Vintage 1978 Seiko Quartz LC A159-5019-G LCD Alarm Chronograph Digital Watch 34mm — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 4 · Image: Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Vintage 1978 Seiko Quartz LC A159-5019-G LCD Alarm Chronograph Digital Watch 34mm

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.

Maker / attribution: Seiko (maker)
Date: c. 1978
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Japan
Object type: Wristwatch
Auction house: LiveAuctioneers auction archive
Lot: Item 232949857
Credit line: Auction lot record: lot 283, EXCLUSIVE WATCHES AND POCKET WATCHES 11, Sphere Auctions LLC (2026), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original): Vintage 1978 Seiko Quartz LC A159-5019-G LCD Alarm Chronograph Digital Watch 34mm (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 232949857), this is a wristwatch by Seiko, made in Japan, dated c. 1978. 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

This is a vintage Seiko Quartz LC alarm chronograph digital watch, reference A159-5019-G, serial 842643, made in Japan circa 1978. The rectangular stainless steel case measures approximately 34.48mm wide and features four side pushers for function control. The black-bezel LCD display face is labeled "Quartz LC" and shows function indicators in blue and red including Stopwatch, Alarm Set, Time Set, Lap, Stop, 1/10s, Light/Mode, Date/Read-Stop, Start-Stop/Lap-Reset, and Select/Set — a full-featured alarm chronograph layout characteristic of Seiko's pioneering first-generation LC digital series. The case back is stamped Seiko / Stainless Steel / Japan / A159-5019-G with a coin-slot battery compartment. The watch comes on its original integrated stainless steel ladder-link bracelet stamped B=334.This watch is being sold in its current condition as seen. That is a quartz watch. Watch may run at time of listing. We do not guarantee extended runtime or accuracy

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: 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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication
Alarm — Complication
Quartz crystal oscillator — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: LiveAuctioneers auction archive (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers — permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Vintage 1978 Seiko Quartz LC A159-5019-G LCD Alarm Chronograph Digital Watch 34mm." LiveAuctioneers auction archive, Item 232949857. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/vintage-1978-seiko-quartz-lc-a159-5019-g-lcd-alarm-chronograph-digital-6bdf84.