Seiko watch Mechasus SCFF009 GMT 4S12-0010 HI-Beat

SPECIFICATION

Reference : Seiko Mechasus 4S12-0010
Movement : 4S12 25 jewel
Age : December 1997
Case Size : 40mm
Case Thickness : 13mm
Lug to Lug : 45mm
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : used Seiko watch
Box & Papers : No
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty

POINTS TO MENTION

• In fantastic pre-owned condition, with some light wear
  
• Minor scratches on case and bezel
  
• Stunning blue dial
• Fully serviced movement.
  
• Paired with its original D124AG-I bracelet that fits up to a 7.5 inch wrist

This 4S12 movement is a refinement of the chronometer grade 5246 movement introduced in the early 1970’s (King Seiko Vanac). The movements are mechanically very similar.

The printing on the dial is a simple yet effective. The words “Seiko” and “Automatic” take pride of place at the top half of the dial. On the bottom half, we see the red “S” which represents this particular range “SUS- which stands for Simple and Strong”.  Other than the “S” printed in red, all other wordings are in white with no borders. Lastly, in line with other Seiko models, the movement number and the dial reference is printed on either side of the 6 o’clock marker.

The sides of the cases are slab-like and curves inwards gently at the lugs to hug the wrist. The sides are all polished with only a gentle horizontal brushing evident at the hooded lugs when you look at the watch face directly.

A BIT OF TRIVIA

This model came in three 3 color options, a breathtaking aquamarine blue (SCFF009. Which we have here, a flat black (SCFF005) which is we have had in store and a stunning red (SCFF007).

One might wonder how the GMT function works in collaboration with the bidirectional GMT ring. The basic premise is that the owner will read off the 24 hr hand, which should be pointing at the 2nd time zone that the owner is interested in. The assumption made is that the owner will already know the time difference between his home time (shown by the normal 12 hr hour hand) and the 2nd time zone (shown by the 24 hr hour hand).  For example, you are at London GMT, Greenwich mean time and  would like to track the time of JST, Japan Standard Time (2nd time zone). The time difference between these 2 countries is 9 hr apart with Japan being ahead. All you need to do is to rotate the GMT ring until the 12 o’clock marker is aligned to the figure ‘9’ on the GMT ring. From that point on, you can easily read off the time in Japan from the GMT ring.

OUR THOUGHTS

Cal. 4S12 is an automatic movement with date and 24 hour hand developed by Seiko in the early 1990s. It was based on the Seiko 52 movements, which had been retired in 1976, and was responsible for Seiko’s resurgence as a maker of high-end watches. Being very familiar with the Seiko 52 movements in some 1970s watches, I do have a soft spot for this watch because of its vintage roots and the quality of the movement inside.