Quick facts
- Caliber
- 5606(automatic)
- Jewels
- 23–25
- Beat rate
- 21,600 vph
- Hacking / hand-winding
- Yes / Yes
- Water resistance
- —Pending verification
- Crown
- — o’clockPending verification.
- Production
- 1968–1978
- Modern equivalent
- —Pending verification
Variants
Lord Matic cases came in dozens of styles. These are the references our sources document best; the full list runs much longer.
| Reference | Market | Day wheel | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5606-7000 | — | — | Pending verification |
| 5606-7010 | — | — | Pending verification |
| 5606-7070 | — | — | Pending verification |
| 5606-8010 | — | — | Pending verification |
Serial decoder
Enter the six-character serial from the case back. We use 1968 to 1978 for the 5606.
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
Run the calendar before you look at anything else. A broken quickset is a known 5606 fault, and because the date still changes on its own at midnight, a seller may not have noticed it.
Day and date quickset Both the day and the date set quickly with the crown, outside 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
A quickset that doesn't work usually means a broken plastic corrector wheel.
Sources: Seiko technical guide; Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Date change The watch keeps running through the date change at midnight.
Hands that stop at the date change point to a calendar or cannon pinion problem.
Sources: Seiko technical guide. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Dial and hands Printing and finish that match the reference.
A repainted dial; ask whether the dial was replaced or refinished.
Sources: WatchUSeek. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Crystal and case The crystal the reference was made with. Watch & Vintage says early Lord Matics generally had glass crystals, with acrylic on some models, especially shaped cases, so check the reference rather than assuming.
A replacement crystal of the wrong shape, or marks from forcing open a one-piece case.
Sources: Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling; Watch & Vintage. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Movement and bracelet A 5606 movement and a bracelet whose end links fit the case.
A different movement inside, or a bracelet from another watch.
Sources: Grail Watch; Watch & Vintage. Our own photo comes with our first shoot.
Common faults and service
The 5606 is a good movement with one fragile part: the plastic wheel that sets the day and date.
Seiko's technical guide says not to set the day or date while the hands are between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m., to protect the gears
The plastic day-date corrector wheel can fracture with age, so the quickset stops working (Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling)
A day or date quickset that doesn't work
The watch stops at the date change
Seiko USA no longer services the 5606 and asks owners not to send it (checked 2026-10-26). An independent watchmaker 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
If you buy through these links, we may earn a commission. You pay the same price either way. Affiliate disclosure
The one rule: no quickset between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Seiko’s technical guide for the 5606A is plain about it: when the hands are between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m., don’t correct the day or date, to protect the gears from damage. If you’re setting a Lord Matic, wind the hands past 1 a.m. first, set the day and date, then set the time.
You’ll often see 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. quoted instead. That isn’t what Seiko’s guide says, and following it would leave the hour from 8 to 9 p.m. unprotected.
Lord Matic 5606 vs LM Special 5216
The two look alike and get sold side by side, but the movements are different.
- 5606 (Lord Matic): made at Suwa, 21,600 vibrations per hour, 23 or 25 jewels.
- 5216 (LM Special): made at Daini, 28,800 vibrations per hour, 23 or 25 jewels.
Both wind automatically and by hand, both hack, and both have a quickset day and date, according to Seiko’s parts lists. Seiko made 23- and 25-jewel versions of each, so a 23-jewel movement isn’t a sign of a swap.
One more difference worth knowing: Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling notes that a 5216 still engages the hand-winding while the crown is in the date-setting position, so you feel some resistance as you set the date. That’s how it was built, not a fault.
What usually goes wrong
The quickset. Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling found that the 5606’s day-date corrector wheel is made of plastic and fractures over time, after which the quickset stops working. The date still changes on its own at midnight, so a seller may not notice. Seiko’s guide also covers watches that stop at the date change, which is a different problem and worth checking for.
Seiko USA no longer services the 5606 and asks owners not to send it, because the parts are gone. An independent watchmaker is the route.
Swapped parts to look out for
Assembled watches turn up. Grail Watch warns that many vintage Seikos have the wrong movement inside, and the writer’s own Lord Matic arrived on an incorrect bracelet. A WatchUSeek thread shows a 5606-7000 whose damaged dial had been replaced.
Two things that aren’t red flags: a dial code that doesn’t repeat the case number, which Watch & Vintage records on many original pairings, and a 23-jewel movement in a watch you expected to have 25.
Is a Lord Matic worth buying?
It’s an approachable way into a late-1960s Seiko automatic with a quickset calendar, hacking and hand-winding. Test the quickset, check that the movement is a 5606 or 5216, and budget for an independent watchmaker rather than Seiko for service.
Sources
- Seiko, Cal. 5606A technical guide: specifications and the 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. note. Seiko’s 5216A parts list: jewel versions and beat rate.
- Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling, Flawed genius: a Seiko Lord Matic 5606-8010 and LM Special: a Seiko 5216-8010.
- Plus9Time, Late 1960’s Seiko In Store Posters: the 5606-7000 sales code.
- Watch & Vintage, List of all models Seiko Lord Matic (dealer research); Grail Watch; WatchUSeek.
- Seiko USA, Estimated Price For Movement Service: service status.
FAQ
When can't I change the date on a Seiko Lord Matic 5606?
Between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. Seiko's 5606A technical guide says to avoid setting the day and date while the hands are in that range, to protect the gears. The often-repeated 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. isn't what Seiko's guide says.
What is the difference between the Lord Matic 5606 and the LM Special 5216?
The movement and the factory. The 5606 is a Suwa movement beating at 21,600 vph; the 5216 is a Daini movement at 28,800 vph. Both are automatic with hand-winding, hacking and a quickset day and date.
Can you hand-wind a Lord Matic?
Yes. Seiko lists the 5606 as automatic with auxiliary hand winding, and it hacks: the seconds hand stops when you pull the crown to set the time.
Will Seiko service a Lord Matic 5606?
Not in the US. The 5606 is on Seiko USA's list of calibers it no longer services, because the parts have run out.