The Seiko Pogue Returns: Meet The Speedtimer SSC947

There are some watches out there that have achieved a rare sort of infamy and the Seiko Speedtimer 6139, also known as the “Pogue,” is one such watch. It is named after Colonel William R. Pogue who wore one during NASA’s Skylab missions. It was also the first automatic chronograph to travel to space. It’s become an icon because of its historical bona fides, but also because of it’s positively ridiculous (read, charming) colorway that fits so well in the ‘70s decade in which it was conceived. Key aesthetic tenets of a Pogue are the red and blue bezel insert and a certain yellowish-gold dial. It’s the sort of gold color that’ll have you conspiracy theorizing that this watch was in the Pulp Fiction briefcase. 

All of this backstory and preamble is to intentionally bury the lede and tell you that Seiko has, today, brought the Pogue back…sort of. Say hello to the Speedtimer Solar Chronograph, SSC947 which follows in the recently established design format of the solar Speedtimer range – the 41.5mm case size version of which the current Pepsi bezel SSC913 is a personal favorite. I remember when the line was announced and really loving the execution from the compact pushers to the great case size to the overall thinness due to the lack of a mechanical movement.

And look, while the Pogue owes much of its fame to the fact that it housed an automatic caliber, we cannot just expect brands to issue 1:1 remakes of classic models. Seiko needs to innovate. It found a winning formula in this solar Speedtimer format, and now it is infusing that very line with a bit of archival magic.

That is precisely what the SSC947 is, a modern Speedtimer with a vintage color set. Just like the original Pogue, this new model features a tachymeter scale where the first portion is done in red, with the remaining segment being in blue. And as you might expect, the dial is that radiant gold with blue sub-registers, and the six o’clock register has a contrasty red hand. That subdial also contains a power reserve indication that lets you know if the watch is fully charged. Once fully charged by sunlight the watch should last 6 months.

Now one question I had was, “Why do this in the 41.5mm size and not the 39mm?” And the answer that I have come to is, that it doesn’t matter. Sure it is confusing that they both exist but they also wear nearly identically with the difference in lug-to-lug being a mere .4mm.

So then this watch boils down to whether you like the Pogue styling on this modern solar format. And I do, of course I will wait to see this in real life before passing meaningful judgment. And on that point, I will keep this story short and sweet as well. There will definitely be hands-on coverage in the near future, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts on the new Seiko Pogue.

Speedtimer Solar Chronograph, SSC947

Case diameter: 41.4mm, 100M (10 bar) water resistant, LumiBrite hands and markers, Movement: Caliber V192 • Powered by light energy • 6-month power reserve once fully charged • Power reserve indicator

Price: $700