seiko divers reference

6105

Production Info

Production: 1968 - 1977
Movement: Cal. 6105
Description: 150m divers

Technical Manuals

Models

Models with symmetrical cushion cases:

6105-8000
6105-8009

Models with large asymmetrical cushion cases:

6105-8110
6105-8119

Details

Seiko made 2 series of 6105 divers:

6105-8000/6105-8009: 6105-8000 and 6105-8009 are earlier models;
6105-8110/6105-8119: the 6105-8110 and 6105-8119 come later.

All models are rated to 150m.

The cal. 6105 movement comes in 2 variations -- 6105A and 6105B. They are both 17J and run at 21,600 bph. They have a quickset date-only calendar mechanism.

From comments made by owners of 6105 divers, it seems there are 6105 movements that hack and there are some that do not. In a S&C Forum post, "ed jacobson" says, "The first series 6105 does not hack. The dial is signed 'waterproof'. The type that hacks will have 'water resistant' on the dial." But Mike/"mmounce" says, "I have 3 that all hack. One of them is an early model with water 'proof' instead of 'resist' on the dial and caseback and it hacks also." So it's unclear which specific models of the 6105 divers hack and which do not, though both exist.

The 6105-8000 and 6105-8009 models use the cal. 6105A movement and have symmetrical cushion cases. The 6105-8110 and 6105-8119 models come later and use the cal. 6105B movement and have larger asymmetical cushion cases.

The 6105 divers use the turn and lock mechanism (and not a screw-down crown).

Here's a detailed description of the different models by "petew":

The 8000 and 8009 are the same watch. Seiko just assigns a 0 or a 9 as the last digit depending upon the country that the watch was exported to. I'm not sure where the 0's vs. the 9's were destined for though. So anyway, the same goes for the 8110 and 8119. The 800X series preceded the 811X series.
There are differences between the 8000(9) and the 8110(9).
First of all there's the bezel. It's bi-directional without clicks on the 800X series. The 811X's are unidirectional with clicks. [Correction: The 811X should be "bi-directional with clicks." According to Mike/mounce, "The smaller cased 8000,8009 do not have a click ball,just friction o-ring for tension.The large case 8110,8119 have the click ball."]

The 811X's are also much larger at around 45mm vs 41mm. Some like the slightly asymetrical case design of the 811X's while others like the more conservative 800X's...

Neither of the two watches can be manually wound, but some (maybe all) of the 811X's actually hack. One really nice feature that you get with the 800X's is a signed crown. A real rarity with Seiko both vintage or contemporary.

6105 Diver in the Field

Ever since Seiko started putting out its line of hardcore diver's watches, folks have been using them for all sorts of extreme situations.

Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura wore a 6105 diver in his 1974-1976 Arctic Expedition. Uemura embarked on "a 12,000-kilometer solo trek across the Arctic from Greenland to Alaska via the north coast of Canada, taxed his polar survival skills to the very limit. Uemura set off on the grueling journey in December 1974 and spent the next year and a half navigating the frozen, rugged expanse. His arrival in Alaska in May 1976 was a major triumph, his success against all odds solidifying his reputation as a world-class explorer" (Beyond the Limits: Remembering Legendary Japanese Adventurer Uemura Naomi).

According to Sadao Ryugo's Seiko Diver's Watch, 15 units of the 6105-8000 diver were also supplied to the 1967-1969 JARE9 (9th Japan Antarctic Research Expedition) teams. (The JARE9 expedition was also provided with 4 units of the 6215-7000 Professional Diver that was made only for one year, and other Seiko models like the World Time and Business Bell.)

S&C Forum contributor John Miller describes what he and his 6105 went through:

My trusty 1966 6105 Diver has withstood one Alaskan plane crash (small plane) after being left in the woods "lost" for 6 months after it broke from my wrist and flew out on crash impact until we could come back and salvage the aircraft in the spring. (Lived in Alaska 24 years) Another was our helicopter went down in the North Atlantic in the late 70's during a storm and a trip to the offshore oil platforms, we were in a raft for 7 hours in heavy seas and freezing spray. A refinery explosion in France in the 80's when several people close by were killed and my Seiko once again became airborne and was found several hundred feet away. I just had in restored by Eric in Seattle of EMW and it's looks like a new watch. Any way I guess that's tough..............

The 6105s and the 6309s that follow them were popular especially among American soldiers who bought them cheap from the PX.

In the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film "Apocalypse Now," Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen) was an Airborne Army Ranger who wore a 6105 diver.

The 6105 supposedly also appeared in the "The Deep." According to Jeff the "watchdude," "The character 'Romer Treece' wore 2 Seikos actually, one was a VERY old 60's 150m dive model (non-locking crown) and the other was certainly the 6105-8XXX (of Apocalypse Now fame) in a brief underwater shot."