As the 1960’s drew to a close, both Seiko’s Suwa and Daini divisions were delivering on greatness through the Grand and King Seiko lines by upstaging everyone, including the Swiss, at their own game in terms of accurate and high quality watch movements. It’s important to remember however, that the KS was only possible due to the advancements made possible through the evolution of its predecessors the Marvel and Lord Marvel lines. Peaking with the 5740C, Seiko’s first true high beat, the hand wound Lord Marvel was ready to lend it’s name to a fresh series of automatics by way of the new cal. 56 movements, and Lord Matic was born. Though they never received the attention or accolades given to the GS and KS lines, the LM models are equally as impressive, and a worthy addition to any collection. Seiko positioned the Lord Matic as a flagship just under GS and KS, and the build quality and attention to detail make it more than apparent why. This example from September of 1969 houses the Suwa 5601. It’s a 23 jewel stunner that hums along at 21,600 bph, offers manual and self-winding, and comes in at just under 5mm thick, allowing for a thinner and more comfortable profile. No less impressive is the package built around it. The case is a monocoque style with a pressure fitted acrylic and bezel and clean crisp lines throughout. The dial is a silvery white linen donning bold black applied Arabic markers and badges, and cleanly printed text that’s nicely balanced and proportioned. The hour and minute hands are long and tapered swords with black overlay striping, and a slender sweep ticking off the seconds. The crown sits slightly inset at the three, but is large enough to easily grip for winding. At nearly a half-century old, this watch is in incredible condition. It’s unpolished and completely original aside from a replacement crystal. It winds and sets smoothly, and post service is keeping near perfect time. We’ve paired it with a navy blue RAF NATO that perfectly complements the dial, and offers great comfort on the wrist. Though comparable in build and finish to its KS brethren, the LM is an absolute bargain and a every collection should boast at least one. We’re confident it’s this one.

Clockwork Synergy Navy Blue Double Layer Two-Piece RAF NATO (clockworksynergy.com)

Serviced 3/26/19

Diameter- 36mm

Lugs- 18mm