Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
While searching for a period-correct gold-plated EGP steel bracelet for the 1965 Seiko Sportsmatic 5 6619-7010 that we featured yesterday here in our new Timepieces section of your Power Wheels Magazine, we stumbled upon another Sportsmatic 5, albeit two years younger and a lot scruffier in appearance.
The Seiko Sportsmatic 5 6619-8290 that we’re featuring this Saturday, September 5, 2026, was manufactured in February 1967, but it looked like it led a tough life. The 36 mm stainless steel case was heavy with patina, the edges of the bezel had faded, the white dial was scruffy with watermarks, and the indices showed signs of pitting.
Despite its scruffy appearance, the dauphine hour and minute hands kept precise time while the faded day/date wheel faithfully performed its daily revolution, indicating that the 21-jewel Seiko 6619 automatic movement was still working very well. Its exclusive DiaShock system protected this watch from shock, but we think that a previous owner tested just how “waterproof” it can get.
Thus, instead of finding a bracelet for our ’65 7010, we decided to rescue and restore this ’67 8290. We took it to AVA Watch Restoration, and Le’Cole Monterola found a replacement dial that was a lot cleaner than the original but had different indices. To maintain the original style, she carefully removed and cleaned the original indices, and then replaced the ones on the replacement dial. Since it was already out, Le’Cole also serviced the 6619 movement.
After restoration, our ’67 Sportsmatic maintained its patina to look like an often-used old wristwatch, except now it has a cleaner dial. Like our ’65 Sportsmatic, it has a recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position to highlight the “automatic” in Sportsmatic. It’s also around 12.4 mm thick but a tad heavier at 80 grams, probably because of its original 18 mm stainless steel bracelet.
Unlike our ’65 Sportsmatic, there’s no figure of a whale engraved in the case, but like the ’65, this ’67 Seiko is shock-proof and waterproof, but we’re not going to risk getting it wet anytime. After all, we just rescued this Sportsmatic 5 from a hard life while trying to keep most of its originality.
We’re honored to be the current custodian of this 59-year-old timepiece as we endeavor to feature a different Seiko wristwatch from our own collection each and every day this September.
Model: Seiko Sportsmatic 5
Reference No. 6619-8290
Month/Year of Manufacture: February 1967
Type: Dress/Casual Watch
Movement: Self-Winding/Automatic
Caliber: Seiko 6619
No. of Jewels: 21
Diameter: 36 mm
Thickness: 12.4 mm
Lug-to-lug Length: 40.8 mm
Lug Width: 18 mm
Weight: 80 grams
