When it comes to making a visual statement, Seiko certainly pushed the boat out with their Vanac range.
(Click pictures to enlarge)
Debuted in 1972 and produced for just four years, the Vanac range could be considered the last hurrah for the King Seiko sub-brand which was discontinued, along with all mechanical automatic models in the Grand Seiko range, in March 1975.
With hindsight, this could be viewed as sad day when the curtain came down on all Seiko’s premium mechanical automatics, but the company had decided to shift focus to their ever increasing range of quartz powered watches – Gah! The rise of the machines. 🙁
Sold primarily in Japan, the Vanac range comprises a staggering 53 models, which is a lot considering the short, four year production span. There is an excellent reference site here which contains a library of catalogue shots and details about each model, though the pictures don’t really do justice to how good the watches look in real life, so here are a few more ‘in the metal’.
The entire range was powered by Seiko 5 series automatic calibres, namely the cal. 5246A, 5256A and 5626A, all of which had a beat rate of 28,800 bph, a bi-lingual day/date calendar (Kanji and English) and a quickset function via the crown. Produced only in stainless steel (no gold plated or capped cases), every model in the range was fitted with a faceted crystal, a stainless steel bracelet and some of the later models have a KS branded crown.
The subject of this post was one of the first ten models produced, and here it is amongst its siblings in a Japanese brochure introducing the range in 1972.
It also featured in a somewhat curious print advert from the period, showing the watch with a retail price of ¥35,000… “Seiko Watch for a Man”, “Rah! Rah! Seiko”. Love it! 😉
Before delving into the servicing work, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the aesthetics of this watch, as the attention to detail is really something. A faceted crystal is not a common sight as it can make reading the time and date at a glance difficult, but it certainly makes a statement, as does the exquisite finishing and angles on the case and integrated bracelet (a refinisher’s nightmare, I’m sure!) Even the bracelet clasp is unique to the range, with its stylised Vanac branding.
Often seen on many of the higher end automatics in the 5 series range, the case is a monobloc design with access points on the rear of the case. I’m sure there will be a special tool for separating these cases, but they can be carefully opened with an appropriately sized screwdriver.
Once the spring loaded clips have been released, the upper case and bracelet can be lifted away from the lower section to reveal the faceted crystal, which is mounted in a steel frame.
Lifting the crystal away, you can see that it sits on a gasket which seals the movement inside when the two casing parts are snapped together, and access to the movement is gained by first removing the stem, which is released via an aperture in the dial support…
… and inside is the expected 25 Jewel, Seiko cal. 5626A.
Anyone familiar with Seiko’s 56xx range of calibres, will likely know that a non-working quickset function is a common occurrence, and that was the case here. The fault is caused by a plastic part in the setting mechanism which shrinks and eventually cracks, no longer providing enough friction to advance the day or date.
Thankfully, there is now a solution to this problem in the form of a metal replacement part, manufactured by Vintage Time Australia. The part is called a “VTA Quickset Star” and is available to order via eBay.
I’ve fitted dozens of them over the years and while it isn’t always perfect in operation (you can still get the occasional skip if all the surrounding parts aren’t in perfect condition), it has proved to be an excellent solution.
Apart from the quickset issue, the rest of the service was straight forward. The case and bracelet were cleaned and although the crystal wasn’t heavily damaged, it did have some light scratches, so the owner had included a brand new one to be fitted during the rebuild. As you can imagine, finding new faceted crystals for most of these models is now very difficult indeed, and they are rarely interchangeable, so keep that in mind of you are considering purchasing a Vanac model.
Here’s the watch reassembled and ready for more wrist time… Rah! Rah! Seiko indeed. 🙂
Rich.
** Many thanks to Warren Puplett for letting me feature his watch on the blog. **
