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"The Seiko 600 meter (m) Professional Quartz Diver's Watch."

Author: Ryan

Date: 2001-11-19 19:45:00

ID: 1006227942 | thread

"The Seiko 600 meter (m) Professional Quartz Diver's Watch."
In 1978 when Seiko released the titanium 600m Professional Quartz Diver's watch, it wasn't just a matter of slapping a quartz movement into the case of the 600m Automatic.
Serious obstacles had to be overcome, with a whole new design borne out of the process. Today, the Seiko 1000m Professional Quartz Diver's watch carries on in the tradition of the 600m Quartz.
The 600m Professional Quartz Diver's watch (PYF018) is not as well known as the automatic version which was released three years before.
Following the 1975 release by Seiko of the titanium-cased 600m Professional Automatic Diver's watch (6159-022), the next step in the evolution of the Seiko diver was to come with the release of a quartz version.
Making a quartz version of the Seiko Professional Diver's watch was actually a very challenging undertaking. In addition, the quartz diver's case design contained many improvements over the earlier automatic.
THE SEIKO PROFESSIONAL 300m & 600m AUTOMATICS
In 1968 Seiko released it's first Professional Diver's watch, the 300m Professional Automatic (caliber 6159A with 17 jewels retailed at 14,500 yen, and 6159B w/25j at 38,000 yen).
Because this watch was unacceptable for saturation (SAT) diving using helium gas, and because it was only rated to a depth of 300m, Seiko was unsatisfied with the results.
From 1968 thur the end of 1974, Seiko continued to sell 150m and 300m diver's watches, but introduced no new diver designs. Instead, the company worked on producing a new Professional Diver's watch.
When Seiko released the 600m Automatic Diver's watch in 1975 (retailed at 89,000 yen), it surprised many with a very innovative design.
Seiko received more than 20 patents on this watch, primarily for the design of it's titanium case and protective outer structure.
SEIKO'S STRICT TESTING PROCESS
Seiko tested the new design extensively before it's release, with testing criteria which surpassed ISO standards regarding helium penetration and watch durability.
The rigorous battery of examinations the watch was put through included: pressure tests, waterproof tests, shake tests, shock tests from 5,000 to 10,000 G's, anti-magnetism tests, high/low temperature cycle tests, spin tests, durability tests, and helium penetration tests.
In addition, the watches were tested at deep ocean depths in the field under real-life conditions by professional divers.
THE NEXT STEP: "THE SEIKO PROFESSIONAL DIVER'S QUARTZ"
Following the successful release of the 600m Professional Automatic diver, Seiko began working on a quartz version. They did this because they wanted a professional diver's watch with quartz accuracy and dependability.
The task was not as easy as it may sound. There were two main problems.
The first was that at the time, quartz movements had been used in watches for less than a decade. Quartz movements didn't generate enough torque to power the relatively large, heavy and illuminated hands of a diver's watch.
The second problem was quartz movements were very susceptible to shock.
Seiko solved these problems by developing a new high-torque quartz movement, and with improved case (ceramic) materials and structure for more shock resistance.
600m PROFESSIONAL QUARTZ'S PERFORMANCE
After the watch's release, in the tradition of the first Seiko diver (62MAS released in 1965 and worn for three months at the South Pole during the winter of 1966), the 600m Professional Quartz was worn by an exhibition team from Nihon University for 3 months at the North Pole in 1978.
This team was a "wintering party," whose members spent the winter at the North Pole at temperatures of -30C. The Seiko Professional Quartz Diver's watches they wore kept time within +/- 5 seconds per month during the expedition.
In 1983, Seiko performed a series of tests with the watch at extreme depths.
Working with the Japanese government's Oceanographic Science and Technical Center, two 600m Pro Quartz were strapped to the outside of the submarine "Shinkai 2000," and sunk to a depth of 1,062 meters.
During the tests, at Sagami Bay in Japan, the watches spent a total of six hours at depth over the course of two days.
Upon completion, no problems were found regarding the two watch's water proof, pressure proof, operation, outer appearance, or accuracy.
SEIKO 1000m PROFESSIONAL QUARTZ DIVER
Eleven years after the release of the 600m Pro Quartz, the next step in the Seiko Diver's watch story was the release of the 1000m Professional Diver's Quartz (SSB018 retails at 133,000 yen and still in production) in 1986. It featured further improvements to the ceramic body design, and was water & pressure proof to 1,000 meters.
STORY OF A SEIKO DIVER'S WATCH
In the late 1980's, a letter was received by the Seiko Corporation which was written by Shuji Nakaya.
Nakaya is a sky diver, who was in the USA at the time. In 1987, he dropped his precious Seiko Quartz Diver's watch from an airplane at 4,100 meters high in the skies over Arizona. This watch was a special one, a gift from a friend with Nakaya's name engraved on the case back.
About a year after losing the gift, one day a smiling pilot handed Nakaya the watch he had dropped 12 months before. It was virtually undamaged, and was keeping time accurately.
AFTERWORD
I wanted to write this article because although the Seiko 600m Professional Automatic Diver's watch is quite well known and sought after, but the rarer Professional Quartz versions such as the 200m & 600m titanium, and the older version 300m stainless steel (with black bezel insert) models are less so.
It was a revelation to me when I realized that any serious collector of Seiko Diver's watches will have examples of both automatic and quartz models in their collection.
Although held in disregard by many, the Seiko Quartz was a technical breakthrough in it's day.
Regarding Seiko Diver's watches, the 600m Professional Quartz was a significant plateau Seiko has bettered but has yet to really top.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to my wife for helping with this translation, to Bret for his inspiration, to LesZ for his advice on scanning images, and of course to Wayne for providing this forum, as well as to the articles & websites below in Japanese and English from which most of this information and images were taken.
Ryan
Information translated in this essay comes from:
"World Watch, Vol. 3" (KKK World Press, Tokyo, 1990), pgs. 42 - 43.
"The Seiko Book; The Real History of Seiko Watches" (Tokuma Shoten Co. Ldt., Tokyo, 1999) pgs. 142 - 145.
Scans:
Onodera (600m Automatic)
"Supraboy" (600m Quartz)
"The Seiko Book" (600m Auto blueprint)
"World Watch Vol 3" (1000m Quartz blueprint)
Higuchi (1000m Quartz)
Skydiving.com (skydivers)
www.jamstec.go.jp ("Natsushim" & "Shinkai 2000")
kalyq@iflint.com (first & last 600m Quarts images)

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