Quick facts
- Caliber
- 6139(automatic chronograph)
- Jewels
- 17–21
- Beat rate
- 21,600 vph
- Hacking / hand-winding
- No / No
- Water resistance
- —Pending verification
- Crown
- 3 o’clock
- Production
- 1969–1979
- Modern equivalent
- —Pending verification
Variants
The 600x references share the case and movement and differ by market. The dial text and dial code tell them apart.
| Reference | Market | Day wheel | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6139-6002 | Export | — | Pending verification |
| 6139-6005 | — | — | Pending verification |
| 6139-6000 | — | — | Pending verification |
Serial decoder
Enter the six-character serial from the case back. The 6139 was made from 1969 to 1979, so a serial starting with 9 can mean either year. Check the result against the dial and the movement.
Possible production date, not a guaranteed date or an authentication. Production date is not the purchase date.
Full decoder with caliber and case codePrice guide
Prices appear after our first sampling of sold listings in November 2026.
| Condition | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
A · Collector | — | — | — |
B · Serviced original | — | — | — |
C · Running, unserviced | — | — | — |
D · Project or suspected franken | — | — | — |
Sampled —, n = —, eBay sold listings viewed manually.
Checks before you buy
Pogues are popular enough that swapped dials and parts are common. Start with the dial, then the case, then make the chronograph run.
Dial code and printing Export 6139-6030 code with T or R, AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH under the logo, and water-resistance text that fits the serial date.
An R dial printed WATER 70m PROOF, or a US 6139-6009 dial in an export case.
Sources: Beyond the Dial; Vintage Watch Advisors. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Subdial and small print Fine subdial texture; JAPAN and the dial code where the reference puts them.
Strongly pronounced concentric rings in the subdial, or small print in the wrong font or position.
Sources: Vintage Watch Advisors. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Case and bezels Brushed top, polished sides and crisp pusher bevels; outer tachymeter and inner ring matching the version.
Rounded edges from polishing, or a ring that doesn't match the dial version.
Sources: Beyond the Dial. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Hands Center-ridged baton hands; red chronograph seconds hand and teardrop minute-counter hand on yellow dials.
Hands from another reference. Service replacements happen, so ask before assuming a franken.
Sources: Beyond the Dial. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Chronograph function The inner ring turns with the crown; the chronograph starts, stops and resets cleanly, and the seconds hand takes 60 seconds per turn.
A chronograph hand that runs slow (a slipping clutch), sticking pushers, or a hand that doesn't return to zero.
Sources: Beyond the Dial; Worn & Wound. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Common faults and service
The 6139 is a column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch. Most problems show up when you run the chronograph.
A slipping vertical clutch: the chronograph seconds hand takes longer than 60 seconds per turn (Beyond the Dial)
Broken pusher springs and hardened gaskets make the pushers and crown stick (Worn & Wound)
The mainspring barrel arbor wears its hole oval, so the barrel rubs the mainplate or train bridge (Worn & Wound)
The chronograph seconds hand takes longer than 60 seconds per turn
Sticking pushers or crown
Several gaskets stacked on the crown
Seiko USA no longer services the 6139 and asks owners not to send it (checked 2026-10-26). An independent watchmaker who knows the 6139 is the route.
On Seiko USA's list of calibers no longer available for service; they ask owners not to send them (checked 2026-10-26).
Where to look
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What is a true Seiko Pogue?
Two answers, depending on how strict you are. The watch William Pogue wore on Skylab 4 was, by Beyond the Dial’s reading of its dial text and market, a yellow-dial 6139-6005, the US version, printed WATER 70m RESIST. Most articles call it a 6002; that’s the export version.
Collectors use “Pogue” for the whole 6139-600x family with a yellow dial and a red and blue tachymeter. Here’s how the versions differ:
- 6139-6002 (export): AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH under the Seiko logo; dial code 6139-6030.
- 6139-6005 (US): AUTOMATIC under the logo, and the jewel count between the center of the hands and the Suwa symbol; dial code 6139-6009.
- 6139-6000 (Japan): Speed-Timer branding on the dial.
