SEIKO 6139S 'UFO' CHRONOGRAPH 1974
Th "Ufo" from Seiko is one of their most collectible chronographs with an excellent timeless design that was soon followed by other even cooler chrono models. The construction of the "Ufo" is so simple that the spring-loaded pushers are only held in place with the spacer-ring of the movement! The very robust 6139 calibre was Japans first automatic chronograph introduced somewhere in 1969 soon after the "Chronomatic" and "El Primero". With all these movements having been developed almost simultaneously it is difficult to confirm the exact timeline but to some extent it is possible that the humble Japanese invented World's first automatic chronograph... but they didn't feel like promoting their efforts abroad.
Japanese chronograph watches are quite affordable and present excellent value for money. As opposed to European chronographs the technical concept is totally different with a very simple layout and construction of all components... out-of-the-box thinking...in a way. The low complexity and also prices of these movements make them the perfect first step into chronograph study and repairs. This is probably where I will also start as I'm a complete rookie in this field. I'm good in all sorts of watches so it's not the chronograph complexity that scares me ;) it's the high risk of levers and springs flying around with the speed of light...never to be found again. I can thus sacrifice a few cheap Seikos on my learning curve before I try my luck with a 1000$ stopwatch :)
Keywords: seiko chronograph, ufo, 6139
Market value: 75-300$ (condition, box)