Even if they can’t match the rarity of the hand wound Cal. If the aforementioned watches don’t appeal, maybe a sought-after squared off automatic Seiko ‘Monaco’ 7016/5001 will? Or how about the visually-complex quartz-powered 7T34-6A00 ‘Flightmaster’ pilot chronograph? Oh yes, plenty of great watches await among the period’s vintage Seiko chronographs. The period gave us other interesting vintage Seiko chronographs too. With supreme care, you can bag good examples for well below £1000 ($1300). It’s named after NASA astronaut Colonel William Pogue who (unofficially) made it the first auto-chrono in space alongside his NASA-issue Omega Speedmaster. And then there’s the sought-after sunburst-yellow-dial 6139-6002 ‘Pogue’. Best of all, despite prices later rocketing like a 1970s Apollo launch, you can still find super-cool watches such as the 6138-001X ‘UFO’ (‘Yachtsman’), ‘Kakume’ (‘Square Eyes’), ‘Bullhead’, ‘Jumbo’ and ‘Panda’ for sensible money.Ī post shared by Debajo del Reloj such as the 6138-002X ‘Tokai Zara’ (‘Fujitsubo’), 6138-700X ‘Slide Rule’ (‘Pilot Calculator’), ‘Baby Panda’ and ‘Holy Grail’ 6138-8010 are rarer. They remain among the most interesting Seikos ever. 6138 (double register, 21,600 bph, quick-set day date and column wheel vertical clutch) chronos. Its headline offerings were the automatic Cal. Super-cool vintage chronos for sensible moneyĪrguably, Seiko was the period’s most prolific mechanical chronograph maker. Five decades on, a legacy of lovely, remarkably affordable vintage chronographs remains. To quote Mike Johnson on, it was when chronographs were defined by ‘intricate dials with colourful accents, daring angular case shapes, and innovative mechanical movements’. It was also the time of NASA’s Skylab project and a golden age for mechanical chronographs. So what’s available? Remember the 1970s? It was Led Zeppelin’s heyday, the decade when the original World Trade Center was built, a period when oil shock hit Japan and the quartz crisis nearly did for Swiss watchmaking. You probably know that Seiko means much more than just entry-level Sports 5s, the cult Presage Cocktail Time SRPB43, or punch-above-their-weight underwater explorers such as the ISO 6425 rated Seiko SKX007 Diver’s Watch.Ī post shared by DIALBLUES to the 1970's The good news is that it’s possible on a budget, but, as ever with sought-after vintage watches, real care is needed. You’ve a few hundred to spend on a vintage watch and are ready to grab a piece of seconds-chasing Seiko history. The itch of a vintage Seiko chronograph – probably automatic, but possibly quartz-powered – begs to be scratched. You can read more about the brand’s history in my earlier WatchGecko article, but for now let’s look at buying your first vintage Seiko chronograph. And a passage that’s embraced some of the most affordable proletarian watches as well as examples of the most exquisitely engineered and finished timepieces available. From 1895’s Seikosha Timekeeper to the latest Grand Seiko Ceramic Spring Drive Chronograph GMT Ltd, it’s been a journey of innovation. Read on for ideas to help you buy that first Seiko vintage chronograph well…Īs I write, it’s nearly 140 years since Kintarō Hattori founded the company we now know as Seiko. However, buying can be a straightforward delight or a potentially expensive minefield for the unwary. 6138 ‘Bullhead’? Either way, find a good one and vintage Seiko chronos from the 1970s and 1980s offer great looks, solid manufacture movements and a piece of Seiko’s impressive history. Read our guidance on buying your first Seiko vintage chronograph.ĭo you crave the stunning colours and peerless history of Seiko’s 6192-6002 ‘Pogue’ space watch? How about a classic tonneau-style 6139-8002 from 1971 or iconic Cal. Buying vintage Seiko chronographs can be a delight or a potential minefield.
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