Seiko 5 Sports Part.1

The Seiko 5, released in 1963, revolutionized Japanese watchmaking. Originally a watch aimed at young people, its high level of perfection eventually made it Seiko's global strategic model. The 5 Sports, first released in 68, was an attempt to bring the 5 back to younger audiences. Its robust movement, unique case, and vibrant colors have captured the hearts of watch enthusiasts around the world, more than half a century later.

Seiko 5 Sports Part.2

Seiko 5 Sports Part.3

SEIKO SPORTS-MATIC 5
The prototype of the Seiko 5, born in 1963

　Since its 2019 relaunch, the 5 Sports has quickly become a Seiko icon. Its ancestor is the Seiko Sportsmatic 5 (later Seiko 5), released in 1963. While this collection was later primarily exported, the original intent has been carried over to the new 5 Sports.

　In the 1960s, Seiko (then known as Hattori Watch Shop) established the "SEIKO Exterior Millimeter Standard" for watch exterior design. By changing the design unit from lignes to millimeters, watch cases could finally be made water-resistant. Additionally, new automatic movements using the Magic Lever dramatically improved the practicality of wristwatches while keeping prices down. Given these developments, it was only natural that Seiko would seek to create a new generation of watches. In September 1963, they released the Seiko Sportsmatic 5, aimed at young people, followed a few months later by the luxury version, the "Seikomatic Weekdate." The former was also groundbreaking in that it was Seiko's first watch to come standard with a metal bracelet.

Since this was before the SEIKO logo was established, the watch is written as "Seiko Sportsmatic." Above it is a "spinning top" mark, which indicates automatic winding. This continued until the 1966 Sportsmatic 5 Deluxe with 25 jewels. The "5" symbol visible below the logo is inspired by a patch. From the Sportsmatic 5 Deluxe onwards, the number was changed from printed to applied in the shape of a shield. It should be noted that Seiko was only able to adopt flat dials after the establishment of the SEIKO exterior metric standard.

What greatly improved the practicality of the Seiko 5 was the date and day display at the 3 o'clock position. This model was the first to adopt this design, which has now become a global standard. However, adjusting the date and day display was a hassle, so Seiko continued to evolve the movement to make adjustments easier.

　The project known as the "5" was led by designer Taro Tanaka and Ren Tanaka of the PR department. The former perfected the modern waterproof case and realized the unprecedented layout of the day-date display at 3 o'clock. The latter gave the new model the sub-name "5," making it instantly catchy.

　The Sportmatic 5, which featured a waterproof case and automatic movement with a date and day function, was priced at just 8300 yen with a stainless steel bracelet (9800 yen with gold plating). This was only about 1.5 times the price of the entry-level manual-winding model, the Champion, and about 1 yen cheaper than the high-end Seikomatic Self-Datar. Combining attractive specs with an affordable price, the 5 Series became an unprecedented hit, selling 500 million units by 1967.

The lug details give the impression of a mass-produced watch. The shape was kept simple to increase productivity.

Despite being a popular model, the Sportsmatic 5 achieved what Seiko calls WP (10m) water resistance. Perhaps to keep manufacturing costs down, the case back is snap-on rather than screwed in. At the time, screw-down case backs were only available for high-end models boasting high levels of water resistance (WP50 - WP70).

SEIKO 5 SPORTS [1st Model]
The original 5 Sports is even more robust

　Since its release in 1963, the Sportsmatic 5 has sparked a boom in the watch industry. Driven by its growing popularity, Seiko has continued to evolve the collection every year.

　However, the evolution of the watch caused the 5 to deviate from its original intention of being a "popular version of an automatic calendar" and an entry-level model for young people. According to a 1967 catalog, the new "(New) 5 Deluxe 25 jewels" was priced at 12,000 yen, just 2000 yen more than the higher-end Roadmatic model.

The 5 Sports, released in June 1968, saw further design expansions and a significant increase in dial variations in the following years. However, this model continued to be sold. As the June 1968 issue of Seiko Sales magazine wrote at the time, "We hope you will combine the appeal of the 5 Sports with summer sports and leisure activities and recommend it to your customers," the original 5 Sports was designed with a strong focus on marine sports. Perhaps for this reason, the dial was a rare black color for Seiko, and was generously coated with luminous paint.

The date and day display, an icon of the Seiko 5, was also carried over to the 5 Sports. The diamond-cut surface gave it a luxurious feel, typical of Seiko of this era.

　The rest is speculation. Seiko may have sought to correct the course of the 5, which had become more difficult to differentiate from other collections due to rising prices. This was evident in the launch of the sporty-looking "5 Sports" (68) and the budget-friendly "5 Actus" (69). The 5 Sports, with its particularly diverse color palette (Seiko accelerated this trend from 69 onwards) and unique shape, was aimed at a completely different customer base than the previous 5.

　Seiko didn't just make this sporty watch look good, though: They replaced the dial with rugged Hardlex, changed the bezel to a rotating one so you could see the time at a glance, and increased the water resistance from 10m to 70m.

　There's no doubt that Seiko placed great importance on this new collection. This is evident from the fact that the first automatic chronograph movement, caliber 6139, which was announced in May 1969, was first installed in the 5 Sports, ahead of other collections. With new colors, shapes, and high-performance movements, the 5 Sports was geared towards young people. However, with the spread of quartz, this ambitious endeavor was eventually forced to go on hold.

The lug treatment. Seiko, which had previously preferred plain cases, underwent a major change in design from the late 1960s onwards. At a time when CNC cutting was not available, the fact that such a three-dimensional shape was finished by pressing shows the momentum of Seiko at the time.

The reason for the 70m water resistance is the screw-down case back, and it is equipped with Suwa Seikosha's masterpiece, the Cal. 61 series.