[SOLD] 1966 Vintage Seiko Seikomatic 6206-8040 Weekdater

Introducing

Seiko Seikomatic 6206-8040 Weekdater

Circa 1966

The Seikomatic Weekdater oozes class with its highly polished exterior (and you should really scroll down for movement pictures). While the large single language day wheel at 6'O is a step away from the marque's tenant of technical simplicity, it is nonetheless a welcome step.

The dial is a silver white, a flat dull base complementing the polished markers and hands to make the watch very legible. I touched on the atypical aesthetic emphasis on this watch with the large day window, and the raised chapter ring marking the minutes adds to that, making the Weekdater a little less business. Just a little.

The sharp dauphine hands are also polished to a smooth shine, their lengths corresponding to the hour indexes very well. It's a very pleasing sight to see the tip of the hands just graze along the perimeter of the invisible circles. #WatchNerd

Perhaps the one gripe I have about this piece would be the overly simplistic lugs. What with the minimalistic dial and elegant face, the least Seiko could do was a little sharpening. The unimaginative lumps are most unappreciated here. 

Screw open the caseback, however, and you're treated to a visual feast of gold and steel, new as the day it was made. A 26-jewel automatic 6206 movement stuns. 

Excuse the lugs though.

1966 Vintage Seiko Seikomatic 6206-8040 Weekdater 

Hour, minute and central sweeping seconds

Silver dial with polished hour batons

35mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

18mm lug width

6206 automatic @ 18,000vph

Acrylic crystal

Blue aftermarket leather strap

SOLD

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[SOLD] 1979 Vintage Seiko 5 7009-8331 "Seamaster"

Introducing

Seiko 5 7009-8331 "Seamaster"

Circa 1979

As far as dials go, this has to be one of the most impressive ones I've seen on a Seiko 5. It presents itself with a classic majesty, its many elements combining to a very solid wrist presence.

Let's start with the dial. It doesn't get much better than the vertical guilloche trenches cut deep into the dial. It was what attracted me to the Omega Seamaster 150 and it's here again on this very affordable timepiece. 

The designers of this watch knows exactly what they're doing, minimising each element to their bare essentials to not just complement the emblematic dial but to also to let them each have their own moment in the spotlight. 

Gold is naturally the color chosen to complete the jet black dial. Polished hour indexes escape  commonality with indents and spots of lumibrite at their ends, an aesthetically surprising and useful application in line with the Seiko 5 mantra.

Sporty baton hands are in the same gold, also applied with lumibrite. A harsh white day and date display sits beneath the gold window at 3'O, once again a choice of practicality over a fashion decision. Topping it off is the applied Seiko 5 emblem and printed Suma logo on the dial. 

All of that class sits underneath a mineral glass crystal, with a less traditional give-link bracelet completing the sports watch look.  The large stainless steel case melts seamlessly into the links and bracelet, not letting the dial lost its thunder to watch lugs.

I almost feel like keeping this guy for myself.

1979 Vintage Seiko 5 7009-8331 "Seamaster"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with day/date display

Eng / Rom day display

Polished black guilloche dial

36mm stainless steel case

42mm lug-to-lug

20mm lug width

7009 automatic movement @ 21,600vph with quickset push for day change

Mineral glass crystal

Seiko stainless steel bracelet

SOLD

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[SOLD] 1977 Vintage Seiko 5 6309-6240 "Zip"

Introducing

Seiko 5 6309-6240 "Zip"

Circa 1977

White dials look stylish. Period. And matched with straight horizontal lines, it makes for a very neat looking watch face. Zip is the kind of watch that gets eyeballs glancing your wrist's way.

The stark white dial is decorated very nicely with thick horizontal lines, creating a sort of wave effect that really gives the dial a distinct class that you don't expect from an economical watch like this. 

The Seiko 5 emblem and polished hour batons are applied onto the face, breaking the artistic symmetry. The polished day-date window follows suit.

The baton hands add to the sporty look, light lumibrite faint from the years of application. Topped off with a three-link oyster bracelet, Zip is a very nice companion for those who like a touch of white on a hot summer's day, or tucked under a sleeve for the corporate workhorse.

1977 Vintage Seiko 5 6309-6240 "Zip"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with quickset day-date

Eng / Arb day display

White dial with printed horizontal lines

34mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

6309 automatic @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass

Seiko stainless steel bracelet

[SOLD]

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[SOLD] 1975 Vintage Seiko 5 6309-8840 "Versace"

Introducing

Seiko 5 6309-8840 "Versace"

Circa 1973

A flashy name befitting a flashy dial. This watch has sunshine written all over its face!

The dial has a versace-like pattern of alternating gold tones split into four equal quadrants. along the edges of the curved quarters are round polished gold hour markers, complemented by straight baton hour indexes on the straight alignments of the versace dial. 

Sharp polished hands complete the package.

While the day-date display is totally in line with the Seiko 5 design ideals, I can't help but think how good it'd be if the dial were left in perfect symmetry. Such wonderful design can only be hampered by the utilitarian purposes of a watch.

Sometimes, we can do without reason and just have something nice to look at, not that there's not already much to admire on Versace.

1975 Vintage Seiko 5 6309-8840 "Versace" 

Hour, minute and seconds hands with quickset day-date

Eng / Arb day display

Duo-tone gold versace pattern dial

34mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

6309 automatic @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass

Seiko stainless steel bracelet

SOLD

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[SOLD] 1971 Vintage Seiko 5 6309-8230 "James"

Introducing

Seiko 5 6309-8230 "James"

Circa 1971

This guy looks like he'll pair pretty well with some guy's socks. While common on a knitted jacket, the pattern seems to also go well with wristwatch dials. 

