Cleaning some vintage Seiko bracelets…

[L.K Johnson]

Over the last 6 months I have bought and obtained a bunch of vintage and semi-vintage Seiko bracelets…sometimes I just bought a whole watch with bracelet just to get the bracelet (still at around a 30-50 bucks price point!!). I love to collect Rolex bracelets and now I’ve been turning to Seiko bracelets due to the insane value!

Really impressed by the quality and level of craftsmanship on these bracelets! They are really in the same quality region as a 9315 or a 7836 bracelet…!

Today I decided to clean a couple of them up with my own mix of baking soda, vinegar and washing-up liquid…(one of the bracelet is not Seiko)

They started out like this:




First run with boiling hot water and my special mix (seems like they were quite dirty)



And the next run with only boiling water still left dirt and residue:




Then it was time for some washing-up liquid and a toothbrush to get the last dirt out:




Finished them off with some high percentage “surface-disinfectant spray” and voila!

[RW16610]

Excellent job! I just purchased a vintage watch from the 60s, a mint bracelet for the first, and one from the 70s.

I used a diluted dish soap solution (fairly soapy), with very warm water, and did multiple cycles (8-10 at roughly 2 minutes each) in an ultrasonic cleaner. I even changed the water a couple times in the aforementioned process and finished by scrubbing them with a soft brush (dedicated watch cleaning toothbrush) and they're as clean as can be now.

Albeit a lot of work, it's very rewarding. It's fantastic that you're into this hobby, as I often think of it as a museum curator would.

[Old Expat Beast]

I always use an ultrasonic cleaner, too, after soaking. There's usually a lot more dirt lurking in the recesses of a 50 year old bracelet than you'd think. These vintage bands are all Japanese, except the Seiko one which was made in Hong Kong by Stelux.

[L.K Johnson]

Lovely to hear that there are more vintage bracelet freaks out there! Might consider buying an ultrasonic cleaner…(wonder if my wife will kill me if I drag one of those home though : ) )

[RW16610]

Originally Posted by L.K Johnson

Lovely to hear that there are more vintage bracelet freaks out there! Might consider buying an ultrasonic cleaner…(wonder if my wife will kill me if I drag one of those home though : ) )

I've had one like this since 2007, still using the same one and have another as a backup:





They're fairly cheap on Amazon, and might be more of a vibrating cleaner vs. actually ultrasonic.

All I can tell you is that it certainly works. To Adam's point, I had to do multiple cycles with water so hot I could barely touch it until nothing more (visibly) was coming off of it.

Doing the last 3 wore me out, so I won't be getting more vintage bracelets anytime soon but I'm far from done with them!

Vintage Seiko's have such tremendous appeal. I've been looking at vintage Chronograph watches in general and will eventually get another. Until then I'll live vicariously through you, Adam and any others who post here.

[Old Expat Beast]

Yup, that's basically what I have, too, Rommel.

[L.K Johnson]

Originally Posted by RW16610

I've had one like this since 2007, still using the same one and have another as a backup:





They're fairly cheap on Amazon, and might be more of a vibrating cleaner vs. actually ultrasonic.

All I can tell you is that it certainly works. To Adam's point, I had to do multiple cycles with water so hot I could barely touch it until nothing more (visibly) was coming off of it.

Doing the last 3 wore me out, so I won't be getting more vintage bracelets anytime soon but I'm far from done with them!

Vintage Seiko's have such tremendous appeal. I've been looking at vintage Chronograph watches in general and will eventually get another. Until then I'll live vicariously through you, Adam and any others who post here.

Thanks! Will do some research!

[L.K Johnson]

How many ml large does it have to be? Found one on Amazon that is 75ml…is that enough? (2.54 fl oz)

[RW16610]

For just watch bracelets and small parts a lower capacity should do just fine. However, 75ml seems more suited for pendants, rings, etc. The one shown above has a 600ml capacity:



https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00HZVYAVM/...D1CMBXFJ8YG8DK

Hopefully you're able to find it on Amazon US, as the one I see on the Canadian site is less than $43 CAD ( just under $35 USD). Years ago I got my first one off eBay, and like I said, still going strong.

The 600ml capacity is ideal for a smaller unit, I feel. This gives you the option to clean more at once or slightly larger items freely.

[L.K Johnson]

Originally Posted by RW16610

For just watch bracelets and small parts a lower capacity should do just fine. However, 75ml seems more suited for pendants, rings, etc. The one shown above has a 600ml capacity:



https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00HZVYAVM/...D1CMBXFJ8YG8DK

Hopefully you're able to find it on Amazon US, as the one I see on the Canadian site is less than $43 CAD ( just under $35 USD). Years ago I got my first one off eBay, and like I said, still going strong.

The 600ml capacity is ideal for a smaller unit, I feel. This gives you the option to clean more at once or slightly larger items freely.

Thanks!!

[mikelprz]

Very cool.

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by L.K Johnson

Over the last 6 months I have bought and obtained a bunch of vintage and semi-vintage Seiko bracelets…sometimes I just bought a whole watch with bracelet just to get the bracelet (still at around a 30-50 bucks price point!!). I love to collect Rolex bracelets and now I’ve been turning to Seiko bracelets due to the insane value!

Love seeing this.

Which watches were these on? Any pictures?