The very rare Superior model was the best that Seiko could make in 1977, and was one of the most accurate watches in the World. Model reference 4883-8100
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From the serial number on the case back we can accurately date this watch to being made in 1977.
CONDITION
The first watch to appear in the 1977 Seiko catalogue is this one. It was the pinnacle of what was possible with the technology, and had an eye watering price to match. A good automatic chronograph had an asking price of ¥23,000. The top of the range Grand Quartz was ¥100,000, but if you wanted this Quartz Superior you had to pay ¥180,000. What did you get for your extra ¥80k? The movement was accurate t +/- 1 second a month, where on the ‘standard’ Grand Seiko it was +/- 5 seconds a month. For comparison a good chronometer today might be +/- 4 seconds a day. Was the Superior an enormous sales success? No, but partly because Seiko usurped itself and bought out the Twin Quartz in 1978, accurate to 5 seconds a year. But that just makes this watch rarer.
Mechanically this watch is perfect, and the quick set day and date is working too. The day can be set to English or Kanji. Cosmetically there are two main issues on an otherwise very good watch. The first is the dial, which has a light dent near the quartz logo. Apart from that the dial is good, and the hour markers are very visual and three dimensional. The other issue is the bracelet is not an original Seiko one, but a very close aftermarket one. At a glance you would not know it wasn’t the original bracelet, but it would be amiss of us not to mention it now. You could always wear it on a leather strap if this bothered you. We will install a brand new battery before sending the watch out to the new owner.
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 37.6 mm
Width without crown 36.5 mm
Between lugs 18 mm
Lug to lug length 41.3 mm
Case Thickness 10.1 mm
Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 220 mm. The bracelet can be sized easily without special tools.
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.