All share the same tonneau case with 19 mm lugs, a brushed top and polished sides.
What year was the Seiko Pogue made?
The 6139 went on sale in 1969. For the US 6139-6005, sources disagree: Plus9Time dates it to 1971 to 1973, and Beyond the Dial says it ran from 1970 to the end of the range in 1978. The earliest 6002 Vintage Watch Advisors has seen is from early 1971 and the latest from 1977. Those are the examples they’ve recorded, not documented production dates.
The serial decoder gives the month and year. The dial is a useful cross-check. Across the 600x family, Beyond the Dial dates WATER 70m PROOF dials to 1969 to mid-1970 and WATER 70m RESIST dials to mid-1970 to late 1972; after that, the water-resistance text disappears. Those dates cover the whole family, and the 6002 itself isn’t recorded before 1971. The movement changed too: Beyond the Dial says the 6139A was used until mid-1971, when Seiko revised it into the 6139B. No changeover serial has been published.
T and R dials, and what doesn’t add up
The last letter of the dial code, T or R, tells you which subcontractor made the dial. Both were used at the same time, so neither is more correct. What doesn’t add up is an R dial printed WATER 70m PROOF: Beyond the Dial says all the Proof dials are T dials, and Vintage Watch Advisors lists that combination as an anomaly.
Two more things worth asking about: a US 6139-6009 dial in an export 6002 case, and a subdial with strongly pronounced concentric rings, which Vintage Watch Advisors flags on some replacement dials.
One version is easy to mistake for a swap. Beyond the Dial records 6002s imported to Australia by Thong-Sa with a black inner ring instead of yellow, sold on Stelux bracelets. Collectors call them Aussie Pogues.
Skylab 4 and the Pogue name
Skylab 4 flew from November 16, 1973, to February 8, 1974, the last crewed mission to the Skylab station. William Pogue took his own Seiko along, bought before the mission, and it’s the reason the whole family carries his name. The watch later sold through Heritage Auctions with Pogue’s own letter and receipt.
Is the Seiko Pogue a good watch?
Yes, with one practical caveat. The 6139 was one of the first automatic chronographs, with a column wheel and a vertical clutch, and it still works well when serviced. The caveat is service: Seiko USA no longer services the 6139 and asks owners not to send it. You’ll need an independent watchmaker who knows this movement.
Before you buy, make the chronograph run. If the seconds hand takes longer than a minute to go round, the clutch is slipping. Sticking pushers usually mean broken springs or hardened gaskets.
Sources
- Beyond the Dial, Collector Guide: The Seiko Pogue on its 50th Anniversary: versions, dial text, T and R dials, the Skylab 4 watch, the Aussie Pogue, 6139A and 6139B.
- Vintage Watch Advisors, Seiko Pogue authentication part ii: Dials: dial codes and anomalies.
- Plus9Time, 50th Anniversary of the first automatic chronograph and The true Seiko Pogue Chronograph: 6139-6005.
- Worn & Wound, Watchmaker’s Bench: Breaking Down a Seiko 6139 Chronograph: faults.
- Heritage Auctions, William Pogue’s Seiko 6139.
FAQ
What is a true Seiko Pogue?
Strictly, the watch William Pogue wore on Skylab 4, which Beyond the Dial identifies as a yellow-dial US-market 6139-6005 marked WATER 70m RESIST. Collectors use the name for the whole 6139-600x family with a yellow dial and a red and blue tachymeter.
What year was the Seiko Pogue made?
The 6139 went on sale in 1969. Sources disagree on the 6139-6005: Plus9Time dates it to 1971 to 1973, Beyond the Dial to 1970 to 1978. The earliest 6002 Vintage Watch Advisors has seen is from early 1971 and the latest from 1977. Use the serial for the month and year.
How much is a Seiko Pogue worth?
It depends on the dial, the originality and the condition. Our sampled ranges for each grade appear on this page after our first sampling in November 2026.
Is the Seiko Pogue a good watch?
It's one of the first automatic chronographs and a good one to own, with a column wheel and a vertical clutch. Seiko USA no longer services the 6139, so budget for an independent watchmaker who knows it.