VFA stands for Very Finely Accuracy, and this was an expensive Seiko in its day.  Model reference 3823-7000.

HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?

From the serial number on the case back we can accurately date this watch to being made in March 1973.

CONDITION

The VFA is an important watch in Seiko’s – and watchmaking – history.  Seiko were the first to launch a quartz watch in December 25th 1969, just beating the Swiss to the post.  That original movement (calibre 3502) was replaced in 1971 by the 3823A fitted to the VFA here, which was itself replaced in 1974 by the 48** series in the Grand Quartz models.  The movement fitted to this watch was accurate to 5 seconds a month or better – remarkable timekeeping for the day, and it was not cheap.  The 1974 catalogue shows a price for this watch of ¥ 141,000 – about two months average salary in Japan at the time and for comparison the automatic ‘Willard’ divers watch was ¥ 17,500.  There was even an 18k gold version of this design at ¥733,000, which shows how confident Seiko were with this model.  It was on the first page of their 1974 catalogue.

This watch has a different bracelet to the one in the catalogue, but is is a genuine Seiko item with the reference XGB 262.  Unlike most Seiko bracelets this is a solid link design, whereas normally they are the cheaper, folded construction, so it would be fitting for the premium watch of the day.  The movement is all working nicely, and you have quick set date and a day wheel in English and Kanji.  We will install a brand new battery before sending the watch out to the new owner.  The bracelet is quite long and our sister website, SpareLinks.com, may have extra links if required.  The bracelet has been cleaned in our ultrasonic bath.  The hooded lug case is clean, but there is a small scratch below 7.  The dial is an unusual off silver, and the original distinct hands are fitted.

This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.

Please see the HD video for more detail.  All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned.  We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.

​SIZE

Width with crown  37.9 mm

Width without crown  37.0 mm

Between lugs  16 mm

Lug to lug length  46.2 mm

Case Thickness  12.3 mm

Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 194 mm.  The bracelet can be sized for you if you give us your wrist size when placing the order.

All sizes are approximate.

Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses.  If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries.  Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us.   Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.

From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon.  By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.

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