I’m excited to share this one. My new-to-me Seiko 6159-7000 from March ‘68. This is the one that I’ve always wanted... my end-game Seiko, really. In my opinion, this one represents the pinnacle of vintage Seiko. Itss first diver with Professional on the dial and a wonderful hi-beat movement ticking away inside at 36,000 bph. I’ve always held off on hunting for one because of the large price tag, but after a friend loaned me his for a week, I realized I needed to do what it takes to make it happen, so I sold a bunch of pieces from my collection... some of them right up there with my favourites. It hurt at the time, but now that it’s here, it was all worth it a NOS crystal and a full service are in its immediate future. The watch has certainly been worn over the years, but the brunt of the action happily was absorbed by the back of the case.
Superb Seiko ,& all I can add to that is your a lucky man to now own such a great watch . And no I’m not jealous , well ok just a bit , oh ok then quite a lot actually.
Haha! Thank you very much for those kind words and may one of these be somewhere in your immediate future
Lovely watch! Make sure it gets a proper service; these hi-beat movements wear out quickly when not serviced.
Thank you! Agreed 100%. It’s going to someone who’s worked on lot of 6159s over the years. This one will get whatever it needs to be in tip-top shape
Fabulous you score well. I used to have a 68 with count down bezel and regretted selling mine. Enjoy wearing yours.
That's a beaut! I think of Seiko similarly to what Omega represented to me when I was young and just starting to collect; fairly inexpensive, great range of divers, large colorful chronographs, ruggedly built, and using simple yet elegant designs.
Yeah, they’ve gone a bit berserk over the years. That said, from a quality and (subjective) aesthetics standpoint, I’d confidently put the Seiko up against a Sub from the same period. I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but I recall reading that the 6159 sold for the same or maybe more than the Rolex did at the time. Supposedly even at the price Seiko lost money on every one. Holding it in you hands, you can really feel what a solid timepiece it is. And the little details, like the lines in the gilt indices are pretty amazing.
It wears very well. Great wrist presence, but it wears much smaller than it’s modern cousin, the MM300. If you’re comfortable with a 6306/6309 or either of the 6105s,you will love it. Because of the flat back, it sits nice and flat on the wrist. Seen below on my 7.25” wrist.
Wonderful piece! Vintage Seiko is where its at for me, Ive got quite a few in my collection, vintage, not this model though regretfully. In recent years I have got very disappointed with the mass of Seiko 5's and the current crop of diver / sport watches almost to the point of despair especially when you see the money asked for very pedestrian pieces however for your model there will always be a spot in my watch collection that will need to be filled, enjoy!
One of the best vintage dive watches out there. Congratulations on the pickup Make sure to post some more pics after the service.