Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
Initially, we wanted to title this feature story in our new 8-day-old Timepieces section as “A Pair of Aces, err… Actus”, because we are going to write about a pair of Seiko Actus 7019-8010 wristwatches – one a Seiko Actus from October 1970 and the other a Seiko 5 Actus from November of the same year.
Produced from 1969 to the late 1970s, the Seiko Actus was introduced as an entry-level to mid-level stylish line of automatic mechanical watches made for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). As shown by our pair, Suwa Seikosha branded the 8010 case model in two ways – simply as a “Seiko Actus” or often as a “Seiko 5 Actus”.
Regardless of nomenclature, our pristine pair of 56-year-old timepieces is powered by a reliable in-house Seiko 7109 movement with 21 jewels. Like the Seikomatic Slimdate, Sportsmatic 5, and Seiko 5 Actus SS that we previously featured, this pair features a recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position to emphasize its automatic movement.
Both watches have identical 38 mm stainless steel cases with a 42 mm lug-to-lug length. Both have acrylic crystals, silver pencil hands with lume, silver indices, and a day-date window with bilingual days in English and Kanji. They basically have the same case but with some distinct differences.
The Seiko Actus has a dark gray dial, an original chrome and stainless steel bracelet, a thickness of around 11 mm, and weighs 72 grams. The Seiko 5 Actus has a sunburst silver dial, an original stainless steel bracelet, a thickness of 12 mm, and weighs 74 grams. Why one watch is a millimeter thicker and 2 grams heavier is beyond us.
We jest that perhaps the additional number 5, as in Seiko 5 Actus, has something to do with it. Whatever it is, we’re just lucky to have a pair of aces, err… a pair of Seiko Actus wristwatches in our modest timepiece collection,
Model: Seiko Actus / Seiko 5 Actus
Reference No. 7019-8010
Month/Year of Manufacture: October 1970 / November 1970
Type: Dress Watch
Movement: Self-Winding /Automatic
Caliber: Seiko 7109
No. of Jewels: 21
Diameter: 38 mm
Thickness: 11 mm / 12 mm
Lug-to-lug Length: 42 mm
Lug Width: 18 mm
Weight: 72 grams / 74 grams
