Seiko RAF issued chronograph

£ 995
The Seiko chronograph was issued by the Royal Air Force from 1984 until 1990 and replaced the mechanical chronographs that were issued to pilots from the 1940s (initially these were supplied by Lemania although later a variety of companies supplied suitable watches). The watch is referred to within military watch circles as a Seiko RAF Gen 1 to denote it from the later Gen 2 watches which were issued after 1990.

Seiko was the first company to develop an analog-quartz chronograph in 1983, prior to this all chronographs were either mechanical or used a digital LCD display. Technically the movement (the 7A28) was a great achievement and they have a reputation for being well made and, with regular servicing, long-lasting timepieces (I wrote a piece about servicing the movement here)

One very nice feature is the 1/10th second dial next to the 3 o'clock marker - this files round at an extraordinary rate, so fast and smooth that it looks unreal!

As with all British military-issued timepieces the watch follows stipulations laid down by the Ministry of Defence, generally this makes for a very legible and sober design. The case of the watch is different from any that Seiko offered to civilian customers - it has a matte sand-blasted finish and the overall impression is of a very nice well balanced watch (I like the size and evenness of the three sub-dials).

The watch is a good size at 38mm and the case, hands and dial are all in very good order - you’d be hard pushed to find a better example. The case back markings show the watch was issued in 1988 (5069 is the issue number /88 means issued in 1988), 6649-99 was the specification for a quartz, pilots or navigator’s chronography wrist watch.

Case diameter (excluding winding crown): 38mm
Case material: stainless steel
strap width: 18mm
time keeping: grade A+

We aim to dispatch all watch orders within 2-3 working days, where this isn't possible, we will try to inform you via email.

When your order is dispatched your tracking details will be updated.

Please allow extra processing time for watches with a customised engraving or strap, during busy sales periods this can sometimes take an extra 5-10 working days.

If you are in a hurry for your watch, please email us.

Shipping guide for watches:

UK: FREE DPD shipping, 1-2 working days
United States & Canada: FREE Fedex shipping, 1-3 working days
The EU: FREE DHL Express shipping, 1-3 working days

Click here to see the full shipping guide for watches

Shipping guide for straps (unless purchased with a watch): 

Free Royal Mail 1st Class / International tracked shipping, 2-14 working days depending on location. You can see a more accurate timescale when you input your address at the checkout.

Shipping guide for t-shirts

All t-shirts on our website are now printed and shipped by an external supplier inside the UK. This means that if you place an order for both a watch and a t-shirt, they will be shipped separately.

Our supplier uses a Royal Mail tracked service for all shipments and this usually takes a little longer than our watches. You can see an estimated timescale when you input your address at the checkout.

 

Please note, during busy sale periods dispatch may take a little longer (this is quite rare). These delivery times are a guide based on the carriers terms of service, products may, in some unusual cases take longer to arrive. If this happens, please get in touch. 

Recently viewed