Many Seiko watches from the 1960’s and 70’s have rightly gone down as design classics, building a considerable following amongst watch collectors.
Conversely, some truly gorgeous watches from the same era were produced by the same company have quietly slipped below the radar for the simple reason they were designed for the typically slighter of wrist, ie: women - like this full-serviced petite deep blue 1976 Seiko Lady Sports 2205-0050 automatic women’s sport diver here, on its original stainless-steel Seiko bracelet and with its original Seiko box.
Seiko did their homework when they designed these deep blue dials, and pictures do not do these justice. These dials are simply amazing to behold in person, and this dial is no different.
And it’s a shame, because many of these smaller watches feature exquisite details – Seiko's Lady Sports line of women's watches was specifically aimed at active young women with the tagline, "Oh! Adventure," and Seiko explained its rationale behind this in their May 1971 literature to authorized Seiko dealers as, "Under the bright sun. When women enjoy a sense of freedom and active fashion, women's sports are always there, Lady Sports [watches] are becoming increasingly available in a variety of designs, and are sure to play a role in ushering in the new summer."
The Seiko 2205 was made by the Japanese company from at least 1970 through the late 1970s. The most popular were the 2205 divers – the earliest counterparts of the 150M full-size divers (such as the Seiko 6105 and 6309) - which featured a variety of dial colors, to even include the purple variant here.
There are many vintage Seiko watches popular with Seiko enthusiasts, and for good reason - Seiko discovered the secret to manufacturing mass-produced stylish and affordable watches.
This Seiko 2205 automatic comes on its original stainless-steel Seiko bracelet, and with nylon strap, springbar tool and rugged travel case.
1976 Seiko Lady Sports 2205-0050 Women's Automatic Sport Diver
DIAL: Crisp deep blue Seiko-signed dial, no imperfections; date function at the 3 o'clock position work correctly as designed.
CASE: Stainless-steel case measures 24.5mm (26mm including crown) x 29mm, with matching caseback; 10mm lug width.
CRYSTAL: Domed Hardlex crystal, no deep scratches, but with a single small crack near the 9 o'clock.
BAND: This 2205 automatic comes on its original stainless-steel Seiko bracelet, which will fit up to an approx. seven inch wrist. It also comes with a black nylon strap.
MOVEMENT: Seiko 2205 calibre Hi-Beat automatic movement, which can also be manually wound and beats at 28,800 BPH, was manufactured in January 1976. We have performed a full service on this womens automatic.
CROWN: Screw-down unsigned stainless-steel crown.
