In this case the original bracelet on our 6089 is in beautiful condition, so it’s not something we’ll worry much about, especially considering how great it looks on the bracelet. Not all Bell-Matic references have proprietary bracelets, which can make strap swaps nigh on impossible. The stainless steel case measures 38mm in diameter and just over 13mm thick, while the proprietary 23mm three-link bracelet tapers to a svelte 16mm. This particular reference 4006-6089 was manufactured in either 1970, 72, or 74. Because of excessive US import tariffs on watches with more than 17 jewels, the jewel count of the Bell-Matic progressively decreased until 1969 when that magic 17 was attained and Bell-Matics began arriving on US shores. The 27-jewel movement was the first mechanical alarm watch to feature an automatic winding rotor. The history of the Bell-Matic appears to begin in Seiko’s home country of Japan with the reference 4006-7000 in 1966. In this case I have to concede that Perpetual Girl was spot on when she picked up this near-perfect example of a blue dial Seiko Bell-Matic 4006-6089, Let’s take a closer look. If you follow or me ( on Instagram, you may know that she has a propensity for vintage watches, whereas I tend to prefer the latest shiny new pieces. Many brands made alarm watches back in the day, with Seiko being one of the largest. Long before digital watches began synthetically beeping at their owners to signal a pre-set time, there existed classic mechanical timepieces that actually chimed an alarm.
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