[tagawa]

A while ago I picked up this beauty on Yahoo Auction and just had to share it with you. From the packaging and design I think it's from the 1970s. It's in beautiful condition, loses time but works well enough, and the lume still (briefly) glows!

Model number is ABC271, a departure from the xxxx-xxxx format of other watches, which tells me this is a special beast – a rare prototype perhaps?

You may have noticed a slight gap on either side of the strap, thanks to the generous lug width of 68mm. I'm on the lookout for a better fitting strap.

The mechanical alarm is loud and seems to use the mainspring rather than a separate spring, so this tells me it's not a pre-production Bell-Matic as I'd originally thought.

The case diameter is a trend-setting 85mm. It truly was ahead of its time – 85mm will be all the rage in a year or two, mark my words. I'll admit it's bigger than I usually wear, but oh, what wrist presence!

It's non-hacking, hand-wind only, and as you can see, the crown is not visible – it's on the back instead. Bold design move, Seiko. Strangely it doesn't have a caseback so I won't be taking it swimming. Even washing the dishes feels risky.

So now on to the all-important specs:

• Jewels: 2
• BPH: Sounds like 18,000
• Movement: Yes
• Day/date: Day only (Japanese)
• Crystal: Flat acrylic
• Dial: Brushed metallic

I'll leave you with a couple more pictures below, including of the "world time" complication. After getting excited to try out this feature, it turns out it's just a printed map on the side. If you want to know the time in a different country, look at the map and work it out yourself!

But I'm not disappointed. The envious stares I get when I wear this around town reassure me that I've got a keeper.