Description
agnès b. by SEIKO vintage quartz watch
MADE IN JAPAN
“Seiko” (精工) is a Japanese word meaning “precision,” “exquisite workmanship,” or “refined craftsmanship.”
It comes from the characters:
- 精 (sei) – fine, precise, refined
- 工 (ko) – craft, workmanship
Originally, Seiko’s watchmaking division was called Seikosha (精工舎), meaning “House of Precision.”
The name first appeared on a watch dial in 1924, shortened from Seikosha and keeping the core meaning; the company itself was renamed Hattori Seiko in 1983 and Seiko Corporation in 1990.
So the brand name literally ties directly to the idea of precision engineering—which is exactly what the company wanted to be known for in its watches.
variation of bullhead chronograph worn by Brad Pitt's character in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
About the agnès b. Bullhead Chronograph
agnès b. is the Paris fashion house founded by designer Agnès Troublé in 1975. In Japan, where the label has long been especially popular, its watches were made by the Seiko group, with Seiko quartz movements and cases stamped MADE IN JAPAN.
The Bullhead is the best known of them. It borrows the layout of Seiko’s 1970s Bullhead chronographs: the crown and the two pushers sit on top of the case like the horns of a bull, and the dial is turned so that it reads upright when the crown points up. The agnès b. version keeps it deliberately plain – a black dial, the designer’s handwritten signature, red pointers, a black tachymeter ring, and a bracelet whose open end links flow straight out of the teardrop-shaped case.
Inside is caliber V655, a Seiko quartz chronograph movement with a 1/10-second timer, a 60-second register and a 60-minute register. There is no date. Like other quartz modules of its kind it carries no jewels.
About This Watch
This is an agnès b. Bullhead chronograph made by Seiko, reference V655-7010 (as engraved on the case back), serial 7N0948. On Seiko-group serials the first digit is the year and the second character the month (N standing for November), so this one reads November 1997. A battery-service note dated 2004 inside the case back rules out the next decade.
The dial is black, with the agnès b. signature under 12, three black sub-dials – 1/10 second on the left, seconds on the right and minutes at the bottom when the crown is at the top – red pointers and a red centre seconds hand, white baton hands and applied baton markers with luminous tips. A black ring around the dial carries a tachymeter scale from 60 to 500. The dial fine print reads JAPAN V655-7010.
The movement is a V655A signed SII (Seiko Instruments), no jewels, Japan. It sits on its original steel bracelet, whose folding clasp is stamped with the agnès b. signature.
Technical Specifications
- Brand: agnès b. (made by Seiko)
- Line: Bullhead chronograph
- Reference Number: V655-7010
- Movement: Caliber V655A quartz chronograph, no jewels (plate signed SII, Japan)
- Serial Number: 7N0948
- Production Date: November 1997 (from the serial)
- Case Material: Stainless steel and base metal (as marked on the case back)
- Case Size: Approx. 38 mm (excluding crown)
- Dial: Black, three black sub-dials, red pointers and centre seconds hand, black tachymeter ring
- Crystal: Mineral glass
- Case-back: Steel back signed agnès b., marked “WATER RESISTANT 5 BAR”, V655-7010 and MADE IN JAPAN
- Country of Manufacture: Japan
Condition Report
Case: the polished case shows fine scratches and small marks, with some cloudy toning on the lower flank of the teardrop, visible in the side photo. The case back carries light scratches. Dial: the black dial, sub-dials and printing are clean, and the tachymeter ring is intact. Crystal: no cracks or chips visible. Bracelet: steel, with scratches and small marks on the links, the open end links and the folding clasp, whose agnès b. signature is still clear.
How to Operate This Watch
Hold the watch with the crown at the top, as in the photos. The three small hands belong to the stopwatch: 1/10 second on the left, seconds on the right, minutes at the bottom. The hour and minute hands tell the time; the red centre hand is the running seconds. The two pushers either side of the crown start/stop and reset the stopwatch.
Battery
The watch currently runs on a Renata 371 (SR920SW) silver-oxide cell. The instruction label inside the case back says that after a battery change the AC terminal must be briefly short-circuited to the battery (+), and the stopwatch hands then set back to zero with pushers A and B while the crown is pulled out. Have it done by a watchmaker.
This watch has recently been serviced by a professional watchmaker and keeps good time.
Comes complete with original agnès b. steel bracelet*.
(*)Note: Stock bracelets are often shortened by previous owners and may not fit you (see bracelet size in the product images). The bracelet is integrated into the case, so this watch is not offered with a replacement strap.
This watch ships from 🇺🇦 Ukraine with tracking number
Why Collectors Want This Watch Today
It is a Seiko Bullhead in a designer’s clothes: the 1970s horn-crown chronograph layout, rebuilt around a 1990s Seiko 1/10-second quartz chronograph, and signed by one of the best-known French fashion labels. Its sober black-and-red dial and the teardrop case with its open bracelet links make it one of the more distinctive watches Seiko built for another name, and it is easy to live with – no winding, just a battery.
It is not a rarity. The V655-7010 turns up regularly in Japan. What it offers is a well-made, genuinely functional piece of 1990s Japanese watch design with a fashion pedigree, complete on its signed bracelet.
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We guarantee the item you receive looks and works exactly as advertised — or your money back.
About the watch factory
Seiko Group Corporation (セイコーグループ株式会社, Seikō Gurūpu kabushiki gaisha), commonly known as Seiko, is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, and semiconductors. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced the world’s first commercial quartz wristwatch in 1969.
Seiko is widely known for its wristwatches. Seiko is one of the few watch companies that is fully vertically integrated. Seiko is able to design and develop all the components of a watch, as well as assemble, adjust, inspect and ship them in-house. Seiko’s mechanical watches consist of approximately 200 parts, and the company has the technology and production facilities to design and manufacture all of these parts internally.
Seiko offers one of the widest ranges of watch technologies in the world—quartz, kinetic, solar, mechanical, and Spring Drive—spanning everything from affordable everyday pieces to six-figure haute horlogerie. Over the decades it has launched multiple global brands, including Lorus, Pulsar, and Alba, while elevating its prestige through innovations like Spring Drive, which helped push Seiko into higher-end territory. In 2017, Grand Seiko was spun off into its own standalone luxury brand, while Credor remains part of Seiko’s own lineup, sold primarily in Japan. Seiko’s own global lineup now includes Grand Seiko, King Seiko, Prospex, Astron, Presage, and Seiko 5 Sports.
Among Seiko’s key lines, Seiko 5 (born in 1963) is the gateway mechanical series known for durability and value; Lord Matic defined 1970s style with faceted crystals and colorful dials; Astron remains Seiko’s flagship GPS-solar tech line; Presage focuses on traditional mechanical craftsmanship with enamel and urushi dials; and Prospex delivers professional-grade dive, field, and pilot watches often embraced by enthusiasts. At the top end, Grand Seiko emphasizes precision, Zaratsu polished design, and movements like Spring Drive, while King Seiko—revived in the 2020s—brings back sharp, elegant 1960s styling with modern calibres.
Finally, Credor represents Seiko’s pinnacle of artisanal watchmaking, producing low-volume pieces in precious metals and showcasing Japanese decorative arts and haute complications from the Micro Artist Studio. Beyond watches, Seiko has also produced various electronic devices and, historically, jewelry and eyewear—though those divisions have since shifted to other companies.
