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A pair of 6139s new to me

742 views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  TwentiethCenturyFox 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been lurking these forums for a few years and finally have something to post about! This weekend I inherited a couple watches from my dad's safe. Both 6139s; one is the 6005, yellow dial with red and blue bezel, and the other is a 6015 with blue dial and plain bezel. The 6005 is the one that I remember my dad wearing when I was a little kid and I have been rummaging through his things for years trying to find that one. The other, I have never seen and I am guessing it was his dad's and he obtained in when my grandparents passed years ago. I have known for years that the "Pepsi" watch didn't work, but knowing about this site and the collectability of vintage watches, I figured it would be repairable, so it was no surprise to find it in non-working condition. The 6015 was a nice surprise. In addition to not knowing it even existed, it works! I gave it a couple shakes and it came to life. The chrono buttons work as intended and it keeps good time. So at minimum I have the parts construct one good watch, or potentially have them both in running order without too much expense (hopefully!). They both have fairly scratched up crystals, so that will need to addressed; but the 6005 is going to need a bit more. The crown was stuck pushed in and neither of the chrono buttons work. Additionally, in my haste to resolve the crown issue, I put a bit too much outward force on it and the crown popped off of the stem, and it will not stay on. I understand these can be tricky to find and to fit, so I hope I am not dead in the water.

I have to decide how to proceed with these watches. Do I try to work on them myself, or do I send them to an "expert". I am reasonably competent with my tools and with mechanical systems, but watches are a little different than what I typically work on! I don't have specialized watch making tools and don't really plan to get in to that, so short of watch band tool and possibly a case back opener, I am not going to get tooled up to do this kind of work on a regular basis. I would love to post pictures of these two new acquisitions, but I don't have the post count to allow it. Once I get to that point, I will show some photos.
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#2 ·
Congratulations! Now where are the photos? :)

If I were you, I'd keep the 6015 as a working watch for the moment and send the 6005 to a competent watch maker to restore it back to working order. If it's from your own dad, you'll never sell it, but you want it to last a while longer and you won't want to break it yourself, trying to do something you've never done before, right?

I've just had 3 "Pogues" (one 6019-6002, the other 2 are 6019-6000s) serviced and restored to fully working condition, by a guy in the UK. One was a friend's watch, who inherited it from his Dad, and now after spending ~£250 getting it properly sorted out, it'll last another 40 years and he'll pass it on to his son...
 
#5 ·
I've just had 3 "Pogues" (one 6019-6002, the other 2 are 6019-6000s) serviced and restored to fully working condition, by a guy in the UK. One was a friend's watch, who inherited it from his Dad, and now after spending ~£250 getting it properly sorted out, it'll last another 40 years and he'll pass it on to his son...
May i ask who you used in the UK to service your 3 "Pogues"? I have a 6139-6000 that i am contemplating having serviced.
 
#3 ·
Sometimes parts can be hard to find but for the most part they're out there. It just takes a little research. If the stem has broken off in the crown be careful not to loose the stem spring + stem gear which will be laying loose in the crown tube. I would refrain from working on it yourself if you're not prepared to buy the proper tools and take the time, quite a bit of time actually, to educate yourself about the mechanics of a 6139 movement.
 
#6 ·
I have seen a number of your posts associated with the 6139. Are you someone who takes on this kind of work? I like DIY stuff and I am very tempted to try nearly anything myself, but I also understand that there is a time when you want someone with the tools and the experience to undertake the job at hand. If you don't do this type of service, can you recommend someone here in the US that does?

Thank you for all of the replies!
 
#4 ·
Seconded (thirded?), make sure you keep careful hold of the stem gear and spring and get the whole shooting match off to a good Seiko guy. And you'll have a lovely watch with personal history that'll last for years.


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#10 ·
After wearing the 6015 everyday since Sunday, I have determined a couple things: you can still tell time through a very scratched up crystal, I enjoy the modest size of vintage watches more than the huge size watches have become, and I have to set this thing every morning because it only lasts a few hours after I take it off (I might have to buy one of those devices that keeps in moving!).
 
#11 ·
My dad was a watchmaker and sold Seiko beginning in the sixties. I wanted to add to my collection and was looking at a wide range of watches, but decided on the "Pogue" because I like chronographs and I feel there's some industry and historical significance. I just acquired a 6139-6000 proof proof dated July 1969. It is in good shape overall and running, but the lume on the markers and on one hand is significantly deteriorated. Should I consider replacing the hands and the markers or the lume on the markers? Would appreciate the feedback.
 
#12 ·
Personally, I am not worried about the lume on this watch (or any other vintage watches). I want it to look as original as possible (with exception to the crystal) and work as well as possible. If I am going to wear it in a scenario where telling time in the dark is important, I would just go with a modern watch.
 
#13 ·
After making the comment about the lume, I have learned that the lume on vintage Seikos can be corrosive, and if it is turning black, it may indicate moisture has made its way in. As it deteriorates it can damage the movement and the dial. I am not considering having the lume on mine fixed.
 
#14 ·
So I have made some contact with a couple different guys willing to service my watches, and was starting to get excited about the idea. Then I pulled the back off of the 6005, and was seriously disappointed at what I found. There was so much rust/corrosion, it's no wonder I couldn't get the stem to pull out or the buttons to move. I think the movement is a total loss. I can't imagine there being anything worth saving. The dial is ok, but shows some signs of the corrosion too. So I am considering swapping the movement from the 6015 into the 6005. I am a little torn about the dial. The original gold dial looks really cool, but maybe the blue dial would look really nice in there as well. It looks like I will only be able to get one working watch out of the pair without buying another movement and putting that in the mix. Stay tuned!
 
#16 ·
Wow that's nasty. I would expect the crown to be irreparable. For the 600X series these are critical for the inner bezel operation and are difficult and expensive to source. The low power reserve on the 6015 indicates a service is needed. In proper condition a 6139 should have over 30 hrs. of power reserve. So, you're facing a movement service plus getting a crown/stem if you want to use the 6015 movement in the 6005 case. I would try to use the original dial. It does not make sense to me to invest the dollars it will take to put a good running 6005 out of what you've got and then put an incorrect dial in it.

The other thing is there is a potential that you have a correct Pogue with a roached movement. A correct Pogue is a yellow dialed 6005 (it is not a 6002 as Hodinkee states in their in depth buying guide). If your yellow dial looks like the dial on Pogue's watch (Seiko w/Automatic under it at the 12 radius, Water70Resist at the 9 radius) then correctly operating in good cosmetic condition it will be worth roughly $1K in today's market. This is roughly double what other resist 6139s are worth. If you like the blue dial better, then just get the 6015 serviced.
 
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