Seiko Divers from the 1960s and 1970s

voere

This one will make your Seiko look pretty

bigsom

The bezel on that watch is original and pristine! I bet under that crystal is a perfect dial. Pretty in its own way 🥰

bigsom

The 6217 features quick set date but cannot be hacked or hand wound.

The 6105 features quick set date and hacking, but can not be hand wound.

The 6306 (JDM) features quick set day/date and hacking, but can not be hand wound.

The 6309 features quick set day/date, but cannot be hacked or hand wound

so it features quick set date, hacking, and hand winding.

mikechi22

May I ask: what is "hacking" in this context?

bigsom

I really enjoy Seiko watches, as I suspect many of you do. The history of the Seiko dive-watch(es) is filled with fascinating tales of discovery, innovation, and triumph. The stories behind some of these watches are better told by actual journalists and historians, and if you are unfamiliar there are some fantastic resources out there.

This small collection is focused on the progression of the unshrouded 150m rated Seiko divers starting with the first generation 6217 (first in 1965), continuing on to the second generation 6105 (first in 1970), and ending with the third generation 6306/9 (first in 1976) which had it's run through the 1980s. These three models are probably the most important vintage Seiko dive watches in terms of production. The rare and wonderful 300m divers (namely the 6215-7000 and then the 6159-7000) were produced 2 years after the original 6217-8000 came to market in 1967.

I also just started learning and enjoying the history of shrouded Seiko divers and my collection includes a 6159-7010 which is the first shrouded dive-watch in Seiko's history (first in 1975).

Group shot first from left to right - 6217-8001 (1965) // 6105-8119 (1975) // 6306-7001 (1978) // 6159-7010 (1975)



Next some individual shots.

1965 6217-8001


Here's a bonus of the 62mas - had a chance to take a few more photos in different lighting today.


1975 6105-8119


1978 6306-7001


1975 6159-7010


And a bonus shot of the 6159 since it's the newest one in the bunch 😀

bigsom

That's just a fantastic example. Thanks for sharing.

bigsom

That's just a fantastic example. Thanks for sharing.

Syrte

pleasure... as someone observed, it's incredibie the level of care they put in the detail of those applied markers on a 34mm wide case, just like they did on the larger cousins-- 6105, 6359 etc.