Who'd have guessed?

And check out the roman numeral printed at 12'O. The markets and hands aren't trying to take attention away from the dial, which is a good thing, because you're really buying James for the awesome black and grey pattern. 

  

1971 Vintage Seiko 5 6309-8230 "James"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with quickset day-date

Eng / Arb day display

Knitted black / grey combination dial with gold checkered lines

34mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

6309 automatic @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass

Aftermarket stainless steel bracelet

SOLD

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[SOLD] 1970s Vintage Seiko 5 7019 "Masquerade"

Introducing

Seiko 5 7019 "Masquerade"

Circa 1970s

A ball is a grand affair - graceful movements of bodies moving in synchrony across a decorated floor. This is the imagery presented to me when I looked at this watch. 

A circular gold tent, enshrouding the private affair, with white and grey marbled floor greeting the dancers as they glide across. 

The fluted bezel does well to make the watch look bigger on your wrist, and having it in the color gold adds to the novelty of it all. 

The brushed checkered dial is a nice complement to the decorated bezel, and the gold markers and hands finish off the watch in all its splendor.

1970s Vintage Seiko 5 7019 "Masquerade"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with day/date display

Eng / Frn day display

Two-tone checkered brushed finished dial

34mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

10/20mm proprietary lug width 

7019 automatic movement @ 21,600vph with quickset push for day change

Acrylic glass crystal

Seiko Japan stainless steel bracelet

SOLD

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[SOLD] 1979 Vintage Citizen 8110 Bullhead Flyback Chronograph "Popstar"

Introducing

Citizen 8110 Bullhead Flyback Chronograph "Popstar"

Circa 1979

The coveted panda dial gets a modern twist in the rendition, with PVD black replacing the stainless steel chic and a striking gold dial and bezel to match the radical black sheen of the case and bracelet.

The flyback movement of the Citizen 8110 lies underneath the exterior, a compact chronograph with an odd quickset day feature where you pull out the crown to its first position and push the chronograph reset button. 

Definitely a cooler and much more attention-grabbing version of the infamous bullhead chronograph from Citizen, the Popstar comes in great condition, the bezel and crown showing little signs of use. The aftermarket PVD bracelet retains its protective cover. What's the notice are the chronograph buttons, which remains stainless steel. 

The bright red chronograph hands are in exceptional condition, though like many of its peers, Popstar's minute register carries on a perpetual count as long as the movement is wound.

Small flaw aside, this is a really exceptional timepiece for the avid collector.

1979 Vintage Citizen 8110 Bullhead Flyback Chronograph "Popstar"

Hour and minute hands with day-date display

Eng / Arb day display

Panda dial with three sub-dials

37mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

19mm lug width

8110 automatic flyback chronograph @ 28,800vph 

Mineral glass crystal

Aftermarket PVD stainless steel bracelet

NOTE: MINUTE REGISTER MAINTAINS PERPETUAL MOVEMENT

SOLD

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[Sold] 1980 Vintage Seiko 5 6349 "Charming"

Introducing

Seiko 5 6349 "Charming"

Circa 1980s

There's something about clean cut and simple designs that make you want to look twice. Not in succession, but maybe a few days later.

And when you do the gaze fixates. Somehow you find something worth sticking onto. The bad boys may look lavish and out there, ready for the world. 

But Charming, he's in it for the long run.

Classic white dial with polished hour indices and three hands make for a legible companion to the everyday. The spot of lumibrite make for a little color contrast, along with the grey / gold striped outer dial.

The crystal lies flat, parallel to the wrist, offering to slip under one's shirt sleeve for the office. The stepped steel case and duo-toned outer dial presents something for the weekend polo-t.

Charming is a versatile wristwatch for someone who doesn't need to own increasingly garish statement pieces to prove himself to the world.

1980s Vintage Seiko 5 6349 "Charming"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with quickset day-date

Eng / Arb day display

White dial with grey / gold banded outer dial

34mm stainless steel case

40mm lug-to-lug

20mm lug width

6349 automatic @ 21,600vph

Mineral glass crystal

Aftermarket stainless steel bracelet

SOLD

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[SOLD] 1970s Vintage Orient King Diver 46940 "Radical"

Introducing

Orient King Diver 46940 "Radical"

Circa 1970s

Sports watches are a flashy lot, I give you that. I've seen needless decoration and features added into an otherwise classic design, resulting in a garish Frankenstein of a timepiece.

You can almost say the design decisions were radical.

Which is very much like this offering we have here. Big watch for its time, with bright colors and complex dial details make for a fancy wrist piece. 

Based on the in-house 46940 automatic movement, Radical features a bi-directional rotating inner bezel operated via the 4O' crown and a quickset day wheel operated via button at 2O'.

Daring to be different, the owner of such a watch has got to love the attention that comes with it. The many, many design elements that manifest themselves in this watch makes admiring it a pleasure. 

From the large crowns to the four-colored rotating inner bezel, to the bright white and red minute tracks on the dial, to the yellow striped polished hour indices and the bright orange second hand - this watch is unapologetic in its attention grabbing details. 

1970s Vintage Orient King Diver 46940 "Radical"

Hour, minute and seconds hands with quickset day-date

Eng / Arb day display

Bi-directional rotating inner bezel at 4'O

Black dial with multi-colored rotating bezel

42mm stainless steel case

45mm lug-to-lug

22mm lug width

Orient 46941 automatic @ 21,600vph

Acrylic Crystal

Aftermarket leather strap

SOLD

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