I have written about SEIKO-related watches in the past. May it be actual SEIKO or from the SEIKO EPSON side ala ORIENT watches.
I have walked by the old SEIKO building in 4-chome Ginza many times and I have owned numerous SEIKO watches which I still have to this day.
But that passion for SEIKO watches began very early in my life thanks to my father. I often saw him wearing various SEIKO watches when I was very young. Watches he purchased in Japan while working on the USS Prairie (AD-15), WHICH WAS A 16,000 ton FRAM MK II Conversion Class Destroy Tender, whose primary mission was to be a mobile repair facility for Force ships.
This ship served during World War II and in 1956-1957, did the only around-the-world cruise for a ship of her type (what was believed back in 1971). It was used in the Korean conflict and even was honored by a visit by then South Korean president, Dr. Syngman Rhee.
By 1972, the Prairie’s home port was temporarily changed to Long Beach and then later San Diego (two locations that were a big part of my father and eventually my life).
And while my father was there, according to the WESTPAC Cruisebook in 1973, the ship was celebrating its 33rd year in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Surviving three wars and 18 WESTPAC cruises.
I would always see these cool watches my dad had growing up.
Months after his passing, I wondered if there were any of these watches that he kept and there was one that I do recall and it was the SEIKO 6139-8020. I don’t know what’s year, but I had to go online to see the corresponding colors of the watch and based that from what I saw. But it could be anywhere between 1971-1973, which he purchased in Japan.
The watch band had a rubber band which was in bad shape. The case was in bad shape.
But to the surprise, the watch was still functional.
I truly believed the original watch strap was metal and had the ’70s style with the hole in the center which he worn in this picture, I think.
What I do know is that because it shows “Water Resistant”, it’s definitely a post-1971 watch because due to legislation changes in the US market, almost all SEIKO models changed the word “Water Proof” to “Water Resistant” (or Water Resist).
Below the SEIKO logo is the Suwa-Seikosha logo.
The numbers show as 1D6204. The 1 is 1971. So, we know D is for December (SEIKO used Jan-September with 1-9, 0 for October, N for November and D for December). The unique production number is 6204. As for Japan A, it is not known but its thought to be a case supplier.
So, knowing that, we know this is a 1971 SEIKO 6139-8020 watch. The case material is steel and thus used a 6139 caliber watch with 17 jewels.
The 6139 is considered an influential movement (Frederic Piguet was inspired by it when crafting the caliber 1185, aka the “Grandfather of the modern automatic chronograph”) and had a vertical clutch, utilized a magic lever and was known in 1969 as the “61 Speed-Timer”, which was the first automatic chronograph movement. You can learn more about this movement through the excellent article from Chrono24.
And because of this, the SEIKO 6139 is considered a historical automatic chronograph.
The pull out crown adjusts the time, but I have to admit, changing the day and date was a pain in the ass, and I could only think, man it must have sucked back then of having to setup the day/date, as it requires a hard press on the crown to change the day, a soft touch to change the date but more often, while I was setting the day, I end up messing up and changing the date. Granted, maybe it was much easier when this watch was new and nearly 50 years later, that’s why there is more resistance.
There is a 30 minute subdial; at the 6:00 position and a central chronograph seconds hand.
All are functioning, the watch is functioning.
So, I then cleaned out the 40mm metal casing. Removed the broken strap and tried an 18mm brown leather strap but was much to small, used a 20mm black leather strap and it worked. I will change out the strap again to a brown more appropriate than a black leather strap.
There was a chip on the plexiglass crystal at the top. Granted, it can be repaired, but considering the watch is a collector’s watch, prices for a used functional 6139 is too expensive. So, I’ll keep it as is for now. I’m sure it needs to be oiled, but I’ll work on that later.
Flashed my UV light to test the lume and it still works. This watch was created after Radium was banned in 1968. But SEIKO switched to Promethium-147 which has a shorter half life and used it through the 1990s. More info on SEIKO and radioactive lume can be found here.
But my feelings of this watch is that it no doubt that the 6139 watch was a popular watch in the early ’70s and is sought out by collector’s today because of the movement. But nearly 50 years later, I wonder to myself, “Was my father frustrated with changing the day/date for this watch?”.
For me, it’s more of a watch that I remember my father wearing when I was very little and seeing it occasionally. Granted, I thought of it being a “hippy watch” as it wasn’t as cool as the Swatch watches of the ’80s or the early Casio G-Shocks.
But as I got older and have appreciated SEIKO watches even more, and so now, as part of my collection, my father’s 1971 SEIKO 6139-8020 Chronograph will be the oldest watch in my collection but also as a memory of my father who loved watches, which that passion passed on to me.
