Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
For the 9th installment of our Timepieces section for today, Wednesday, September 9th, we take a close look at a 1970 Seiko Diamatic 7005-6010. “Diamatic” is a portmanteau or a blend of two words, which highlights two specific engineering achievements that Seiko was famous for in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
“Dia” came from Diashock, Seiko’s exclusive shock-proof system for the balance wheel pivot, while “Matic” came from “automatic” or the self-winding mechanical movement that was the craze at that time. Produced in November 1970, our Diamatic is powered by a 17-jewel Seiko 7005A movement housed inside a 39 mm stainless steel case with a 39 mm lug-to-lug length.
The square-ish dimensions of the polished case, along with the funky steel bracelet, evoke a futuristic design, at least for the “space age” era of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The “marbled” black dial is swept by a thin silver second hand while syringe-style hour and minute hands point to hourly markers printed on an outer ring.
Curiously, the circle of the outer ring has white broken lines on one side and red on the other, evoking a tachometer. The 6, 9, and 12 hours are printed inside small boxes on the dial while a date window is at the 3 o’clock position. Looking at the close-up photo of the dial, someone might wonder why our funky wristwatch shows another “9” where the “3” should be.
As connoisseurs of vintage Seiko wristwatches, we absolutely love this funky “space-age” Diamatic. It was made at a time when everything was cool and groovy, and this Japanese timepiece is definitely cool, groovy, and funky!
Model: Seiko Diamatic
Reference No. 7005-6010
Month/Year of Manufacture: November 1970
Type: Dress Watch
Movement: Self-Winding/Automatic
Caliber: Seiko 7005A
No. of Jewels: 17
Diameter: 39 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Lug-to-lug Length: 39 mm
Lug Width: 20 mm
Weight: 75 grams
