No matter how powerful, robust or complicated they may be, in today’s modern age, mechanical watches are still emotional machines at their core. Almost every aspect of timekeeping can be handled more efficiently or cost-effectively than an old-school mechanical wristwatch can, but despite all of this, there is something that keeps drawing us back as enthusiasts. So if you’re in the hobby long enough, almost every enthusiast owns at least one watch with sentimental value. My sentimental watch attachment isn’t through a family member or loved one; it’s the watch that helped launch my career in this incredible industry. Aside from launching my life in watch media, the mid-70s Seiko 6138-8039 “John Player Special” shaped my taste in watches, has been a reliable companion throughout my hobby days, and remains a truly underrated classic sports chronograph in its own right.
In the summer of 2014 (a full decade ago), after moving away from automotive journalism, I wrote some of my very first watch content for another major watch media site. As part of my series on watches and Formula 1, I featured the Seiko 6138-8039, noting its similarity to the popular black and gold John Player Special livery used by the Lotus team in the 70s and 80s, as well as its impressive value for money. This was the first time one of my articles had generated such an immediate and strong public reaction, and from then on I knew I had to focus primarily on watches. It also sparked my love of vintage-style racing chronographs, and I’ve always had a 6138-8039 in my collection since then.
While this particular example has been worn a lot over the years, it’s still in remarkably good unpolished condition. At 40mm wide and 14mm thick, the Seiko 6138-8039’s stainless steel barrel-style case is large and compact on the wrist. This case has virtually no lugs and features sloping, sharply faceted case sides, providing Seiko with a number of wide, smooth surfaces to showcase its linear brushing and polishing skills. The sharp, narrow polished bezel also adds some welcome contrast angles to this shape, ensuring that there’s almost always at least one dynamic reflection from any viewing angle. It might feel a little top-heavy by modern standards, but the sheer ’70s funkiness of the design gives it character on the wrist.
While the case of the Seiko 6138-8039 might divide opinion, its dial is balanced, striking, and arguably one of the most underrated examples of ’70s racing chronograph dial design. The simple, bold color palette of black and gold immediately draws attention on the wrist, with large, rounded square chronograph subdials at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock giving that gold accent tone plenty of room to shine. As a side note, some examples of this model have subdials with a distinct vertically brushed finish, but this particular piece has the more muted matte gold subdials. In contrast, the inner chapter ring uses a brighter, more pronounced radially brushed gold, adding visual depth and variety to an already impressively layered design. Although the day/date window at 3 o’clock could significantly disrupt the overall layout, the applied gold Seiko emblem at 9 o’clock provides a clever and effective visual counterbalance. Overall, it’s a clean, balanced dial design with a pleasantly busy feel that doesn’t feel cluttered or overly busy.
Of course, the movement inside the Seiko 6138-8039 is the brand’s own 6138 automatic chronograph movement. Designed as an evolution of the groundbreaking (and arguably the first ever) 6139 automatic chronograph, the 6138 is more robust, more functional, and impressively equipped even by modern standards. A power reserve of 45 hours and a beat rate of 21,600 vph may not be world-beating feats in 2024, but by ’70s standards, this is a real contender for a powerhouse. It also features a column wheel and vertical clutch, making the chronograph operation sharp, precise, and pleasantly heavy during operation. This particular movement may be around 50 years old, but it remains reliable and easy to use. It offers accuracy of around +20 seconds per day and one of the best chronograph functions of any vintage chronograph I’ve ever owned.
This particular Seiko 6138-8039 is also paired with its original two-tone three-link bracelet. This tapered design with square links in stainless steel and yellow gold is light and flexible on the wrist, with light wear on the gold-plated center links for a charismatic patina. The folded link structure and embossed deployant clasp could clearly place this bracelet in the ’70s in terms of build quality, but it remains a fun and expressive visual statement.
At their core, mechanical watches in the modern era are sentimental machines—they’re tools that exist not because they’re the most capable or cheapest tools for the job, but because we as enthusiasts genuinely love them. There are few watches I’ve personally loved for as long and as much as the Seiko 6138-8039 “John Player Special,” and few watches that have ever given me as much back. It’s no exaggeration to say that without the watch pictured here, I wouldn’t be writing this article over a decade after my first foray into watch media. Besides its personal significance, it’s still an impressively affordable and well-equipped vintage sports chronograph, and a stirring reminder to even the coldest of enthusiasts that there’s room for a little love in every collection.
