Original vintage 1960s Seiko Modern Masters of Time advert, featuring the gold 1960s Seiko M88 dress watch - "Take the Time - Seiko Time in London"
Dimensions: Approx. 10 inches wide by 13 inches high
The 1960s was arguably the most explosive decade of innovation, styling, and engineering in Seiko's history (with the 1970s a close second place). During this era, the company transformed from a domestic Japanese watch manufacturer into a global horological powerhouse, directly challenging the supremacy of Swiss watchmaking.
The decade was defined by internal corporate rivalries, the birth of iconic professional tool watch lines, and a technological race that changed the industry forever. Icons that continue to impress to this day – nearly seven decades later – included the world’s first automatic chronograph (the Ref. 6139), Japan’s first professional dive watch (the 62MAS), and Seiko setting off the “Quartz Crisis” (with its Quartz Astron, the world’s first commercially available quartz wristwatch)
During the same era, Seiko produced its Seiko Sea Lion M88 automatic is a series produced by Seiko from the mid-1960s through the 1970s. Widely celebrated for its Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) aesthetic, the Seiko line is recognized most for its distinct cushion- or square-shaped cases and prominent day/date calendar complications.
When Seiko debuted the M88, it featured a 6206 automatic Diashock movement with 26 jewels and date complication; the Japanese manufacturer would down-jewel the automatic movement to 17 when it replaced the 6206 with the 6106 beginning in the late 1960s, but would add a day and date function to make up for it.
Available in classic polished stainless steel or Seiko Gold Plated (SGP) finishes, the M88 also features a range of dial options, from stark white dials to textured silver dials, to rare variants featuring crosshair patterns.
Of note? Seiko used specifically the M88 in a wide range of adverts during the 1960s, and in particular for the 1966 Asian Games (Thai: เอเชียนเกมส์ 2509), also known as the V Asiad, a continental multi-sport event that was held from 9 to 20 December 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand, which featured a total of 142 events in 16 sports contested by athletes during the games, with a total number of 2,500 athletes and officials from 18 countries participating.
In the Asian Games adverts, Seiko advertised its "track record" of being chosen as the official timekeeper of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 1967 Universiade. At the time, the Olympic Technical Committee head noted, "We are not assigning official timekeeping to a Japanese manufacturer because the Olympics will be held in Tokyo, but because these are actual functional [timepieces], backed up by solid theory."
Despite the head of Seiko's Watch Design Section noting his reluctance Seiko could devise suitable timepieces in time for the 1964 Summer Games - only a few years away - legendary Seiko President Shoji Hattori could not be dissuaded.
As part of Seiko’s R&D at the time, and to commemorate its upcoming role in the Summer Games, the company developed several advanced wristwatches for the Olympics - and naturally, continued to play up their choice for the Olympic Summer Games.
