The Seiko 6139-6040 Silver Ghost moniker was obtained from the way the contrasting bare, first quarter of its bezel would lose tachymeter numerals after brief wear. But the spirit of the name goes beyond an under-engineered bezel execution, rescued from a pejorative quirk, to an aesthetic of ‘silvering’ and ‘reflectivity.’

Catalog shots of the Seiko 6139-6040 from its short mid-70’s run reveal its semi-lustrous grey-gold intent. I hesitate to use the word ‘champagne’ because in shade the surface appears matte. Even in sunlight, it conveys a muted, warm, mousy metallic not unlike desk accessories at the time. Case roundness is central, compared to other 6139’s of the era which featured elongated case arcs that helped define the Bruce Lee and the Pogue.

The Seiko 6139-6040 Silver Ghost is a circle with sharp and defined angular lugs jutting out to a similarly sharp and faceted bracelet. Wear and polishing on bracelets mean this angularity is seldom seen along with the brushed, linear texture of h-links in un-ghosted state. Within the dial, the 6040 featured a ‘cushion’ chrono subdial that could be found in 6138’s but almost nowhere else in the 6139 lineup. Patina variations of the brushed subdial can range from stark and original silver to legitimately champagne (furthering the contrast between it and the denatured, even dial).

I have two Seiko 6139-6040’s. The first, an extraordinary example with intact bezel numerals and an unblemished, textured bracelet. The second, all original elements but clearly more weathered. It was the comparison of these two that led me to consider the Silver Ghost nickname was an earnestly apt one. When searching for images of the Seiko 6139-6040, one will inevitably encounter its appearance boosted in color or, more uncommonly, left in its seemingly bland state. It is the latter iteration where ironically the Ghost does its best work.

In a mid-century modern world that was populated by olive, orange, and deep wood tone households, the Seiko Seiko 6139-6040 Silver Ghost was an unsaturated marvel. The striking aspect of the milquetoast metallic tones and the way it has curiously managed to grow more pale over time makes this one of the most odd and outlying Seikos to have ever been produced. Even today, it’s aberrant. Original detail and finishing usually define a piece’s character and the 6040 is the embodiment of premature aging to the degree that it is difficult to know what original must have been. So stark is the appearance of the 6040 that when Sunday rolls around, the red-orange day indication (best when a simple square as on the Roman numeral date wheel variation) appears like a vividly colored element within a black and white film.

In Mike Stockton’s write-up of the Seiko 6139-6040 Silver Ghost (still a compelling read), he contrasts the “remarkably businesslike” quality of the Ghost against the Zenith A386. The placement of the two is more than just a high-low art comparison and Stockton understands how such contrasts reveal the polytheistic power of the object-world of watches. Even amidst vibrant and accessible Seikos from the time, this reference was playing an aesthetic game all its own, and it is the unsaturated soul of the 6040 that lends it as a foil of 70’s Swiss brilliance. It is Hephaestion vibrancy, not Apollonian.

The Seiko 6139-6040 Silver Ghost is businesslike because it’s easy to imagine engineers who steadfastly wore it under fluorescent as they laboured. It reflects nostalgic imagery and acts as mirror more than a statement. For me, the California Bay Area of the 80’s, Sony electronics, neighborhood architecture, X86 computer rooms, and interiority, are all present. Lately, the reflection contemporizes how early images have shaped the work and life I chose to make. No one will notice it on my wrist, but I notice and can safely say “I get it.” The watch is not evocative of its own imagery. What it evokes is the wearer’s history, sensibility, and personal terroir.