1966 Seiko 5 Sports Sportsmatic Deluxe (Ref. 6619-8060)

Seiko introduced the Sportsmatic line in 1961 as a more affordable and sporty alternative to the Seikomatic, and a precursor to the 5 Sports line. The watches offered within the line all had the number 5 on the dial, signifying the five characteristics every watch within the lineup featured: an automatic movement, a day-date display at three o’clock, water resistance, a recessed crown at four o’clock, and highly durable cases and bracelets. These watches took on many different forms throughout the '60s, including dive models, varied calibers, and fantastic daily wear options like the Deluxe we have here.

Another claim to fame for the ref. 6619-8060 is that it was the reference used by various covert operations teams during the Vietnam war, having been ordered by the head of the Counter Insurgency Support Office (CISO) Ben Baker, as a "sterile" or "non-attributable" item the soldiers could war. And while this particular model isn't one of the military-issued versions, it has the same lineage and reference number, which is pretty cool in its own right.

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