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Seiko H448-5069 Quartz Alarm Chronograph LCD Gold-Tone Watch 1980s — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Seiko H448-5069 Quartz Alarm Chronograph LCD Gold-Tone Watch 1980s

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Seiko (maker)
Date
1980s
Country of origin
Japan
Object type
Wristwatch
Lot
Item 215168088
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 12, Exclusive Watches and Jewlery, Sphere Auctions LLC (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Seiko H448-5069 Quartz Alarm Chronograph LCD Gold-Tone Watch 1980s (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 215168088), this is a wristwatch by Seiko, made in Japan, dated 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Lot description — Sphere Auctions LLC

Vintage Seiko Quartz men’s wristwatch, model H448-5069 RO, circa 1980s. Dual-display design with analog gold-tone dial and digital LCD window showing day/date and chronograph/alarm functions. Gold-tone rectangular case with stainless steel back, stamped “Base Metal St. Steel Back H448-5069 RO 250971.” Original Seiko Japan quartz movement. Fitted with a USA-made gold-tone mesh expansion bracelet marked “FOJB.” Case size approx. 35mm wide. Recently fitted with a new battery and fully functional.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

  • Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
  • Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
  • Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
  • Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

  • Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
  • Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
  • Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Flyback chronographChronograph

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