Gents
Here we have one of the rarer and very
exclusive seiko watches available to
buy. This is a SLQ015J1 model steel
Kinetic seiko chronograph with 9t82
movement which were made and were
all sold out on introduction assembled
by hand by Seikos finest engineers and
not made on the production line, The
chronograph measures 1/10th of a second
up t 12 hours , the chronograph dials
are in black "pods", and in
layout resemble the dashboard on a sports
car., these watch were really only meant
for the Japanese home market and only
small numbers were released elsewhere
below
is an extract from the Seiko website
explaining the technology which went
into this watch
The
9T Kinetic Chronograph, first introduced
in 2000, has become a design classic
and is in strong demand all over the
world. 2003 sees the launch of a different
kind of Kinetic Chronograph, the 7L
calibre. 7L will complement 9T and both
calibres will continue for many years
to come.
Each
has its own character, its own target
consumer, its own technical characteristics
and its own features. Each will live
on its merits - both will satisfy the
growing demand for Kinetic Chronographs.
Why
Kinetic Chronographs?
All
Quartz Chronographs have a built-in
difficulty; the more you use the Chronograph,
the more quickly the battery is drained.
Even Seiko Quartz Chronographs offer
a battery life of only 2 years. Thus,
Kinetic Chronographs provide the solution
- no battery change - no worry - just
perfect sports timing, day after day,
year after year.
Why
two Calibres?
The
9T calibre has a unique dial layout
in which every function - date, time
of day, seconds, Chronograph minutes,
Chronograph seconds, has its own analogue
display. It is designed for motor sport:
like the dials in a sports car display
panel, each dial is 100% legible and
distinct, and no hand ever obscures
another.
The
7L calibre is more conventional in its
layout. While the time of day dial remains
entirely separate, the Chronograph seconds
hand sweeps across the whole dial. The
7L calibre is designed as an all-round
sports watch, suitable for all sports
applications not just motor sport. Because
of its more conventional layout, its
more automated production and its lower
number of components, 7L is more accessibly
priced.
What
are the differences between 7L and 9T?
Functions
7L
has a Chronograph that times up to 45
minutes. 9T's Chronograph times up to
12 hours.
Components
Because
of its 4 dial construction, 9T has more
components then 7L; 7L has 60% less
parts.
Jewels
9T
has a remarkable 38 jewels in the movement.
7L has 10.
Production
method
9T
is assembled 100% by hand by Seiko's
most skilled engineers, using techniques
and equipment normally reserved for
the highest-grade mechanical Chronographs
in Credor and . Some parts are even
hand-made.
7L
is assembled partly by hand and partly
by automated processes. Because of the
less complex hand-assembly process required
for 7L, a wider range of Seiko's engineers
can conduct the assembly.
For
these reasons, the production time required
for each 7L watch is only 50% that of
each 9T.
Polishing
of the movement
Each
9T base-plate and oscillating weight
is polished by hand and the oscillating
weight has a special 'wave' pattern
which can only be achieved by the most
skilled craftsmen.
The
7L oscillating weight is also polished,
but the process is made via a semi-automated
procedure, requiring less hand crafting,
and there is no wave pattern.
Autonomy
When
fully charged, the 9T calibre will run
for one month when left unworn. Thanks
to its more classical design and to
the continuous development of Seiko's
Kinetic technology, the 7L calibre has
an autonomy of 5 months.
Summary
In
summary, 9T is like a Formula One racing
car - hand-built and custom-made. 7L
is like a production sports car - produced
by automation. Without the cutting edge
Kinetic technology of 9T, 7L would never
have been possible.
9T
is more expensive than 7L because of
its hand crafting, its more complex
construction, its hand polishing and
because of the longer time required
for its construction. 7L was conceived
to be more accessibly priced from the
start, and this goal was achieved because
of the lower R&D costs (thanks to
the pioneer 9T), less parts and more
automation in the production.
Diameter
of watch head 42mm approx.
ADDT
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