Seiko 'Blue Pogue' Chronograph

Everyone knows that the first watch worn on the moon was an Omega Speedmaster, one of history's greatest manually winding chronographs. But did you know that the first automatic chronograph worn in space was a Seiko? Although it wasn't revealed until years later — and even though it was not part of his official mission kit — astronaut Colonel William Pogue made history when he snuck his personal Seiko chronograph Reference 6139-6002 onto the Skylab 4 mission in 1973. Manufactured in large quantities in the early 1970s, 6139-series chronographs were in many ways light years ahead of their Swiss counterparts, offering brightly colored dials, internal rotating bezels, day/date displays with quickset functionality, and an automatic movement. Not only that, but the 6139-6002 cost a mere $71.50 in the early seventies — roughly $572 in 2025. Colonel Pogue bought his at the PX at Ellington Air Force base and subsequently used it for all of his astronaut training leading up to the mission, preferring it to the NASA-issued Speedmaster. While Pogue did not wear the Seiko during EVA (spacewalk), he did utilize it for timing experiments and other mission-pertinent uses while in orbit. Over a decade later, the Sinn model 140 automatic chrono was taken into space on the wrist of Reinhard Furrer on the Spacelab D1 Mission. For decades it was assumed that this was the first automatic chronograph ever worn in space, and it shocked the watch collector community when photographs of Col. Pogue wearing a yellow-dialed Seiko in the Skylab module surfaced on the web in 2006. As soon as the news broke, prices for 6139s skyrocketed, and a whole aftermarket parts network appeared virtually overnight. Dating to the early 1970s, this 6139-6002 features a 41mm stainless steel case with a ‘Pepsi’ tachymeter scale on the bezel, barrel chronograph pushers, a recessed crown, and a dual-language calendar (English and Spanish). The handsome matte blue dial features applied indices, a day-date window at 3 o’clock, a subsidiary counter at 6 o’clock, and an internal rotating elapsed-time bezel. Powered by the automatic Seiko Calibre 6169B movement, this stunning example remains in an absolutely untouched and unpolished state, and comes fitted to a correct stainless steel multi-link bracelet with signed locking clasp. Not many Seiko 6139 Pogues walk in through our doors in such exceptional condition —snag this one while you can!