Seiko Caliber 5M62A

The Seiko caliber 5M62 (aka 5M62A) is a kinetic movement with a date.

Power Reserve Indicator:

The power reserve indicator on the cal. 5M62 is not a constant indicator. It requires the wearer to press the button located at 2:00 on the side of the watch.

The power reserve indication is displayed via the seconds hand. Seiko recommends pressing the button when the seconds hand is at 12:00. Some watches will have a power reserve scale printed on the dial, spanning from 12:00 to 6:00 – by pressing the button when the seconds hand is at 12:00, you can use the scale on the dial more accurately.

Below is a chart with the indications for remaining power reserve:

Low Battery Indicator:

The 5M62 is equipped with a low battery/low power indicator, which presents itself by skipping the seconds hand. The hand will jump every two seconds to let the wearer know the battery is low. This is a 24 hour warning and it means the battery needs charged as soon as possible. To do this, swing the watch back and forth to allow the rotor to wind power into the capacitor.

If you haven’t worn your watch for a long time and it won’t hold a charge no matter how much you swing it or wear it, then it possible the capacitor (rechargeable battery) needs replaced. Although Seiko says these batteries do not require any periodical replacement, they actually do stop working eventually, especially if you haven’t charged the watch for an extended period of time (years).

Datewheel:

The 5M62 offers 6 variations of datewheel depending on color scheme and location of the date window:

• Part # 0878-729 – Black numbers on white background, 3:00 position
• 0878-730 – White on black, 3:00
• 0878-731 – Black on gold, 3:00
• 0878-732 – Gold on black, 3:00
• 0878-876 – Black on white, 4:00
• 0878-877 – White on black, 4:00

If you can find different datewheels, it is a way to customize your watch with original parts.

5M62 VS 5M63:

There is a similar caliber 5M63(A), with the main difference being that the 5M63 has a day-date calendar complication whereas the 5M62 just has a date. Most of the parts are interchangeable, except for those related to the calendar system.

Additional Resources:

• Official 5M62 instruction manual (pdf)
• List of Seiko movements

Note: This caliber listing is still being updated, but feel free to start discussions on it in the comments below…