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Where have all the charcoal sunburst dials gone?

3K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  bobabreath 
#1 ·
Seiko is quite famous for their sunburst dials on their sporty dress watches, but colors seem to be restricted mostly to silver, champagne, and blue. Recently I stumbled upon two identical charcoal gray dialed 1960s Seikomatics at my local watch repair guy, and was absolutely enthralled by the dial. Foolishly I didn't buy the better condition watch on the spot ($45), which was actually in great condition aside from crumbling lume. I decided to do a bit of internet research first, to see if there weren't other models I liked better, but having decided that it truly was outstanding, I went back the next day to get one, and both were gone. :(

But in my research I came across a number of other vintage Seiko charcoal sunburst dials, especially among Seiko 5s and Bell-Matics, though most of the photos I found were crappy. Here is one of the better photos (off eprey):

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So why isn't there a charcoal grey sunburst Grand Seiko? Was there ever one, or a King Seiko or a Lord Matic or other higher end Seiko? Strangely, all the charcoal sunburst dials I could find were on lower end models.

Other manufacturers are still (or again) using this kind of dial:

Certina DS Powermatic:

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Epos 3411:

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So why don't I just get one of those? Most European watches to my eyes have either amazingly generic or boring cases, or gratuitous case flourishes. Nobody imho makes cases like Seiko, my SKX173 and SARB035 being outstanding examples of subtle, non-gratuitous detail, like the way the case sides slope inward towards the case back. I really like the dial on the Certina, but it completely overwhelms the case. The Epos' case is better proportioned, but utterly boring, and I don't like the printed hour markers.

If you have photos of a Seiko charcoal sunburst dial (vintage or not), let's see them!

PS: Orient came out with one this year, the Curator (though the sunburst is more subtle), but at 41mm it's a bit too big for my puny 6.25" wrist, and it's got a very European, boring case. Nonetheless, I may need to get one and see if I can live with the size. It certainly is a bargain at under $300.

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#3 · (Edited)
The SBGA081 is the closest I've seen and it also happens to be all Ti. I seriously considered it once as the dial looks beautiful, has that warmth, and pictures suggest the usual subtle GS chatoyancy...

I think the best representation of grey sunburst currently is the Blancpain Bathyscaphe but that's just me.
 

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#5 · (Edited)
Here's one for you. Seiko 6119-7080, sunburst gray dial. Sorry this pic doesn't show the dial too well. I was trying to get the case details, after polishing and lapping it. I think it's an interesting case design. I also like the domed acrylic crystal- not sure if it's original though.


Here's a better photo of the dial. Apologies for the green microfiber background.
 
#6 ·
"So why isn't there a charcoal grey sunburst Grand Seiko? Was there ever one, or a King Seiko or a Lord Matic or other higher end Seiko? Strangely, all the charcoal sunburst dials I could find were on lower end models."

My King Seiko 45-8000 from 1969 has a VERY subtle charcoal grey sunburst dial.
In anything less than glaring, direct sunlight it is very much a flat grey...heading toward black in shadow.

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#10 ·
The grey dialled version of my SBGA075, the SBGA073 has a beautiful charcoal sunburst. hotmustardsauce has one and it's the tits.

View attachment 2365834
Thanks, Domo, for pointing out the SBGA073, and to sierra11b for the SBGA081 (beautiful charcoal dial, though not a sunburst). The SBGA081 is actually listed on the Japanese GS site (but not the US one):
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I assume the SBGA073 was a special edition?

I found two more, btw:

SBGR063 Automatic (listed on the official Taiwan Seiko site, but not Japan or US):
Grand Seiko???????????????Spring Drive?????????????

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SBGE027 Spring Drive GMT (this one is listed on the Japanese GS site):
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Unfortunately I am not really liking any of these cases much. My favorite is the SBGR063. I don't like gold indexes on steel watches, but the gold logos here add just the right amount of warmth.

Is there an archive that attempts to list all GS (at least the modern ones)? There is this watch photo database (Home > Wristwatches > Japanese > Grand Seiko - Watches Photo Database - SEIKO CITIZEN ORIENT), but it is missing all the charcoal gray watches listed here, and many more.
 
#12 ·
Although this previously beautiful gunmetal sunburst has been obstructed by all that horrible engravish looking stuff, the sunburst does still manage to show through ;-)

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#13 ·
That GSeiko is beautiful... Here's a nice Hamilton - Spirit of Liberty Grey Dial:

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