Vintage Seiko 5 Sports Automatic Men’s Watch 6319-6000

Nice clean example dating from 1979

Indices have been re-lumed etc 

Seiko 5 Sports 6319-6000 — 1970s Japanese Sports Watch

The Seiko 5 Sports 6319-6000 is one of those wonderfully quirky vintage Seikos that tends to get overlooked in favour of the better-known 6139 and 6138 chronographs.

Produced in Japan during the 1970s, the 6319-6000 was part of Seiko's 5 Sports range — watches designed to be sporty, practical and tough enough for everyday use. At around 38mm, it has a very wearable size by modern standards, while the chunky case and black dial give it plenty of 1970s character.

What makes this particular Seiko especially interesting is the internal rotating bezel. Rather than having the timing scale on an external bezel, Seiko placed it inside the crystal, giving the watch a look that has often led collectors to draw comparisons with the famous Seiko automatic chronographs of the period. Some enthusiasts have even nicknamed this style the "Pogue Junior" because of its resemblance to the case and bezel arrangement of the famous Seiko 6139 worn by astronaut William Pogue.

Inside is Seiko's 6319A automatic movement, a 21-jewel mechanical movement running at 21,600 vibrations per hour. It provides the familiar Seiko combination of automatic winding and day/date display, and is closely related to the 6309 family of movements.

And then there's the dial.

The black dial, bright luminous markers and red seconds hand give this watch a great period-correct sports-watch appearance. The combination of the black dial, internal timing scale and day/date display is unmistakably Seiko from the 1970s.

A Proper Vintage Seiko

This isn't a modern reproduction trying to look vintage. It's an old Seiko that has actually lived a life.

As can be seen from the photographs, the watch has the expected signs of age and use, including marks to the case and bracelet. We have deliberately not tried to turn it into a brand-new-looking watch. There is something rather appealing about buying a 1970s watch that still looks like a 1970s watch.

That's also how we approach our vintage Seikos generally. We're not particularly interested in polishing away fifty years of history just to make an old watch look new. We'd rather preserve the character and let the watch tell a little of its own story.

The 6319-6000 may not have the fame of a Seiko Pogue, but for anyone who appreciates the slightly unusual side of vintage Seiko, this is a very cool little piece of 1970s Japanese watchmaking.

Automatic • 21 Jewels • Day/Date • Internal Rotating Bezel • Seiko 5 Sports • Approx. 38mm • Made in Japan

As with any mechanical watch of this age, it should be treated as a vintage timepiece rather than a modern precision instrument. Some variation in timekeeping is to be expected.