Seiko Laurel Alpinist from 1961
(Image source: jds1017, WUS)
According to Seiya Kobayashi, the original Alpinist was designed to serve as a rugged and dependable outdoors watch for the Yamaotoko. Yamaotoko translates into English as “mountain man”, and describes the type of person who spends his leisure time climbing the mountains of Japan. Seiya-san gave a visual description of the Yamaotoko sitting down and drinking refreshing green tea from a stainless steel thermos, and eating ano-bento that his wife prepared.
The 1st generation Laurel Alpinist had a hand-winding movement, followed by the 2nd generation Champion 850 Alpinist in 1963. In 1965, Seiko discontinued the line for 30 years, and in 1995, released the 4S15 Alpinist. This particular 3rd Generation was powered by a chronometer-grade Cal. 4S15, and despite its popularity, remained in production for only 2 years. The 4S15 Alpinists, along with the other 4S15 models, instantly became a collector’s item, and enjoy a huge following among Japanese collectors. This has resulted in them being increasingly hard to find, with prices on Yahoo Japan rising with every passing year. Here's one of my recent acquisitions.
SPECIFICATIONS
REFERENCE: SCVF007
MOVEMENT: Seiko Cal. 4S15, 25 jewels, 28’800 A/h, integrated auto-winding, micro-regulator, Diafix shock absorption, thermo-compensating balance and hairspring, auxiliary manual-winding, hacking
CASE: Stainless steel (diameter: 38 mm excl. crown, thickness: 10 mm, lug-width: 19 mm), screw case back, screw-down crown
CRYSTAL: Sapphlex*, flat profile with date window magnification
BRACELET: Stainless steel, push-release clasp
WATER RESISTANCE: 20 Bar / 200 m
MANUFACTURED: In Japan, 1995-1997
MRSP (1995): 35,000 JPY (NZ$580)
*Sapphlex is a Seiko proprietary hardened mineral crystal, as with Hardlex. Sapphlex has a layer of sapphire crystal laminated on the outer side, to takes advantage of both the sapphire’s superior scratch resistance and Hardlex’s impact resistance properties.
CHRONICLE OF THE 4S
A friend recently asked me why 4S15 Seiko from the mid-1990s are in such demand worldwide, and I'd like to touch on this if I may. I’ve come across some reviewers who offer the explanation that, after Seiko developed the 4S15 in 1992, the manufacture later realized that the movement was a higher grade than that suitable for a mid-range Seiko in Japan, which then led to Seiko discontinuing the 4S15 Alpinists, SUSs, and Titanium Divers. While I partially agree, it was more likely a product positioning-based decision, rather than some kind of error.
Between 1980 and 1992, Seiko did not have a high-grade automatic movement available to the Japanese market. Then came the Mechanical Renaissance of the 1990s (which, I have read somewhere, actually started in Japan and spread to the rest of the world), and there was sudden need for a mechanical caliber to power Seiko's domestic mid-range offerings (30,000-90,000 Yen, similar to the market segment now occupied by the 6R15).
Instead of developing a new movement caliber, the firm resurrected a movement from the 1970s. This movement did not come from the Seiko 5 nor the Divers. On the contrary, it was a movement that Daini Seikosha had developed from the beginning to become a Certified Chronometer in the King Seiko—the 52 Stream. The last time the 52 caliber was cased by Seiko, it was inside the KS Vanac Special (1973-76), widely accepted as being adjusted to Grand Seiko standard grade (AA Accuracy Grade). In 1992, the Cal. 5246 was re-designated 4S15. It was no accident, and Seiko knew exactly what they were doing.
Here’s how the Cal. 4S15 came to being.
1970 Cal. 5206 LORD MATIC (LM)
1971 Cal. 5246 KING SEIKO (KS) Vanac
1971 Cal. 5246 KING SEIKO (KS) Chronometer
1972 Cal. 5206 LM Special
1973 Cal. 5256 KING SEIKO (KS) Vanac Special
1976 52 Stream discontinued
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1992 52 resurrected and re-designated 4S
1995 4S15 Alpinist, 4S15 Titanium Diver
1996 4S15 SUS Military
1996 4S77 CREDOR Retrograde
1997 4S15 Alpinist, SUS, and Titanium Diver discontinued
2000 KING SEIKO 4S15 Historical Re-issue LE (2,000 pieces)
2001 BRIGHTZ 4S15 Automatic LE (500 pieces)
2002-onwards 4S only available in BRIGHTZ and CREDOR
The Hi-Beat 28’800 A/h movement features integrated auto-winding, which is thinner in profile compared to a modular system, and allows the case to be made thinner. Thermo-compensating balance and hair-spring come standard with the base caliber, while the higher beat rate (for Seiko) allows it to be adjusted to higher tolerance. The movement also hacks and hand-winds.
The 4S15 is best compared to the ETA 2892, and if it were Swiss, would likely be considered a Tracteur. Both ETA 2892 and Seiko 4S were not made to be, but born chronometers, i.e. from the drawing board, they were designed to be one. Both Brightz and Credor lines have used the 4S15 extensively as base caliber for modification and adding complications.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my Yamaotoko watch.
as I have never has one of these....yours is a beauty and I am looking forward to hearing how it performs timekeeping wise....easily it’s going to be waaaay inside the standard chronometer specs (piece of cake).
But learning more about a particular piece really increases my appreciation, and definitely fuels the passion for watches.
I cannot think of a 13-year-old Swiss watch that can lay that claim.
