Newbie with Aussie Progue?

[mikek999]

Hi

I'm a newbie and was wondering I could ask for some advice on a seiko 6139-6002 which I inherited recently. I think its a cool looking watch and as Its not running properly I plan to send it off for a service. Having sent details for a quote I received a reply saying the chapter ring is wrong and should be gold. I have seen a post on here with regards to "Aussie Progue's". The previous owner spent time in SE Asia in the 70's

So my questions are Should I get the Chapter ring changed to gold or leave it as is? What parts I should preferably get restored. And of course I'd like to know if it's worth spending the money on it in the first place?

[Fergus]

You have a very nice condition 6139.

Slow down on sending it to anyone for service.

There are a number of good webs which describe the various versions. Read them all before committing to the service.

www.plus9time.com/blog/2017/12/24/the-true-seiko-pogue-chronograph-6139-6005

www.beyondthedial.com/post/collector-guide-the-seiko-pogue/

and many more.

While I now have a few I still have to refer to these experts to fully understand what I have and what I am considering buying.

I suspect your grey rotating bezel is just a bleached out black so hold fire on having it changed.

Homework, homework, homework.

[inboost]

mike999 welcome to our forum, that's a very nice 'Pogue' chronograph you have there! I would agree with Fergus , be careful on sending it in and asking for parts to be swapped out as you might be dismantling something perfectly correct. These are also advanced movements, so the person selected for the job should be known for good work on vintage chronographs. Did the watch come to you without a bracelet of any kind? That's usually the sign of the watch coming from a pile of collected parts more so than a person's wearable collection.

How is the chronograph function working at the moment, does it start and stop properly? When stopped and reset does the sweep hand come precisely to the 12 o'clock position? Does the minute recorder (small sub dial) advance with each rotation of the sweep second hand or does it hang at 58 seconds after the chrono is started? 

How about the internal bezel rotation, turning the crown at it's normal position should allow you to drive the inner black bezel around smoothly without any hitches or dead stops were it no longer moves. Then there's also the quick-set day/date function. A modest press in on the crown should advance the numeric date, while a deeper and more firm press should move the day wheel forward.

What level of interest do you have in digging deeper? Are you able to remove the case back to review the movement inside? Can you provide some clear photos of the inside of the caseback (if there are marking there) and of the movement? You would be looking to confirm the movement number and observe the general state of the internal parts.

Things I note about your watch are that it's a June of 1976 model with a roman day wheel making it already an interesting end of the line variant. The case looks unpolished, carrying it's original finished from Seiko plus the wonderful patina of honest use. That's good as it helps validate authenticity. When a watch looks too good for it's age, it raises questions about authenticity. I think the tachymeter bezel looks correct as well, but others here will know better than I. The hands and the dial all have what appears to be honest age on them, which is good as it goes along with the faded bezel ring. The lume going dark like it has suggests some water vapor has entered so I'd not let it get anywhere near water or be worn on a hot and humid day where body sweat and humidity are going to be present.

Inboost

[HiBeat]

Hi Mike and welcome aboard WristSushi !

What part of the world would you expect your relative who bought the watch lived in at the time of its purchase ?   Aussie Pogues are so named because they only were seen in the general Oceania part of the globe.

I can't see your photo at the moment due to my connection method using a company PC but will switch devices later,

Also you signed up twice but so far have only used the mikek99 user name so I am mothballing the first one you logged on with (no 'k' in the name).

[mikek999]

Yes sorry didn't mean to sign up twice,   I'm of a generation that was around before the Seiko!

My uncle did not live in Oz but did visit  and travel around SE Asia including Hong Kong in the 70's. That's all I know on that part of its History. Apparently it stopped working sometime in the 90's and was going to be repaired but ended up living in a draw until it came to me recently. I do have the strap.
I can get it to run for an hour or two, but sometimes stops after a few minutes. The second hand sweeps smoothly when it is running. The chapter ring does rotate but feels stiff and neither of the buttons seem to operate anything, the lower one is "sticky "
I've attached internal  shots and you can see some discolouration on the winding weight which could be water damage perhaps?
From what Ive read here and else where I think I am definitely leaning towards having it cleaned and serviced so I can enjoy it as original as possible rather than a full restoration? Something is only original once? 
So just need to find somewhere in UK that can do an honest job on it where I don't need a mortgage:))

[HiBeat]

I recommend RexWorthy Watches in the UK.

Guy Jeffrey is the owner, he is a member here 

GuyJ could send you a Private Message ("PM") 

[mikek999]

Thank you that would be very much appreciated

[HiBeat]

Apr 20, 2024 6:36:09 GMT -8 mikek999 said:

Thank you that would be very much appreciated

Or you can try to email Guy:

[e-mail]

[cd_god]

[GuyJ]

Apr 20, 2024 10:19:31 GMT -8 HiBeat said:

Apr 20, 2024 6:36:09 GMT -8 mikek999 said:

Thank you that would be very much appreciated

Or you can try to email Guy:

[e-mail]

Cheers Jon I messaged but no reply, so hopefully someone else is doing the work as I'm a bit backed up anyway. Appreciate the shout out. 👍