With a production run of almost 12 years, Seiko’s “Bell-Matic” line offers every imaginable style and layout. One could easily amass a collection of “Bells” that would allow for weeks of rotation without repeating. There are, however, a few pieces in this line up that a true collector could spend years trying to track down, and still come up empty handed. The most sought after is the 7000 “Dolphin” case back/“Diashock” Dial from 1966. The Bell-Matic was introduced in November of that year, and that case back was phased out the following December. This means that there was only one month in history that they were in production, and only for the Japanese domestic market. The second rarest Bell-Matic is the 21j 4006-7019. At the time, 27 jewel movements were considered luxury items in the US, and this meant that importing them came with expensive tariffs that rendered them too expensive to get to market. Seiko maneuvered around this by creating a 21j version of the 4006 strictly for the North American market. Shortly after, however, the jewel count was dropped even further to 17, which became the standard for all export “Bells.” Two case styles were available for the 21j variant: the 7019, and the more common (fourth rarest) 7029. That brings us to number three, the “Diashock” dial. Identical to the first watch on our list, it was actually the continuation of the original 7000 model, only beginning in January 1967, Seiko changed over from the dolphin case back to the horseshoe case back. There were only a handful of these “Diashock” dials leftover from the ‘66 production year, and only the earliest (January, part of February) ‘67 models were fitted with them. That leaves less than two months in history that these JDM only variants were available. Needless to say they are exceptionally rare. You can imagine our excitement when the opportunity bring one of these scarce and highly sought after “Bells” into our shop presented itself. From January of 1967, this 4006-7000 is a true prize. The dial is a silvery white linen with a “north to south” grain, and it has aged beautifully. There are only a few very minor blemishes in the ink printing that are really only visible when magnified. The raised minute track is missing a few of its hashes along the right side third, but it is mostly intact. The fluted alarm cursor is free of oxidation or corrosion, and the original red indicator is still present. The case is phenomenal. The corners are razor sharp, and the original finishes are still clearly visible. The case back is free of tool marks, and its worth noting that the wrench notches are along the top corner rather than at the edge as seen in later examples. The crown and alarm toggle are original, and all functions are operating smoothly. As with all of the earliest Bells, the sounding bar is twice the size of those found in later models, and as such, it rings quite loudly when the alarm sounds. It’s unpolished and completely original aside from a replacement crystal, and post service, its keeping near perfect time. We’ve paired it with a soft gray suede that works nicely against the dial and provides ultimate comfort on the wrist. This is the first, and likely last time we will ever be able to offer this rare specimen, and especially in such fine condition. Get it while you can.

Kvarnsjo Leather Gray Suede Leather with Full Stitch

Serviced 4/19/20

Diameter- 38mm

Lugs- 18mm