Seiko 5 Automatic 4207 movement

It's a special day today, so I decided to go with a smart looking shiny gold watch today.

This is one of my collection of Seiko watches from the Seiko 5 range. This range was released as an affordable line of automatic movement watches (with a couple of quarts versions thrown into the mix) mainly from the 1960s and 70s. The 5 in Seiko 5 stands for the 5 main features - Diaflex unbreakable mainspring, Diashock shock resistance system, automatic movement, day/date, and water resistance.

This model uses a 4207 automatic mechanical movement with 21 jewels. It has both day and date at the 3 o'clock position, with the second language on the day being one that I don't recognise (maybe Thai or Arabic script).

It has a smaller case than the others I've used and looks to have been part of a range for women (which I've seen referred to as Lady 5). The case is a square  shape with the corners removed and rounded, and the face sits in a round looking window (but is actually a dodecagon). The glass is thick and cut with tapered edges so it catches the light. Because of this, and that all metal parts are gold coloured, it makes it a very shiny watch.

Quite a lot of models use the 4207 movement, however I've been unable to find another that looks like this gold squared version. The full model number of this variant is 4207-5090. The strap part number is 30K8-B-E.

Seiko 5 Actus Automatic 6106 movement

Another watch with a lookalike today.

This watch is very similar un appearance to the Seiko 5 Automatic watch i blogged about a while back.

The Seiko 5 range were Seiko's brand for affordable automatic watches (although they did have a couple of digital models). The Actus range seems to be a line that focused on the stylish luxury end of the scale. This seems correct as this watch has some more style features, such as a cut glass face, compared to the standard Seiko 5. The Actus range covered both Seiko 5s and normal models, and was around in the late 60s and 70s, with Actus meaning performance, progress, action, or movement.

This model is a Seiko 5 Actus SS 23 jewels model with an automatic 6106 movement. It features a 3 hand dial with a nicely moving second hand (around 4 ticks per second), and has a hidden crown at the 4 o'clock position. There is a day and date at the 3 o'clock position (with fast setting) , and this can either be in English or Japanese.

It looks like it was made in 1973 based on the serial number, and from what I've read online, the 5 Actus watches were sold for 9,400 yen or higher (but I don't know for this exact model).

Seiko 5 Quartz Rectangular Dial 5Y01

A little while ago I posted about the Seiko 5 range of watches, which were originally produced as Seiko's affordable line of mechanical watches. At that time, I mentioned that they might have also ventured into quartz watches, and today's watch shows that was correct.

This watch is a 3-hand dial watch from the Seiko 5 range. It has a rectangular dial with the Seiko 5 logo (a stylized 5 inside a shield - it's actually a red 5,so maybe there was a Star Wars link?). I don't know exactly when this was released, but the serial number would suggest 86 as the year of manufacture. Based on the original meaning of the 5 in Seiko 5, this watch only matches 1 (maybe), which is water resistance, with the other 4 relating to mechanical movements or a date function. Reading other sites, they hint that there were only two quartz models ever released under the Seiko 5 range (this and a 5Y13A), and neither fit into the normal definition of the range.

It has quite  an elegant understated design with gold hands and trim on a silver watch. The strap is a Seiko branded stainless steel model which matches the body (and has a part number of Z1257).

The watch was made in Japan and has a 5Y01 module (full model number 5Y01-5040).

This model seems pretty uncommon, and this is the only one with this colour variation that I've been able to find online!

Seiko 5 Automatic 6119 movement

My watch today is one that I inherited rather than purchased, and originally was owned by my father.

It is a Seiko 5 Automatic watch, and was made in 1968.

The Seiko 5 range was where Seiko released it's affordable mechanical watches. The range had a much lower cost than the other mechanical ranges, but the watches were still good quality. Most of the Seiko 5 range were mechanical watches, but there seems to have been some quartz watches too. The 5 in Seiko 5 stands for the 5 key common features (of the mechanical watches) which are:
1 - Diaflex unbreakable mainspring
2 - Diashock shock resistance system
3 - Automatic movement
4 - Day/date
5 - Water Resistant

This watch has a 6119 movement which is running a 3-hand dial with day and date at the 3 o'clock position. The crown is placed 30 degrees down from horizontal (at the 4 o'clock position). Setting the date is a little unusual, as you have to press in the crown to advance (rather than pulling out the crown a half step). It is an automatic mechanical watch, which runs well from a days use. The second hand is quite smooth, with 4 steps per second, but doesn't have a continuous sweep.

The full model number is 6119-7080.