In commemoration of the 1969 classic

The 1969 launch of Caliber 6139 was, of course, an important milestone in Seiko’s history because it was one of the world’s first automatic chronographs but its real significance lay in the fact that it incorporated both a column wheel and a vertical clutch, devices that allowed Caliber 6139 to deliver a real improvement in the precision with which elapsed time could be measured in a watch. Today, the combination of a vertical clutch and column wheel is widely seen as a prerequisite in a high grade chronograph; in 1969, this was an important advance in an automatic wristwatch.

The new Prospex limited edition watch that commemorates this 1969 landmark uses Seiko’s most advanced chronograph caliber, 8R48, which was first created in 2014. In addition to the vertical clutch and column wheel, it incorporates Seiko’s unique three-pointed hammer and a heart-shaped cam which ensure the perfect synchronization of the hands’ fly-back. The watch is based on a much loved design from that era that became known among Seiko’s fans as the “Panda” thanks to the two black sub-dials set against the white dial. It has the same hairline finish on the dial as the original, the same hands with the same orange tip to the chronograph second hand and the same hour markers and tachymeter bezel markings.

