Seiko Chronograph, 6139-6000

Age: February, 1970

Dimensions: 40mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Chronograph (30 min events), Tachymeter, Rotating inner-bezel, Water-resistant 70m

Notes: I landed this great example of a Seiko Pepsi Chronograph about a month ago. It's dial hasn't faded to deep blue, as most do. It still plays in the light. It's marked "proof/proof" and there's a notch above the crown, available only on the early makes of this watch. Bezel, case, and straight bracelet are in great shape. It needs a new crystal and the day function isn't advancing, so in the coming months it'll get shipped out for service.

Seiko Bullhead Chronograph, 6138-0049

Age: February, 1975

Dimensions: 42mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Chronograph, Tachymeter, 2 sub-dials for 12 hour events, Mineral glass crystal, Water-resistant 70m, Lumed hour markers and hands

Notes: This wonderful Bullhead chronograph was too good of a deal to pass up. I've wanted one for years, and my patience paid off. A fine, all original example on fishbone bracelet, it makes a great addition to my 6138 collection. Eventually, I'll get a new crystal and the case needs minor work, but it is an enjoyable watch in just about any state. Keeper!

Seiko 5 Sport "Sushi" Diver, 6119-7163

Age: April, 1970

Dimensions: 42mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Rotating inner-bezel, Waterproof 70m, Applied hour markers, Glass crystal

Notes: I just sold this great example of a "proof/proof" sport diver. It was a sweet watch that I owned for about two years and just never wore. I'm trying to give my collection some direction, and this piece was one of the odd ones out. I know it went to the good home of a SCWF member.

Seiko Lord-Matic, 5606-7010

Age: February, 1971

Dimensions: 36mm wide, 18mm lugs

Features: Day, Date

Notes: This was one of Seiko's higher-end offerings. The Lord-Matic movements had a higher jewel count (this one has 25), uni-body construction, and graceful linen dial, chrome baton markers and elongated hands, The original bracelet is swanky; this is a classy and comfortable watch to wear.

Seiko Bell-Matic, 4006-6027

Age: June, 1972

Dimensions: 38mm wide (w/o crown), 18mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Alarm, Water-resistant 70m

Notes: I really like the colors of this, my first Bell-Matic, and the original bracelet it still has is very funky. But the inner-bezel, which is used to set the alarm, doesn't rotate, so it's been put up for sale. These Bell-Matics are very charming, though, with their mechanical alarms that must be hand-wound with the crown. I'm sure this won't be my last.

Seiko Chronograph, 6139-6005

Age: June, 1973

Dimensions: 40mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Chronograph (30 min events), Tachymeter, Rotating inner-bezel, Water-resistant 70m

Notes: This was another try at a good 6139, and my first gold-dialed one. It was a nice example, but I had my sights set on a "proof/proof" from 1970 (which I landed yesterday!). This classic has found a new home.

Seiko Chronograph, 6139-6009

Age: March, 1970

Dimensions: 40mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Tachymeter, Chronograph (30 min events), Rotating inner-bezel, Mineral glass crystal, Lumed hour markers, hour and minute hands.

Notes: This is my second attempt at procuring a 6139-600X series. I've decided that I want one with a "proof", or at the very least a "resist", dial. The case is immaculate, but it has some mechanical problems. All that combines in a reluctant catch-and-release situation. The search continues...

Seiko Chronograph, 6139-6040

Age: September, 1976

Dimensions: 38mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Tachymeter, Mineral glass crystal, Fully recessed crown

Notes: This is the One That Started It All. My first Seiko, purchased in 2001 on eBay from the notorious Sophon. I should probably feel lucky that I escaped from that transaction with an actual Seiko, and not something cobbled together with an old picture and washing machine parts, seeing as I knew absolutely nothing then. This watch, missing the white part of its outer bezel decal, reminds me of 1/2 of a 6138 because its sub-dial is square-shaped. The pushers don't stick, it keeps fantastic time, has the rare black (and not orange) dial, and takes curved end-pieces of some unique radian (because I can't find a match after all these years for a bracelet), and I'll never, ever sell it.

Seiko 5 Speedtimer, 7017-8000

Age: March, 1971

Dimensions: 38mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Pulsimeter, Cushioned case, Fully recessed crown

Notes: This was an impulse buy. The watch is immaculate and the date wheel is English/Kanji. I've never had a Japanese date wheel, so I was very excited to have it. Plus, the pulsimeter instead of a chronograph made it a novel acquisition. (The pulsimeter works by checking your pulse for 15 seconds, as it is a "base 15", and then reading how many beats per minute it shows.) I have another Speedtimer with Kanji datewheel on the way, and the pulsimeter has proven to be unuseful to me (as I'm not a doctor or hypochondriac), so I will probably put this one up for sale to fund something else.

