A modern "Bellmatic"? Seiko's Cal. 8V36

SOLD November 2015.

Here's an interesting modern take on the genre of analogue watch with an alarm capability.

Back in the 1970s Seiko introduced the brilliant Bellmatic (Cal. 4006) - a completely mechanical watch, with automatic movement and a hand-wound alarm that actually had a tiny striking-arm make contact with the internal "chassis" of the watch. I have two of these watches and they operate perfectly and the alarms work - and are usuable for reminders whilst the wearer is concious (or daydreaming).
But unless one is a light sleeper and has the watch sitting right outside one's earhole then it could not be depended upon for a wake-up call.

In the 1980s the mechanical Bellmatic faded out of production and a replacement model (Cal. 7223) was introduced. (I have one in my collection but have not yet featured it here).
This was also an analogue but with a quartz-controlled movement and an electronic alarm, still set in an identical fashion to that of the original Bellmatic.
However, the alarm on this watch, whilst more piercing than the mechanical device in the Bellmatic, would still be hard-pressed to wake a sleeper.
Good for reminders, such as appointments etc. but not an ideal alarm clock.

Now, some 30 years after the original Bellmatic, comes this 21st. century version, the 8V36. Ultrasonic Alarm.
Still an analogue watch and quartz-controlled, this version not only does away with mechanical strikers but also eschews electronic chirps.
The 8V36 uses an ultrasonic motor to vibrate the watch. There is no sound emitted at all.

Does it work?
Yes, it certainly does, but.........it still wouldn't wake a sleeping wearer unless he or she was susceptible to having their sleep disturbed by an alighting blowfly.
This latest incarnation of Seiko's analogue alarm watch is eminently suitable for reminders but I wouldn't rely on it if I needed to wake up to catch a flight or make an important meeting.

That aside, the watch presents a very attractive face.
It is encased in a titanium & base-metal enclosure which features a snap-on back-plate.
This particular item, a very recent purchase from a collector in Singapore (many thanks, William), still has its protective plastic film on the rear plate and the entire watch presents very close to mint condition.
Speaking of the back - you may notice the oval shape which projects about 1mm from the surrounding flat surface.

This is to ensure that close contact is maintained with the wrist so that the ultrasonic vibrations are efficiently transmitted.
The case is 42mm lug-to-lug, 39mm diameter and with a dial 30mm in diameter.
A fixed bezel (titanium) decorates the face of the case. Two unsigned stainless-steel crowns protrude from the right-hand side at 3 o'clock and 4 o'clock.

The dial is finished in a plain white with the hour and minute indices in black. Arabic numerals denote the hours.
There are four hands - three cover the regular time-keeping requirements of hours, minutes and seconds whilst the fourth - the long red hand - is used to set the required time for the alarm.
The hour and minute hands are "lumed".

On the left, at the 9 o'clock position, is a 24-hour dial with a silver hand within a silver ring. I'm not sure why this feature is included because the alarm is confined to a 12-hour cycle; set it for 6:00 AM and it will also sound at 6:00 PM if activated.
Maybe it was to give symmetry to the face because on the right, at 3 o'clock, is a little display, again with a silver hand within a (smaller) silver ring and a red and black quadrant.
When the second crown (at 4 o'clock) is used to activate the alarm the hand snaps from the black, OFF position to the red, ON position.

The core of the watch - the ultrasonic motor - is recessed behind the little circular window at the 6 o'clock position. This window is also framed with a silver ring, somewhat more decorative than the plain circles used for the other two.
Behind a flat metal probe that projects into the window from the right is a disk and when the alarm operates this disc can be seen moving. Well, it moves so fast that it just appears as a silver blur.
This is the rotating section - the rotor - of the tiny motor and when the alarm is running for its 20-second alarm time it does so in bursts of approximately 1 second each.
When activiating the alarm - by pulling the second crown out - the alarm gives 3 bursts to confirm to the wearer that the alarm is now active.

The 8V36 is set off by a very nice Seiko (signed) black calfskin strap with a signed silver buckle.

