SEIKO 2100-3180
If I told you I had a watch designed for playing golf you would probably look for something with stroke counting ability or even a small screen showing course maps. This watch doesn’t have either of those features, and it is not even worn on the wrist. It also comes from the 70’s and is worn as a belt around the waist. Now that is unusual.
The Seiko Golf Belt was designed to address the issue of sensitive mechanical wrist watches becoming damaged by the impact of hitting a golf ball. Seiko’s response was to move the watch from the wrist and put it on your belt where it is easily accessible but safely away from impact.
The belt buckle contains a small mechanical watch movement and features a clever hinged panel that releases to show the watch dial. A leather belt loops through the buckle and operates like any standard belt although instead of inserting a steel prong in a hole in the leather, a cam operated friction bar clamps the leather to keep it tight.
Early Golf Belt buckles featured a push bar to release the panel containing the watch face , although later versions have a small spring loaded ball in the frame which opens under pressure - similar to the catches found in some kitchen cupboards.
Early versions (see photo left - possibly from the late 50’s) were cased in sterling silver and had the words “Seiko Golf” on the dial. The one in my collection is palladium plated, and featured in the 1974 Seiko Catalog (Vol 2). All versions seem to feature an attractive guilloche style pattern on the metal case.
I love the vintage style of this watch. The dial is in-cluttered and minimalist in appearance. Thin white markers contrast nicely with the mid blue dial background, and I think I am right to say the colour is a rarity in Seiko ranks. The thin needle-like hands make time reading very easy. Given that the fold down lid containing the dial is only 26.5 mm wide, and that the dial is probably going to be further from your eyes than a watch on the wrist, it makes sense to keep readability at a high level.
The Seiko Golf Belt is an interesting piece, although it is unlikely to replace a wrist watch for convenience. Then again, if I could convince my wife that my list of hobbies should also include golf, maybe it could play a more prominent role in my collection.
Renovators Notes: My watch belt appears unused and has its original price tag attached. The reason for its unused appearance became clear when I realised the watch was fully wound but not working.
Fortunately, on removing the movement and dial from its case, the movement started to tick away merrily. The movement was held unusually tightly in the case and I guessed that pressure was somehow inhibiting its operation. Gently removing some metal from the case surrounds fixed the issue and the watch can now be wound, and operates for a full 24 hours.
Another issue concerned corrosion created by the union of metal and leather. Leather naturally contains some moisture which can play havoc with a metal buckle and this buckle had been in contact with leather for some 50 years. Corrosion was minor and presented as green verdigris on the metal and leather. The verdigris was gently removed using a cotton bud soaked in white vinegar and finally brushed with a nylon brush. The metal and leather were then treated with Renaissance Wax which is a special wax formulated by the British Museum for preserving antique goods. I am confident this watch is as close to original as can be expected after 50 years, and that it will continue to delight the inquisitive for decades to come.
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