Description
Seiko vintage mechanical 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.
About the Business-A Line
The Business-A dial name appeared during 1967 on Seiko’s 83-series automatics, aimed at the Japanese salaried professional.
It did not replace the Seikomatic-R. The two ran side by side on the same 83-series calibers and in the same cases — this very reference, the 8346-9000, was sold under both names within months of each other — with the Seikomatic-R badge carrying the older, more formal name and Business-A the one aimed at a younger office buyer. Either way the movement is an automatic with Diashock shock protection, running at 18,000 bph.
The name was deliberately straightforward: “Business” for the white-collar audience it served, “A” for automatic. No clever portmanteau — just a clear statement of purpose for the dress watch of Japan’s post-war business generation.
The 83-series calibers powering the Business-A were a genuine step up from entry-level Seiko offerings: 27 to 30 jewels when most mid-market automatics offered 17–21, with Diashock protecting the balance staff through decades of daily wear. The day-date at 3 o’clock added practical utility without cluttering the dial, with a quickset date; the day is set by cycling the hands past midnight.
The Business-A sat between the Seiko 5 below it and King Seiko above it, and still trades well under King Seiko on the second-hand market. Many were sold on period expansion bracelets, and plenty have since been swapped for straps or lost links along the way.
About This Watch
This is a Seiko Business-A day-date, reference 8346-9000, powered by the automatic caliber 8346A — a 27-jewel movement with Seiko’s Diashock shock protection running at 18,000 bph, driving the day-date at 3 o’clock. Its case-back serial number, 7500647, dates its manufacture to May 1967, in the first year the Business-A name was in use.
The dial is a bright silver sunburst with applied faceted baton markers and a framed day-date aperture at 3 o’clock — a clean, formal layout typical of Seiko’s late-1960s dress watches. It sits in the large “jumbo” 9000 stainless steel case, measuring 43 x 40 mm with crown, with a polished bezel and sharply faceted lugs. It keeps its original crystal and comes on a new padded black leather strap with cream stitching.
Technical Specifications
- Brand: Seiko
- Line: Business-A
- Reference Number: 8346-9000
- Movement: Automatic, caliber 8346A, 27 jewels
- Serial Number: 7500647
- Production Date: May 1967
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Case Size: 43 x 40 mm (with crown)
- Dial: Silver sunburst with applied baton markers
- Crystal: Original mineral glass
- Case-back: Stainless steel, engraved “Stainless Steel — Water Proof”
- Country of Manufacture: Japan
Condition Report
The silver sunburst dial is legible and the sunburst still catches the light, but it has aged honestly: fine spotting is scattered across the dial, with a stained patch on the left side of the dial between roughly 7 and 11 o’clock, and a faint ring of age toning just inside the chapter ring. The applied faceted markers and polished hands are intact and bright. The framed day-date window at 3 o’clock is crisp, with Sunday printed in red. The stainless steel case is solid and the faceted lugs keep their definition; the polished bezel and case flanks show visible scratches and light wear from use. The original crystal is in place. The case back is clearly engraved and shows light scratches. The day and date advance crisply and the date quickset works as intended.
This watch has recently been serviced by a professional watchmaker and keeps good time.
Comes complete with a new lug width matched leather strap for Seiko*.
(*)Fancy another colour? Add as many padded leather straps for Seiko as you like from the options at the top of the page, or none at all. Each one is matched to this watch’s lug width, so there is nothing for you to measure.
This watch ships from 🇺🇦 Ukraine with tracking number
Why Collectors Want This Watch Today
The Business-A is one of the most quietly rewarding corners of vintage Seiko collecting: genuine 1960s Japanese watchmaking — a 27-jewel automatic with day-date and Diashock — at a fraction of the price its King Seiko and Grand Seiko contemporaries command. It is the same watch Seiko also sold as the Seikomatic-R, badged for a younger office buyer.
This May 1967 example wears its original, unrestored dial and its original crystal, both showing their age honestly rather than refinished or replaced. For a collector who wants a period-correct 1960s Japanese automatic to actually wear rather than store, the Business-A is an inexpensive way in.
Modes of payment:
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We guarantee the item you receive looks and works exactly as advertised — or your money back.
Seiko lug-width matched leather straps — 18 / 19 / 20 mm
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.
