The first commercially available quartz watch was the Seiko Astron, it was released in 1969. Quartz revolutionized the world of watches. Rather than have a complex little machine made up of rubies and intricate cogs and wheels, a quartz movement replaced those complex movements of mechanical watches with an electronic circuit and made it possible for everyone to have an accurate and affordable timepiece. While the inner workings of a quartz watch are certainly less beautiful, one could argue that quartz is an elegant solution that reduced the maintenance and cost of ownership of a watch and democratized timekeeping. While many billions of disposable watches have been made and thrown away, there are plenty of specimens that were made with the same care and artistry as the mechanical watches. Wuartz watches have beautiful dials and cases just like their mechanical counterparts, but come with improved accuracy and a more resilient system which has far fewer points of failure. The most maintenance a quartz watch will likely need in its life is a simple battery change.

I have been nuts for watches over the last few weeks and have purchased 7 different models (all quartz) including 3 super cheap Casio clones made by a Chinese outfit called SKMEI. I was amazed that a $6 watch could capture the essence of a Casio g-shock but not that surprised. It keeps time just as well and has a very long battery life. All in all I paid about $30 for 3 watches to be shipped from China. These watches have no value except as a fashion accessory and even then they are cheap and they look cheap. I do love good and cheap stuff but none of these watches really scratched the itch.

I wanted to buy something that was vintage, name brand, and under appreciated. Overseas one can find many different models of the Seiko Grand and King quartz watches, but here in the states we have slimmer pickings. After coming across the model online, I found a Seiko 4004 on Ebay with a blue dial that has been owned by the same guy for 20 years and is in great condition.

According to this archived forum discussion, the 4004 watches were sold in the 1970s, my copy was sold in 1977. They had well made quartz movements and at the time were sold for more than Seiko’s mechanical watches. Today they have a reputation for being well built, undervalued and under-appreciated.

Many mechanical watches from Seiko can start in the $150 range, most models run $350 and up and can easy venture north into the $1000 to $5,000 range. This is true of many brands, and even vintage seikos in moderate condition will start at about $200. The 4004 I picked up at $100 with shipping and tax included, and I think it will hold this value easily if I ever want to get rid of it.