Vintage Seiko - like Toyota - doesn’t die, and it's quality is legendary - and this full-serviced 1965 Sportsman 6602-9981 here, with its Sportsman instruction manual, is one of these long living Seikos.
 
Seiko built its watches by hand during this era with robotic efficiency – which is admittedly non-brag worthy compared to the thought of an expert watchmaker toiling away in the rolling Swiss hills – but the same Seiko efficiency has left the world with some amazingly well-preserved pieces today.
 
Design wise, look at the details: hour markers, case finishing, dials and hands – there’s always more than immediately meets the eye.  Their mechanical movements are bulletproof, and many have never been restored, yet remain running amazingly well decades and decades later.
 
To quote Fratello Seiko expert, Michael Stockton, interweb lore tells us “the Sportsman line was introduced by Seiko in 1960 as a budget offering with robust, but utilitarian manual-wind movements.  Seiko, along with the other Japanese brands, truly enjoyed its endless branding schemes and created names such as 'Dolphin' or 'Seahorse' underneath this line.”
 
The Seiko Ref. 6602 line debuted alongside a slew of handsome Seiko dress watches - the Chronos, Marvel, and Crown lines, and others.  The friendly competition between Seiko’s Suwa and Daini was ever present during this era, and thankfully for us watch enthusiasts, it made both perform at the top of their game.  The Sportsman would remain in the Seiko lineup until the mid-1960s, with multiple waterproof and calendar variations.
 
This Seiko Sportsman comes on a new Seiko OEM stainless-steel bracelet, and with nylon strap, rugged travel case, and springbar tool.