Seiko sports 150 7T42-6A00 Problem

[Bootie]

Hello wise men and women.

I have a 1998 Seiko sports 150 Quartz Chronograph 

It stopped working a few years ago. I sent it to Seiko in Bracknell who got it going for a week then the alarm hands fell off. I sent it back, they got it going again, and within a few months the alarm died again. I returned it again, and they said they couldn't repair it any more as they didn't have the parts. 

I then left it in a draw (sad places that watches die in.) But recently dug it out, bought a new battery, and did what I have never done before and removed the case back, put a new battery in, and the alarm hands started whizzing round and refused to stop. So battery out again, and then reinserted. After a bit of a jiggle the second hand started up, she is going well.

I found my instruction book in the darkest depths of my attic  and reset the count down hand to 12 o'clock. 

Everything works except the alarm. .....and the count down alarm.....

Now the question  

Who can fix it?

I know the watch is not worth very much, but I hate to have something not working, I know it's old, but hate our "throw away" culture and would love to have it working again as the alarm is a joy to wake up to

Please help

saw a u tube video of George Clarkson of Berlin. Is he still around?

 

cheers Bootie  

 

[Watchtime]

Nice watch to have, surely with sentimental value...;)

Here is a servicevideo in case you want to have a go yourself....Or you could replace the movement by finding a donor watch on the bay

 

[xyzzy]

Alarm hands could be something wrong with the crown 2 position sensor and C button sensor.  Check for corrosion on the circuit board and that the crown position tab is touching the circuit board properly for the position it's in.  The pads on the edge of the board that sense the pushers and crown can also break off.

It could also just be the improper operation that is expected to happen when installing a new battery.  You're supposed to reset the watch with the "AC" pad.  I've not seen the alarm hands spin after a battery change, but I don't think there's really any defined limit as to what the it might being doing wrong before the reset.

If the circuit board is bad, you're only option will be to buy a working 7T42 and swap the board.  You can use a 7T32 board, which is vastly more common, but you'll lose the countdown feature.

The flight computer style with the complex bezel, which tends to wear heavily, appear to be one of the most expensive 7T32/7T42 watches when they come up on ebay.

[Bootie]

thanks for the replies

It is beyond me being able to repair it, hence asking who can

 

cheers

[xyzzy]

There happens to be a working 7T42-6A0B on ebay right now.  I think this is even the same case and bezel style as the 6A00.  These came a number of different color schemes and band styles, all with the same case number (i.e. 7T42-6A00), so this one might look more or less exactly like yours.  The ending value of the auction would also give you an idea of how much your watch is worth.

If your circuit board is toast then one would start with buying something like that watch above to get a working 7T42 board and movement.

But as I read your original post again, it sounds like the only thing that doesn't working is the alarm and countdown.  Do the hands just not move like they should when pulling out crown 2 to the 1st position, and then pressing the C or B button?  Or do the hands move, but the sound of the alarm is missing?  Do the alarm hands move if you pull the crown to the 2nd position and turn it, i.e. when setting the alarm hands to the current time?  How about when the crown is all the way in, do the alarm hands keep time like they should?

Also, it doesn't sound like you've reset it.  If you can change the battery you can do that too.  Just short with something conductive (bit of small wire, tweezers, etc.) the pad under the small hole that has "AC" pointing at it to the metal part of the back of the movement (the part stamped "SEIKO", "7T42B", etc.).  Just touching for a second is enough.  The movement should be fully assembled with the battery in it.

[Bootie]

20 hours ago, xyzzy said:

There happens to be a working 7T42-6A0B on ebay right now.  I think this is even the same case and bezel style as the 6A00.  These came a number of different color schemes and band styles, all with the same case number (i.e. 7T42-6A00), so this one might look more or less exactly like yours.  The ending value of the auction would also give you an idea of how much your watch is worth.

If your circuit board is toast then one would start with buying something like that watch above to get a working 7T42 board and movement.

But as I read your original post again, it sounds like the only thing that doesn't working is the alarm and countdown.  Do the hands just not move like they should when pulling out crown 2 to the 1st position, and then pressing the C or B button?  Or do the hands move, but the sound of the alarm is missing?  Do the alarm hands move if you pull the crown to the 2nd position and turn it, i.e. when setting the alarm hands to the current time?  How about when the crown is all the way in, do the alarm hands keep time like they should?

Also, it doesn't sound like you've reset it.  If you can change the battery you can do that too.  Just short with something conductive (bit of small wire, tweezers, etc.) the pad under the small hole that has "AC" pointing at it to the metal part of the back of the movement (the part stamped "SEIKO", "7T42B", etc.).  Just touching for a second is enough.  The movement should be fully assembled with the battery in it.

Blimey xyzzy, You are a genius. I found myself kicked out of the lounge so the wife could do a TV workout and thought I would use the time to read through What you said above. 

That movement is not working on ebay, so no worries at about 30 US $ my watch is not worth much.

Then I looked at the inside of the watch again and unwound a paperclip did the short circuit thing, put the watch back together, pulled out the alarm crown and BINGO watch is working properly along with chimes, proper alarm chimes when set. Back as it was all those years ago. Can't thank you enough for your time, Will buy you a pint one day  Very minor in the grand scheme of things but huge for me in that it is fully functioning again. one of the great things about it is that I referee rugby matches, and can use this now as my "second" watch for stoppages in play/second watch. You have really made my day. Happy New Year to you.

[xyzzy]

Glad it was an easy fix.

I'd guess a working 7T42-6A00 would sell for $50-$100 on ebay.   Even broken ones approach $50.