A nice find in the wild

[TexasDon]

While out shopping last week, I stopped in at my local Goodwill Industries store and browsed their watches. For non-US residents, Goodwill is a business that provides work training and employment for handicapped individuals. They fund a lot of their programs by accepting donations of everything from clothing to furniture to jewelry and then selling it in one of their stores. It's a great place to pick up an odd bargain plus, it helps the community.

I was delighted to spot a Seiko perpetual date 8F32-0019 on display. It was offered for $21 as it wasn't working. It hasn't been two weeks since I viewed Mark's excellent YouTube video about how to change the battery in one of these watches, then reprogram it. I bought it and brought it home. To begin with, this particular example was manufactured in May, 1998 which places it near the end of the product cycle. That caliber has been discontinued for some time now. This particular watch was a game premium at the Big XII football championship which was sponsored by Dr. Pepper, a soft drink brand. They were given to each team member, coaching staff, trainers, important alumni, etc. What makes this one unique is that it was never worn. That's right! Whomever receive it placed it on a shelf in the closet where the battery (10 year battery life on this model) died and the watch lost its program. 

It was donated recently to Goodwill where I found it. I replaced the CR2014 coin cell battery, then reprogrammed it according to Mark's instructions. Thank you Mark. The inside of the watch was basically untouched. At some point, the company that supplied the watches to Dr. Pepper removed the original dial and replaced it with the commemorative one it now sports. The only other issue noted was the date changed at 9:30 each evening instead of midnight. I suspect that whomever replaced the dial didn't bother to properly set the hands when reinstalling them. Additionally, the sweep second hand was off by half the width of 1 second. I corrected those by removing and properly reinstalling the hands. 

Were it not for Mark's original video, I wouldn't have had the knowledge to buy this watch, replace the battery, reprogram it and reset the hands. This is an absolute little jewel of a watch. Additionally, since it operates at 196 Khz instead of the more usual 32768 Hz, these models are incredibly accurate. The factory spec for a model of this type that is worn 12 hours/day is +/- 10 seconds/year. Wow!

[qhartman]

I frequently visit thrifts for interesting watches and have yet to find any. Congrats on your find!

[yankeedog]

 I love the Good Will , Salvation Army and the Habitat for Humanity.Any charity that sells donated goods.Everyone wins, you score a bargain, and your money gets put to good use.

[drysideshooter]

Wow!  That is an incredibly cool find.  The timing of finding it after you watched Mark's video seems to indicate you were just meant to find and own that watch.  So cool.