The Asian Games - SEIKO World Time

Model No. 6217-7010

The 2nd series SEIKO World Time was introduced as a special edition to commemorate the 1966 Asian Games.

In August 1966 SEIKO revived their World Time line, with a new version under the model number 6217-7010. This watch was produced in celebration of the Asian Games, held in Bangkok, Thailand in December of 1966.

Asian Games case back design of a torch encircled with rings

Top-line Sales Info

38.5mm stainless steel case
In-house movement: 6217A – 17 jewel automatic, 2.5Hz / 18,000 bph
Date display at 3-o'clock w/ quick change at second position of the crown
Waterproof to 30m
2-way Diashock protection
Offered in silver linen and (perhaps) black sunburst dials, with applied indices
MSRP: Unknown
Included 12 month warranty against manufacturer defects

A New Case

This 2nd series of the World Time introduced a new, larger case, measuring 38.5mm (not including the crown) vs the the previous version's 37.5mm. The lugs were flared for increased wrist presence (from 43mm in the previous version to 45mm in this one), and the crown modified to be less obtrusive. The case back commemorated the Asian Games with an etched torch surrounded by a circle of rings.

38.5mm case
19mm lug width
45mm lug to lug
Stainless Steel, polished
Low(er) Profile, Reeded Crown
35mm Screw-on case back

Right side profile with new lug and crown detail

The new case has a screw down case back, replacing the previous model's snap on case back.

An Updated Reference Cities Bezel

The reference cities were also updated, with Rangoon and Bangkok switching inner/outer ring positions. Singapore was added. On the silver version, the inner cities were changed from black to blue, while the outer cities remain in black.

The previous silver bezel from the 6217-7000

The updated silver bezel for the 6217-7010

The previous black bezel for the 6217-7010

The updated black bezel from the 6217-7000

Follow the link below for a more detailed look at the evolution of the cities bezel:

Dial, Hands and Movement Carried Over

The Asian Games World Time shared the dial and hands from the previous (Tokyo olympics) version, notably with no lume. As of this writing all examples cataloged are of the silver dial variant, with thin black GMT hand, except one, which has a black sunburst dial with thin gold/bronze GMT hand.

Powering this watch is the caliber 6217A movement, another carry-over from the previous series.

Production Numbers

A 7-digit serial number scheme is used here, allowing up to 99,999 watches. Curiously we have examples in the in the 10,000's and other examples in the 80,000's. Without additional data points it is unclear if there were more than 80,000 total watches produced, or if SEIKO used the 3rd digit in this series for another purpose.

Click here to view the cataloged examples.

The Bracelet

This special edition of the 6217-7010 was originally offered on the "Mini-Coffin" style bracelet. It is unclear if any other original bracelet options were offered at the time. Photos coming soon...

Other 6217-7010's

In 1967 an updated version of this model was produced. It retained the new case design, replacing the commemorative case back with the standard SEIKO horseshoe design that would be used on all models going forward. More notably perhaps, lume was introduced on the dial and hands. Round spots of lume were applied inside each hour indice. The hour and minute hands also received lume, but the GMT hand remained non-luminous in this version.

The black dial variant is again found on these 1967 models.

Tips on Confirming Originality

The Dial

The dial should be either silver color with linen texture or black with a radial/sunburst texture. These are the same dials used on the 6217-7000, except that the silver version is notably deeper/dark in person compared with the prior series. Valid dial codes MADE IN JAPAN and JAPAN 6217-7000TAD are found.

The Case

The case is quite different from the previous series. The crown is also different. This case is also found on 6217-7010 models produced in 1967, but those do not have the Asian Games commemorative case back.

GMT Hand

The GMT hand should be black on silver dials and gold/bronze colored on black dials, and of the thin type.

The Bezel

The bezel was updated in this model, and used in future models through March of 1968. The silver bezel is matched to the silver dial, with inner cities printed in a blue color. The black bezel is matched to the black dial, with all cities printed in white.

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