Seiko’s third iteration in the World Time series, the 6010/9 is the last of the firsts. A tightly refined version of its two predecessors, it has a polished and finished aesthetic that’s doubtful could be improved upon. A 38mm masterpiece with stout, pattered lugs, an oversized but well integrated crown, and a drinking dial full of color, texture, and finish. This example from July of ‘68 shows some of the wear of its years, but is in overall great condition. The dial is a silver linen with a lacquered finish and applied markers. There are several scattered blemishes in the lacquer, but none that penetrate into the dial paint. At its border is a segmented 24 hour track in black for night, and baby blue for day. Framing it is the “cities of the world” inner bezel which can be rotated via the crown to determine the time anywhere in the world instantly. The bezel printing is clean with no fading in the colors or peeling of the finish. Of note, this particular bezel is often referred to as the “error” version due to London’s position at +1 to GMT. In actuality, the United Kingdom under Prime Minister Harry Wilson implemented an experiment in which London time would be set to GMT +1 for three years ending in 1971. Eventually this time change would only be used in the summer half of the year similar to the daylight savings time used by the US. Precision being of the utmost importance to the engineers at Seiko, the ‘68 World Time bezel reflected the GMT +1 standard. The hour and minute hands are polished swords along with a slender sweep counting the seconds. In addition, a bright red fixed 24 hour hand tracks the desired second time zone. It’s unpolished and completely original including a NOS Seiko replacement crystal, and post service the workhorse 6117A is keeping near perfect time. We’ve paired it with a cocoa suede that balances nicely with the colors of the dial and provides a comfortable fit and finish. The 6010 was only produced for about one year beginning in 1968 and through only part of ‘69 making sourcing your own quite a challenge. Well worth the effort in our opinion, as its a showstopper on the wrist, and a great piece of Seiko history.