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Seiko Pepsi Pogue Automatic Yellow Dial Chronograph, ref. 6139, 1972 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Seiko Pepsi Pogue Automatic Yellow Dial Chronograph, ref. 6139, 1972

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Seiko (maker)
Date
1972
Country of origin
Japan
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Stainless steel
Dimensions
Diameter 41 mm (without crown)
Stock no.
vp3609
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Portfolio (vp3609)
Catalogue title (original)
Vintage Seiko Pepsi Pogue Automatic Yellow Dial Chronograph 6139 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Portfolio (dealer), Vienna (stock number vp3609), this is a wristwatch by Seiko, made in Japan, dated 1972. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Stainless steel. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 41 mm (without crown). The record is illustrated with 6 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

Dealer specification — Vintage Portfolio

Movement: chronograph with automatic; Case: stainless steel; Crown: Genuine (factory original, unsigned back then); Date display: Date and Weekday displayed; Diameter: 41 mm (without crown); Dial condition, as described by the dealer: We believe that the dial has been refurbished/restored years ago.

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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