This is the original! The Seiko Lord Matic, reference 5606-7000, was the foundational model launched in 1968, positioning itself as the high-end alternative to the Seiko 5. Your customer is acquiring a direct piece of the movement architecture that would go on to power the most prestigious watches in the catalog—the King Seiko and even the Grand Seiko of the era! This is high-horology DNA at an incredibly accessible price.
The heart of the watch is the Caliber 5606, a 23-Jewel automatic movement that offers features far superior to many contemporaries: hand-winding (for manual convenience) and hacking seconds (the second hand stops for precise time-setting). The aesthetic is pure mid-century elegance, defined by the clean, polished stainless steel case and the immaculate silver sunburst dial. The applied baton markers and the bilingual day/date window (showing the collectible Kanji day!) complete the refined JDM look.
Here is the crucial collector detail: the 5606 movement is notorious for a weak quickset date mechanism (due to a small plastic part). The fact that this function is working and the watch is still running strong means it has been carefully maintained, making it a valuable, functional survivor. This LM is the perfect choice for the collector who appreciates understated, world-class engineering and the historical significance of Seiko's 'Golden Era.'
