Description:

Seiko 19J day-date automatic (self-winding) wrist watch with black dial and raised gold numbers and the gold Thunderbird car logo, gold steel baton-style hands with luminous inserts and a gold sweep second, yellow gold filled (YGF) & stainless steel (SS) water resistant cushion case with brushed finish on the bezel and short extended lugs, approx. 38mm wide x 44mm lug to lug, brown leather band. Runs sluggish and should be cleaned, also is very stiff pulling to the time-set position although the day & date settings are working just fine. Very large, impressive for the Thunderbird collector, sold as-is.


Item Specifics:

  • Age Description: 02Vintage (1940-1980)
  • Company: Seiko
  • Jewels: 0919J
  • Setting/Movement Type: self-wind (automatic)
  • Movement Details: date display, day display
  • Dial Details: Thunderbird advertising
  • Hand Style: baton - heavy, skeletonized - luminous, sweep second hand
  • Case Style: cushion-shaped
  • Case Material: Gold Filled - Yellow, Stainless Steel
  • Case Details: water resistant (WR)
  • Case Width, without crown: 38mm (1.50 inches)
  • Case Length, lug to lug:  44mm (1.73 inches)
  • Case Thickness:  11mm (0.43 inches)
  • Interior Lug Width:  24mm (15/16")
  • Band Material: leather strap
  • Condition: As-Is
  • Gender: Gentlemen's

Logo Info:

On all but a few of the advertising logos, mainly Packard from the Hamilton company and Studebaker from South Bend, the logos would have been commissioned through a professional dial company after they left the factory to have the logo applied. For instance, a car dealership might have them added as a promotion, a motorcycle club would have ones done for each of their members, etc.


On the watch/logo combinations that may not match up on a timeline (the watch was made prior to the automobile company being formed, for instance), what we understand could have happened is, say for a car club, the members would need to provide their own watch to which the emblems would be added. Someone might have wanted a Harley logo on "Grandpa Bob's" old pocket watch, and would have had the dial pulled from that. Other than the Packard/Hamilton & Studebaker/South Bend arrangements, it was a free-for-all on the pairings and you could find just about any combination of manufacturer with the different logos.


We do also have a pretty good selection of the vintage dials that have emblems on them, but that are not attached to a watch yet. Often in the past, a customer would want a watch without the advertising, so we would just pull the printed dial and replace it with a similar-style plain dial, then set the printed one aside. If you have something specific you are looking for, please drop us a note to see if we have anything in our stock that might work for you.