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Questions concerning how early February through (edit: May 1969 with thanks to rfortson for the May 1969 photo update) 6139-6000 (“Pouge”) SpeedTimer dials look compared to the later dials motivated me to re-post a small research project I did a while back on another forum. This relates only to the "SpeedTimer dials", where the text "SpeedTimer" appears below SEIKO at 12 o'clock in italics and the "5 Shield" logo and SportsWater70Proof is written at 9 o'clock.
We start by grounding this discussing looking at the more familiar style Speed-Timer 5SportsWater70Proof 6139-6000 dial. This one dated Feb. 1970 (or a year after the first known Pogues came out). Late in the game for a SpeedTimer dial, somewhat shortly before the text at 9 o’clock and the SpeedTimer text at 12 o’clock was eliminated. This Dial Code is 6139-6000T.
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However the very earliest ones had a unique early style dial. That Dial Code is 6139-6000T AD. (Rod points out that the “AD” in “TAD” indicates “Applied Dial”). Apparently you'll only find these "T AD" dials from Feb. through April 1969. By May 1969 I find they moved to the “T” design. Of course dates are always a bit iffy with Seiko so nothing is written in stone, but I’ve studied this and had about 8 of my own and I will stick with Feb. through April 1969 featuring the TAD dial. Rare catches indeed.
Note with these “TAD” dials there are some subtle differences besides the dial code.
You'll see the font of the "1" in "10" on the T AD early dial is the serif version as seen in later "R" dials, and the "2" in "20" is unlike any other 6139 dials, R or T.
Notice too the early matte hands are present.
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But wait! Another difference! The word Speed-Timer below SEIKO at 12 o'clock is different too.
The T AD dial uses the same font but compressed (like Arial vs Arial Narrow in MS Word).
Notice how it barely extends below "SEIKO" in the T AD dial but goes well beyond in the T version:
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So, here is a March 1969 Blue Pogue "6139-600T AD" dial for comparison.
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Now the Yellow Dials are a different thing altogether. Here is a Yellow May '69 Dial that features the same compressed font as the early blue 1969 T AD Dials.
Note too that in May 1969 Seiko used the matte hands as shown.
![]()
I hope this extra minutia is of interest to our legion of Pogue loyalists. I would use this to gage authenticity of the earliest ones especially as Fake Pogue Dials are emerging on the internet.
We start by grounding this discussing looking at the more familiar style Speed-Timer 5SportsWater70Proof 6139-6000 dial. This one dated Feb. 1970 (or a year after the first known Pogues came out). Late in the game for a SpeedTimer dial, somewhat shortly before the text at 9 o’clock and the SpeedTimer text at 12 o’clock was eliminated. This Dial Code is 6139-6000T.
However the very earliest ones had a unique early style dial. That Dial Code is 6139-6000T AD. (Rod points out that the “AD” in “TAD” indicates “Applied Dial”). Apparently you'll only find these "T AD" dials from Feb. through April 1969. By May 1969 I find they moved to the “T” design. Of course dates are always a bit iffy with Seiko so nothing is written in stone, but I’ve studied this and had about 8 of my own and I will stick with Feb. through April 1969 featuring the TAD dial. Rare catches indeed.
Note with these “TAD” dials there are some subtle differences besides the dial code.
You'll see the font of the "1" in "10" on the T AD early dial is the serif version as seen in later "R" dials, and the "2" in "20" is unlike any other 6139 dials, R or T.
Notice too the early matte hands are present.
But wait! Another difference! The word Speed-Timer below SEIKO at 12 o'clock is different too.
The T AD dial uses the same font but compressed (like Arial vs Arial Narrow in MS Word).
Notice how it barely extends below "SEIKO" in the T AD dial but goes well beyond in the T version:
So, here is a March 1969 Blue Pogue "6139-600T AD" dial for comparison.
Now the Yellow Dials are a different thing altogether. Here is a Yellow May '69 Dial that features the same compressed font as the early blue 1969 T AD Dials.
Note too that in May 1969 Seiko used the matte hands as shown.
I hope this extra minutia is of interest to our legion of Pogue loyalists. I would use this to gage authenticity of the earliest ones especially as Fake Pogue Dials are emerging on the internet.
