Description
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.
About the SilverWave Line
The Seiko SilverWave was Seiko’s line of water-resistant sports watches, first introduced in the early 1960s and still in the catalogue through the 1970s and into the 1980s. The name captured the whole idea in two words — a bright, polished steel case (“Silver”) engineered to keep water out (“Wave”). It was the Seiko you never had to take off: at the poolside, caught in the rain, or simply worn day in and day out.
Where the Sportsmatic and later Seiko 5 lines chased the affordable everyday automatic, the SilverWave staked out the water-resistant corner of the catalogue. Its cases were sealed with gaskets and stamped “WATER RESISTANT” on the reverse, and the sportier references in the family were built as genuine divers. It was the accessible, water-ready Seiko for the buyer who wanted a single watch for work, weekend and water alike.
By the early 1980s the line had crossed into the electronic era, and the SilverWave name was applied to the “ana-digi” — a watch carrying a real analog dial and a liquid-crystal display side by side on the same face. The caliber H449, introduced in 1982, ran a conventional three-hand analog dial for the time at a glance, while the LCD strip below it handled the digital time, the full calendar, two independent alarms with an hourly chime, and a stopwatch. The two halves run independently of one another, so the digital side can simply be left set to a second time zone.
About This Watch
This is the Seiko SilverWave ana-digi, reference H449-502A — a Japanese-domestic-market model from Seiko’s H-series duo-display run. The case-back serial, 3D3353, dates it to December 1983; the back also carries the SilverWave emblem, a boxed A0 and the JAPAN-A stamp. The dial code reads JAPAN H449-502L R, with the Daini Seikosha lightning-bolt mark alongside it — Seiko shared that dial code across more than one case reference, so it is the case back that gives the reference.
The face is the whole point of the watch. A charcoal-grey dial, finished with a fine vertical brushing that lifts to a soft grey in direct light and reads almost black otherwise, carries the analog time across the upper two-thirds on applied polished baton markers. A liquid-crystal panel sits flush in the lower third — across these photographs it is shown running both the digital time with seconds and the day-and-date calendar. A small printed emblem sits above the cursive SilverWave script at the centre of the dial. Two pushers on the left flank of the case work the digital functions and the backlight; the fluted crown at 3 o’clock sets the analog hands. The stainless steel case is squared with heavy bevels around an octagonal glazed opening, with the flat-link steel bracelet running straight off it.
Inside is Seiko’s caliber H449A quartz module, photographed here with the back off: the plate is stamped SEIKO H449A and JAPAN, and the circuit block TWO JEWELS. It drives the analog train and the LCD independently of each other. The cell fitted is a Swiss-made 395 silver-oxide battery. The watch comes on its vintage steel bracelet with a folding clasp.
Technical Specifications
- Brand: Seiko
- Line: SilverWave
- Reference Number: H449-502A
- Movement: Quartz, caliber H449A, 2 jewels — analog and LCD duo-display
- Serial Number: 3D3353
- Production Date: December 1983
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Case Diameter: Approx. 32 mm (excluding crown)
- Dial: Charcoal-grey, vertical brushed finish, applied polished baton markers, LCD panel at 6 o’clock
- Crystal: Mineral glass
- Case-back: Stainless steel, snap-on, stamped with the SilverWave emblem
- Country of Manufacture: Japan
Condition Report
The dial is clean and even, the vertical brushing unmarked, with all markers and hands present and the printing crisp. The liquid-crystal panel is clear and fully legible, with no missing or bleeding segments. The stainless steel case shows honest wear from four decades of use — light scratches and a few small nicks along the polished bevels and case sides, heaviest across the lower front bevel beneath the display and along the bracelet end-pieces. The case-back is unpolished and free of owner engraving, with the SilverWave emblem, serial and reference all still sharp. The crystal is free of cracks. The vintage steel bracelet is complete and closes securely on its folding clasp, carrying the usual surface scratching on the outer links and on the clasp cover; its fitted length is shown against the measuring cylinder in the product images.
This watch has recently been serviced by a professional watchmaker and keeps good time.
Comes complete with vintage steel bracelet*.
(*)Note: Stock bracelets are often shortened by previous owners and may not fit you(see bracelet size in the product images). We match the strap to this watch’s lug width, so there is nothing for you to measure — just pick a padded leather strap for Seiko from the options at the top of the page.
This watch ships from 🇺🇦 Ukraine with tracking number
Why Collectors Want This Watch Today
The H-series duo-display watches sold in large numbers in Japan in the early 1980s, so they are not rare — but condition is what separates one example from the next: liquid-crystal panels fade, modules stop, and the slim pushers get knocked off. This one runs on both displays, wears its own glazed face, and keeps its period bracelet.
It also sits at the exact point where two Seiko stories meet: the SilverWave name, which the company had been putting on its water-ready watches since the early 1960s, applied to one of its early ana-digi models. The charcoal dial reads almost black on the wrist and lifts to a brushed grey in direct light, and at around 32 mm across a squared, flat case it wears small by modern standards — which suits it to wearing under a shirt cuff.
Modes of payment:
- PayPal
- Credit Cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover)
- bitcoin
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.
