Seiko 6105-8110 Captain Willard – 1974

Seiko 6105-8110 Captain Willard

An absolute icon of the dive-watch world and often seen as a must-have for watch enthusiasts just like a Speedy or Sub, the Seiko 6105 is one of the all-time great divers. It gained its nickname ‘Captain Willard’ as it was seen throughout Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now on the wrist of Martin Sheen’s character, Captain Willard, and was very popular amongst soldiers during the Vietnam war for its robust build, legibility and price.

The 6105 was produced in two distinct forms, the first being a cushion cased-shape with crown at 4, and the second being 81XX series which introduced the asymmetric crown guard and is perhaps the best-known. The case measures in at 44mm, though does not wear as large as that number would indicate as that iconic mid-case provides that measurement, whereas it is about 40mm across the bezel. It’s powered by the self-winding Seiko calibre 6105B which allows for hacking seconds, but not hand winding.

This particular 6105-8110 dates from 1974, and is in excellent and original vintage condition. The case lines are sharp, and does not show signs of over polishing. Has dings, dents and scratching commensurate with its age. Bezel action is crisp. All numbers visible on the case back.

The dial is original and in amazing condition with no blemishes we can see. All tritium plots in place with minor wear. Tritium on the hands shows some cracking, and there’s some wear present on the steel. The red portion of the seconds hand is missing.

The bi-directional bezel appears to be original, and shows wear consistent with age. Slightly misaligned.

Please see images for full condition details.

Service history is unknown. These can’t be manually wound so timing is difficult to ascertain. Appears to be running well for its age, and keeping time within about a minute a day.

Currently mounted on a new Uncle Seiko strap, and comes with a Watch Vault travel case and cleaning cloth.

An amazingly well preserved example of an iconic dive watch.