A different watch, certainly very wearable and I could imagine it being of use to someone needing to keep appointments, although the cynic in me says that  in 2012 that person would most likely be using their smart-phone for the same purpose, thus rendering the 8V36 little more than a curio.

Oh dear.....I've bought another watch! Bellmatic 4006-6030.

I couldn't resist this "Belle" when I saw it advertised for sale on the Seiko & Citizen Watch forum. 

It wasn't specifically because the case is actually gold-plated, not just "gold-tone", but was due more to the fact that the bracelet is an original "coffin" Seiko model, with alternating gold-tone and stainless-steel link sections. These are not common.

So, as I only have one Bellmatic left in my collection, I thought that this would be a nice addition.

The watch arrived today and once the date and time were set and the watch given a couple of gentle shakes, away she went and now, some 10 hours later, is still running sweetly.

The dial, crystal, hands, case and bracelet are in very good condition and the entire item makes for a very handsome timepiece that just screams "1970s"!

 

My thanks to the gentleman in the USA from whom I bought the "Belle"; I'm delighted with it.

This watch was sold in 2013.

A Plethora of Bell-matics

4006-6041, from December 1977. A distinctive black-and-gold face.

"Plethora" may not be the correct term for a gathering of these lovely watches.
Maybe the collective should be "a peal of Bell-matics", thereby acknowledging the ringing of their mechanical alarms.
Never mind - whatever term is used, I bought another 4 of these, one after the other, having become strongly attracted to the type, mainly because of the vast number of different styles and colours available.

4006-6040 from December 1972. A fabulous dial in very good condition with little sign of aging.

All Most Bell-matics have the Seiko 4006 movement (Some - date only - have the 4005 movement), be it 17, 21 or 27 jewels. All of my Belles are 17-jewelled movements.
I placed a bid on a 27-jewel item once but was blown out of the water. As for the 21-jewel, forget it!
What I paid for four watches would be spent on one.

4006-6011, from January 1973. Since this photo was taken this Belle has been refurbished.

Being a strong and avid supporter of nostalgia, I am a great fan of these watches.
I love the style and the cool mechanical alarm. I often find myself setting an alarm just so that it will go off when I know I'll be in a meeting - the look of puzzlement on the faces of my fellow attendees, half my age, does this old bloke's frame of mind a great deal of good!
"What's that?", they ask.
"That's my watch", I reply as, with a high degree of casual and coolness, I press the little button to stop the buzzing.
Shagadelic, baby!

4006-6060, from July 1976. My favourite Bell-matic. A beautiful, near-mint face and an alarm that sounds like a miniature bell. Just gorgeous.

Everyone and anyone who loves mechanical watches should own and wear at least one Bell-matic.......and set the alarm to amaze and startle your friends.

The first of my Bell-matics - 4006-6080

After buying the Citizen Eco-drive (see previous post) I spent some weeks just browsing the internet and visiting various sites and blogs dedicated to the art of horology in general and watch-collecting in particular and I became interested in the Seiko Bell-matic.
This was an automatic watch with a movement (4006 caliber) featuring a mechanical, wind-up alarm and also a day & date display.
(To see an extensive collection of Bell-matics, please click HERE)

Unmistakeably 1970's in style, the Bell-matic range immediately grabbed my attention, not just because of their mechanical technology but also because of their appearance. I really enjoy what watch designers did in the 1960's and 1970's.

The "Belles", as they are often termed, came in a wide range of dial styles, colours and case designs and were made between late-1966 to 1978 and the watch featured here hails from December 1976. It features the 6080 stainless-steel case and 6090T dial in a gold tone. It has the 17-jewel 4006 movement. (These movements came in 17, 21 and 27-jewel versions, the 17 being the most common, then the 27 and the 21 being the rarest of the three).
The internal, rotating, bezel - which is used to set the required alarm time - is in black and bears teal-blue characters.
An after-market leather strap has been fitted; the watch would have been supplied originally with a stainless-steel bracelet.

This watch kicked off my desire to collect some other examples of Seiko's 1970's classics, including other Bell-matic styles.