Seiko Yachtman Chronograph, 6138-0017

Age: January, 1972

Dimensions: 40mm wide (w/o crown), 18mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Chronograph, Tachymeter, 2 sub-dials for 12 hour events, Mineral glass crystal, Water-resistant 70m, Lumed hour markers and hands

Notes: I have been lusting after one of these 6138-001X series watches for some time, and mine finally arrived yesterday. It is a big sucker and sits quite high on the wrist, though comfortably. The bracelet is sort of a fishbone/oyster hybrid. The two sub-dials, one smaller than the other and with a checkerboard pattern, make it one of the more distinctive Seiko chronographs. I wrote a more in-depth review of it here. I look forward to collecting its cousins, the -0010 and -0011.

Seiko Chronograph, 6138-8020

Age: Feb, 1977

Dimensions: 39mm wide, 18mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Tachymeter, Two sub-dials, Solid gold-plating

Notes: This beautiful watch was a great score, and my second 6138. Everything about it is in great shape, and it still has the original bracelet. It's my first gold watch, and probably my last as I don't really like the bling. The chronograph function can time up to 12 hour events.

Seiko 5 Sport "Sushi" Diver, 6119-7160

Age: Feb, 1979

Dimensions: 42mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Rotating inner-bezel, Waterproof 70m, Applied hour markers, Glass crystal

Notes: I really love these so-called "Sushi-Divers", named because the hour-markers are cylindrical and filled with lume, resulting in a 3-D effect that looks like a sushi roll. This one has a brilliant yellow-orange dial under the scratched crystal. Unfortunately, the inner-bezel doesn't rotate and while the watch is marked "waterproof", which would put it pre-1970, the production calculator puts it at 1979. A red flag for shenanigans, and I'll soon put it up for sale.

Seiko 5, 6119-7480

Age: Feb, 1973

Dimensions: 38mm wide, 16mm lugs

Features: Day, Date

Notes: This was a complete flier purchase, and, unfortunately it needed more work than it was worth. Still, the positives are many: wonderful, shimmering blue dial, black/white day/date combo, grooved hour markers, hidden lugs and a six-sided, scalloped case. I put it up for sale soon after I received it.

Seiko Chronograph, 6139-6005

Age: Aug, 1973

Dimensions: 40mm wide, 19mm lugs

Features: Day, Date, Chronograph w/30 min sub-dial, Tachymeter, Rotating inner-bezel

Notes: I took a flier on this one, as the seller posted a terrible picture, knowing that it was a bit of a crap-shoot. The case is very crisp, but the outer-bezel insert is badly faded. The inner-bezel is a somewhat rare gray in combination with the black dial. It still has the original bracelet, which is pretty rare on a watch of this age. There are some mechanical problems with it that my watchmaker seemed to shy away from, so I will probably end up selling it at some point.

Seiko Calendar, 7006-6039

Age: June, 1973

Dimensions: 40mm wide, 18mm lug

Features: Day, Date, Month at-a-glance calendar on rotating inner-bezel

Notes: I picked this up on a flier on eBay, and was pleasantly surprised. The case was in fantastic shape, as was the crystal and brilliant blue dial. The inner-bezel was very crisp and turned nicely. The only thing wrong with it was that it was oddly missing the day wheel. I ended up selling it to fund another purchase. There is virtually identical Seiko 5 model, the 7019-6070, and I'm not sure why Seiko would make the two -- perhaps they were meant for different markets.

Seiko Sport Diver, 6106-8100

Age: Feb 1970

Dimensions: 38mm wide, 18mm lug

Features: Bi-directional bezel, Day, Date, Hack

Notes: This is a nice little watch. With a "proof" dial (marked "waterproof" instead of "water-resistant", which came after 1970), this Sport Diver came to me with the bezel unable to turn. After a few minutes with my watchmaker, I had a fully-functional collector's piece in decent shape. I ended up selling it to fund another purchase.

Seiko Rally Diver, 6106-8227

Age: Oct 1970

Dimensions: 39mm wide (approx), 20mm lugs

Features: Bi-directional, non-ratcheting bezel, Day, Date

Notes: When I bought this watch years ago, it had a bent stem. The watchmaker I took it to offered me several hundred dollars for it, but I hadn't had it more than a month and didn't want to sell it. It was in fantastic shape, and I recently sold it to fund another purchase.

Omega Seamaster

Age: 1970s

Dimensions: 38mm wide (approx), 20mm lug

Features: Day, Date, COSC certified

Notes: My first Omega, and one of the first legitimate watches I bought for myself. I recently sold it to fund another purchase; I rarely wore it though it was classy and in great shape.