grand Seiko", and "Seiko Credor", you will find in these watches that, movement and case finish wise, easily compete with the best of mass produced swiss watches, i.e. Omega, Rolex, etc. As for style… well, that is in the eye of the beholder. At best they can be considered very conservative. But it really depends which movements,and watches you are comparing to. What this all boils down to is: Seiko makes some truly outstanding products, the Grand Seiko 9R86 for one, tested to a far higher standard than the Swiss COSC -2+4 a day most do better and almost all hand made and assembled.

Originally Posted by padi56

Not quite true Seiko entered the compertion with just a straight off production model.Here are a couple of other relevant points relating to Seiko's development as a major player........

In 1969 Seiko produced the world's first automatic column-wheel chronograph, beating both the Breitling-led development group and Zenith-Movado to market. These chronographs were very popular with American airmen and other military units, as were the Diver watches. Sold under the Speed Timer and Seiko 5 Sports Chrono names -- among others -- they featured one or two sub dials, and had day and date guichet displays. It is these watches, the Seiko 5s, Divers and chronographs, when brought back by US servicemen serving in Vietnam, that finally introduced Seiko to the US consumer.

And it's almost impossible to find any detail about the last Observatory Chronometer competition held in Neuchatel from 1967 on, probably because Seiko destroyed the Swiss, and the competition was never held again. Girard-Perregaux won the competition with a specially constructed one off movement, and Seiko came second with a standard straight of production Grand Seiko and following years came first.

In 1971 observatory competitions in Neuchâtel were suspended indefinitely after a petition and then the threat of boycott by several prestigious Swiss wristwatch manufacturers, because Seiko had begun to dominate the results, winning two years in succession. It wasn't the arrival of quartz which brought mechanical accuracy competitions in Switzerland to an end, but IMHO losing a fair fight to Japan Seiko ..



For better or worse IMO, Seiko's are pretty rugged watches, The "Kalashnikov's of the watch world".and there is a place for them in WISdom.

The well-known workhorse Citizen Miyota movement is worthy of a mention,and Movements like the 7S26 and can easily be regulated to COSC standards with a bit of care and patience. would rate them on par,with a reputation for very long life without servicing, and extremely robust. They can also be manually wound which is irritatingly absent, in some Seiko

.

Fantastic information. Thank you for sharing.

[kle]

Originally Posted by simbal

Wow, great information Padi, thanks!
I was thinking about getting a SBGM003, but can't quite justify spending this kind of money on a 'Seiko'!!

http://www.seiyajapan.com/product/S-...T_SBGM003.html

The GS is a good choice. I recently bought the SBGC 007, deep blue dial, 9r86 SDrive Chronograph. I love everybit of it and its accuracy is higher than what Seiko claim. For over 3 weeks now, it is 2s faster only which is more accurate than the stated 15s/month. I would go for the GS, spending money on Swiss watches is not worthy, you buy the brand, not the watch. The GS internal standard is higher than COSC. As Padi said, Seiko outclassed the Swiss in the COSC competition. I think the Swiss marketing has been excellent that is why their watches can still be the most sought after in the world. Just a thought. Cheers.

[kle]

Originally Posted by argee1977

What's the difference between the 5r86 and the 9r86, i've seen a seiko i like with the 5r86 but a quick check there and i can't find anything with a 9r86?

I think the 5r86 is for the high end Seiko's such as Ananta and Spring Drive while the 9r86 is for the Grand Seiko Chronographs only. The 9r86 is more exclusive than the 5r86. However, their accuracy is the same.

[DJJon]

I really like the Grand Seiko 36000 bph caliber and of now find myself drawn to the GS Spring Drives. I now desire the titanium cased 'snowflake dial' SBGA011 GS SD.

For what it is worth, I was shocked recently when I made a return visit to the Grand Seiko AD in Columbia SC for a 2nd time, about 6 months after the first. Of the watches on display it appered they had only sold 1 Grand Seiko mechanical watch in that time, which included the Holiday Shopping Season. And there are only 11 ADs in all the USA. So where are the sales and/or why don't they sell?

I guess the population of folks willing to spend Swiss Watch money on the Grand Seiko is smaller than the population who understand they are fine watches and good values.

[up2nogood]

I really want to like them, but the dial fonts kill it for me.

[jolimont]

Great info there Padi

[bigrustypig]

I really like it when somebody posts something and Padi/Peter jumps in. I always get an education.
Just to add a bit, the older 7S26 movements were much better than the later ones circa 2009 onwards.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by bigrustypig

I really like it when somebody posts something and Padi/Peter jumps in. I always get an education.
Just to add a bit, the older 7S26 movements were much better than the later ones circa 2009 onwards.

Well this thread is 3 years old to start with and yes agree the old 7S26 movements were slightly better than the new ones and far easier to tune