As the world brought their greatest athletes to Tokyo for the 1964 Olympic Games, Seiko brought the world to the wrist of the watch wearing public. The World Time was the perfect way to commemorate the games, and in addition to the model and serial number, the case back was also embossed with the Olympic torch. A follow up reference, the 6217-7010, was released in 1966 and as Seiko was the Official Time Keeper for the ‘66 Asian Games, the early 7010’s carried that insignia on the case back. With the Olympics set to leave the Asian market altogether for the ‘68 games in Mexico City, and Seiko’s “passing the torch” to Omega as official timekeeper, any further opportunity at an Olympic World Time would be missed. This one from May of ‘67 is proof that Seiko was prepared to acknowledge the games wherever they were held, and regardless of their affiliation. A common theory among collectors is that Seiko had quite a few of the original 7000 models still available to meet demand in the market, and designed a third “Torch”case back for the ‘68 games, but at a fraction of original production. The Mexico World Time is nearly impossible to track down, but a worthwhile venture for any Seiko historian. This example is an absolute stunner. The silvery white linen dial is perfect. At its border is a split bi-color 24 hour track, and it’s framed by a matte silver rotating "cities of the world" bezel with sleek red trim. The hands have retained their bright polished finish, and are free of oxidation or corrosion. The GMT cursor hand is solid black, and free of chipping or paint loss. The case architecture is classically shaped and serves as merely a frame for the dial aside from neatly proportioned lugs. The large, knurled crown positioned at 4 o’clock allows for a comfortable fit against the wrist, and can be rotated in either direction to position the inner bezel. Unlike the etched insignia of the original, this later case back has a much deeper embossing and the clearly defined torch and Seiko logo are still crisp more than 50 years later. We’ve paired it with a premium heavy grained black leather that partners perfectly with the dial, and offers a comfortable fit and finish. It’s unpolished and completely original aside from a replacement crystal, and post service is keeping near perfect time. With Tokyo slated to host the games again this year, here’s an opportunity to add a piece of Seiko, and Olympic history to your own lineup.