Seiko Lord Matic Special 5216-8010
A 1975 Seiko Lord Matic Special with a deep chameleon blue starburst dial and the high-beat 52-series movement — one of Seiko's finest late-era mechanicals.
Year: 1975
Movement: Seiko Caliber 5216, automatic, 28,800 bph, hand-winding, hacking, quick-set day/date
Case: Hooded lug design
The 5216-8010 appeared for one year only, 1975, in two colors: blue and brown. This is the blue — a starburst dial that shifts between deep turquoise and midnight blue depending on the light. The hooded lug case gives it a slightly sport-forward profile unusual for the Lord Matic line.
History
The Lord Matic Special was the premium tier of Seiko's Lord Matic line, distinguished by high-beat operation at 28,800 bph. The 52-series caliber is a Daini-developed movement — Seiko's second manufacturing division — and is considered one of their best automatic movements of the era. It includes hand-winding and hacking, features that weren't universal on automatics at the time, plus quick-set day and date.
The Lord Matic Special ran from 1970 to 1977. By 1976 the offerings had thinned considerably, and the line was gone the following year. The 5216-8010 sits near the very end of that run.