The story of the Seiko 5 Sports
In November 1973 astronaut William Pogue took a yellow-dial Seiko he had bought for $71 at an air base kiosk into orbit. NASA had not approved it, yet it timed rocket burns on his left wrist for 84 days aboard Skylab.
Chapters
- 2020 to todayGuitars, dragons, anniversaries
Collaborations followed: a 9,000-piece Brian May edition in 2020 and, for the 55th anniversary in 2023, a 15,555-piece re-creation of the original plus a Bruce Lee edition. In 2025 the SKX399 returned in four colours, and Time+Tide counts 75 models in the range.
- 2019Relaunch
Seiko relaunched 5 Sports in 2019 with a more youthful dynamism; the line runs on the 4R36 automatic with a 41-hour reserve.
- 1998 to 2018The SKX years
The SKX399, launched in 1998, became a successful sports classic at an accessible price and one of Seiko's most beloved designs, reissued in 2025.
- 1969 to 1970sThe automatic chronograph
In spring 1969 Seiko launched the calibre 6139 "5 Sports Speed-Timer", which it calls the world's first automatic chronograph. Bruce Lee favoured a 6139, and William Pogue carried one to Skylab.
- 1968A sports watch for everyone
The first 5 Sports models had faceted cases, rotating bezels, Hardlex crystals and 70 m water resistance, aimed at a younger, active buyer. At 10,500 to 15,000 yen they cost roughly a fifth of a Rolex Submariner or less.
Worn by
He wore his own 6139 Speed-Timer on his left wrist, next to his NASA-issued Omega, during the 84-day Skylab 4 mission, and kept wearing it for 19 years after.
Time+Tide calls him the most famous real-life 5 Sports wearer; he long favoured the 6139-6010. Seiko honoured him with a 2023 edition.
He wore a 5 Sports SRPG39 on HBO's The Last of Us, though the model postdates the show's setting.
His doctor character on The Pitt wears a 5 Sports, and some watch aficionados objected to the fabric strap in an emergency room.
Moments
2023. The 15,000-piece Bruce Lee edition put his own dragon drawing on the dial and Jeet Kune Do characters on the bezel.
2020. The Brian May edition carried his signature on the back and came in a box modelled on his guitar's flight case, with a coin recalling the sixpence he uses as a plectrum.
1969. Seiko's 6139 beat the Swiss Calibre 11 consortium of Heuer, Breitling and Hamilton-Buren to market in the race for the automatic chronograph.
Generations and strap changes
- 202355th anniversary
SRPK17 recreated the 1968 model in 39.5 mm, limited to 15,555 units, alongside new 42.5 mm SKX Sports Style models.
- 2022SKX Style GMT
The SSK001K1, SSK003K1 and SSK005K1 added a GMT hand via the 4R34, in a 42.5 mm case 0.1 mm taller than before.
Five-row steel bracelet with polished centre links and triple-fold clasp.
- 2019Collection relaunch
Seiko relaunched 5 Sports with 27 models in five styles, a 42.5 mm case and the 4R36 calibre.
Launched on steel bracelets and straps ranging from steel mesh to silicone/leather hybrids.
- 1968Seiko 5 Sports born
Seiko introduced Seiko 5 Sports for people who wanted a watch for sports.
- 1963Sportsmatic 5
The first Seiko 5, the Sportsmatic 5, was Japan's first automatic day-date watch.
Firsts and innovations
Seiko states that the 1963 Sportsmatic 5, the line's ancestor, was Japan's first automatic day-date watch.