I immediately took a look at the dial, It was the same “WATER 70m RESIST” as Lt. Colonel Pogue piece. I took a look at the serial number and found out it was produced in March 1971, the same production year of the true Pogue (November 1971). I found out that this particular model dial was in production only from 1969 to early 1972.

I knew only one person that could probably help me with restoring this watch, a person I bought an Omega Seamaster 600 from 1968 that I wore on my wrist during the birth of my son in June 2017. So I gave him a call, describing what I found and how it was important to me. He said to mail him the piece and he will take care of it as he knows a watchmaker that spent years servicing Seikos. So without hesitation, the first thing I did the next morning was to put the watch in a box and head to the post office. Some days passed and the watch went to service. There were several things that needed to be replaced: the bezel insert, the hands as they were so corroded it was not possible to restore them, the glass and the pushers as they were missing. Fortunately, the pushers were quite easy to find, I found some aftermarket “real glass” produced in Germany for the specific model. And in the end, also the bracelet had to be replaced so I ordered a new one. The watch stayed for some weeks at the watchmaker shop and was mailed back to me in March.

I still can’t believe how one of my greatest passions got blessed with a “common” Seiko owned by my father that is at the same time the first-ever automatic chronograph model mass-produced and the first automatic chronograph in space. I am enjoying every moment of this watch on my wrist and couldn’t be happier. At the same time, I’m looking at old photos of my father from the ’70s and ’80s and I feel a stronger connection with him.