In an effort to allow healthy competition to dictate innovations in both style and engineering, Seiko’s design and production teams were divided into two factions: the Suwa Division, and the Daini Division. This led to a high stakes game of “one-upmanship” that gave us some of the most memorable styles to have come out of the era. In particular, light divers had taken the market by storm, and Seiko implored each branch to bring their very best to satiate a market in demand. While there are plenty of sport divers from the Suwa lineup that made their way to the western market, many of the Daini designs remained available to Japan’s domestic market alone. We are constantly on the lookout for these hard to find JDM Daini divers, and we think it’s fairly easy to see why. This example from February of 1970 is a scarcely seen “Rally” Style with great colors and unique contouring. The dial is matte black with a silver block minute track and applied luminous baguette markers. Given that it’s nearly 50 years old, the dial has aged very well, although there are a few light scuff marks visible at certain angles, but nothing that breaks the paint. The hour and minute hands are polished batons, well proportioned to the dial, and counting the seconds is a rich, brick orange sweep. The “Sports” designation at mid-dial is inked in bright blue that pairs nicely with the metallic silver printing above and below. A highly polished and steep chapter adds plenty of depth, and rises to meet a beefy coin edge bezel with blocked “count up” insert in silver and black. The markings on the insert are complete, and it shows surprisingly little wear considering its age. The crown sits recessed at four o’clock on the cushiony tonneau case, and allows for quickset of the day (Kanji/English) by pressing inward, and of the date through rotation in the second position. It is unpolished and the original finishes are clearly visible, and the case edges are contoured for an incredibly comfortable fit on the wrist. It’s completely original aside from a replacement crystal, and post service, is keeping near perfect time. We’ve paired it with an olive drab RAF NATO that suits its robust layout, and provides a comfortable fit for regular wear. A truly rare JDM Sport Diver with a classic Daini blueprint, this one is sure to quench your vintage diver thirst.

Clockwork Synergy Olive Drab Double Layer Two-Piece RAF NATO (clockworksynergy.com)

Serviced 8/9/19

Diameter- 42mm

Lugs- 18mm