Vintage Seiko Lord Matic Special 5216-6050 Blue Dial Automatic 1973 Serviced UK Warranty

SPECIFICATION

Reference: Seiko Lord Matic Special 5216-6050
Movement: Seiko 5216 automatic, 23 jewels, 28,800 bph
Age: October 1973
Case Size: 35mm
Case Thickness: 10mm
Lug to Lug: 41mm
Lugs: 18mm
Condition: Used Seiko watch
Box and Papers: No
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Warranty: 12-Month Mechanical Warranty (UK only)

POINTS TO MENTION

• In great pre-owned condition, with light wear from use
• Case and bezel have some light scratches and marks
• Stunning blue dial
• English and Kanji day wheel
• Fully serviced hi-beat automatic movement
• Paired with an unworn black leather strap

THE WATCH

The Lord Matic Special is one of those Seikos that becomes more interesting the closer you look. At first it is a compact blue 1970s automatic; then the dial starts giving the game away, the applied gold LM badge, the word SPECIAL, the 23-jewel signature and the tiny Daini mark all point to a more ambitious branch of the Lord Matic family.

This example adds a particularly good bit of theatre. The blue centre deepens toward the outside, while gold accents at 12, 6, 9 and around the calendar break up the otherwise cool silver furniture. It gives a technically serious watch just enough colour to stop it feeling formal.

A BIT OF TRIVIA

The 52-series movement family behind the 5216 did not simply disappear when Seiko’s mechanical era gave way to quartz. In 1992 Seiko returned to that architecture for its 4S family of high-grade automatics, which later powered watches across Seiko, Credor and the revived Alpinist line. So the mechanical idea behind this 1973 Lord Matic had a second life nearly twenty years later.

OUR THOUGHTS

The word 'Special' can be a bit of a promise in watchmaking, but we think Seiko earned it here.

This isn't merely a Lord Matic dressed up with a brighter dial. Daini gave it a genuinely accomplished movement and a design with enough personality to stand apart from the more conventional watches of its day. It's that wonderful mixture of substance and spirit that makes the 5216 Special so appealing to us.