An unfashionable watch at the time, but now everyone want a Seiko Speedtimer Chronograph.  Model reference 6139-8040.

HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?

From the serial number on the case back we can accurately date this watch to being made in June 1976.

CONDITION

The 6139A movement was one of the first automatic chronographs, alongside the Zenith el Primero and Calibre 11 used by Breitling, Heuer and some others, back in 1969.  But roll forward seven years and it was very outdated tech.  LED watches had come and gone, and now you could get LCD chronograph watches that would read the time to 1/10th of a second.  The chief developer of such technology was – Seiko.  So by 1976, the mechanical watch we have here cost ¥19,000 but a Grand Quartz Seiko could cost ¥100,000.  Nowadays, people want mechanical and not quartz watches.

This watch has the original bracelet, as shown by the 1976 catalogue which shows the watch should have the XAA970 bracelet.  The clasp on our watch shows it was part of the 5 Sports range, and the catalogue watch has that on the dial too.  Our watch doesn’t have that on the dial, but while it looks bright and clean if you look again you will see some marks, especially near the end of Seiko and on the edge between 7 and 8.  Likewise the crystal does have a few marks if looking closely.  The bracelet is quite short unless you use the bracelet extender fitted.  The bracelet has been cleaned in our ultrasonic bath.  The date can be quick set by pushing the crown inwards, and if you press the crown harder you will quick set the day too, picking between English and Kanji.  The later 6139B 17 jewel movement is automatic only, with no manual wind, and the chronograph is all functioning correctly.

This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.

Please see the HD video for more detail.  All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned.  We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.

​SIZE

Width with crown  39.5 mm

Width without crown  38.9 mm

Between lugs  18 mm

Lug to lug length  42.0 mm

Case Thickness  14.0 mm

Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 190 mm.  The bracelet can be sized for you if you give us your wrist size when placing the order.

All sizes are approximate.  The watch is photographed on a wrist of 190mm/7.5 inches.

Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses.  If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries.  Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us.   Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.

From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon.  By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.

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