Nearly a decade prior to releasing their first automatic chronograph, the 6139, Seiko had chosen to commemorate the arrival of the Olympic Games in Tokyo by releasing two newly designed and specialized watches that would become important parts of the Seiko story. The first was the 6217 World Time, and the second was a monopusher chronograph with a 60 second timer. The first model, the 45899 bore the Olympic torch on it’s case back, but before the year was out a second model, the 5717-8990 would be released as well. The 5717 remained in production for a few more years, added a date feature, and laid the groundwork for Seiko mechanical chronographs moving forward. They were built out of the hand wound Crown movement base and featured a column wheel design, along with horizontal coupling to drive the second hand around the dial. The single pusher worked to both start and stop the mechanism, and also served as the reset. This example from May of 1968 would have been among the last produced just prior to the arrival of the venerable 6139. The dial is a lacquered silver sunburst with polished baguette markers, and a date aperture at three o’clock. It has begun to develop a scattered coppery patina beneath the lacquer, and shows some wear to the finish between the date window and the 4 o’clock marker. That said, it is still an overall fantastic example. Framing the dial is a black chapter with a white minute track, and the lettering on the dial is a minimalist print that contributes to an overall crisp aesthetic. The case is one of my favorites in all of Seiko’s history. The lugs are long and tapered with a clean bevel along the outer edge. The steel bezel rotates smoothly in either direction, and sits prominently over top with a staggered knurling along the edge, and black inlay in the engraved markings. The “horseshoe” case back shows very little wear and all of its markings are still crisp and legible.  The 5717, after service, is keeping great time and the chronograph functions are crisp and responsive. It arrived with a broken mainspring, and I was fortunate enough to be able to track down a hard won replacement. We’ve paired this rare treat with a distressed gray leather that brings a casual finish and adds great versatility. It’s completely original aside from a replacement crystal, and sure to be a favorite in any collection. 

Kvarnsjo Leather Distressed Gray Leather with White Stitch (cheapestnatostraps.com)

Serviced 9/22/19

Diameter- 37.5mm

Lugs- 18mm