I recently fully serviced this Seiko 6139-6005 Pogue vintage chronograph for the original owner. The watch is very sentimental for him, it was worn through many important years in his life. The watch certainly reflects lots of use, down to the scratches, paint and varnish I cleaned off the case. It also epitomizes Seiko’s iconic reliability and style, as after servicing the watch stands a good chance of outliving all of us if properly cared-for. It was interesting to speak with the owner about his motivations for originally purchasing the watch. He was drawn to the beautiful dial, he swam with it regularly (I explained not to swim with it anymore), and my impression was that he did understand at the time that the movement was innovative for some reason. Today, collectors recognize the role the Seiko 6139 and 6138 played in the race to the first automatic chronograph. You will notice the original crystal full of scratches. I described, several times, to the owner that a new crystal would look fantastic on the watch; however, he was sure he wanted to keep the current crystal. He said it was the scratches and dings on the crystal and case that reflected his life with the watch and his past. After fully servicing, it is again running very nicely with excellent accuracy and overall performance.
