Toyota Land Cruiser LC001 watch

LC001 is the first identified model in the Toyota Land Cruiser watch series. It is an analogue quartz dual-time watch incorporating a 24-hour disc and rotating compass bezel, allowing approximate direction to be determined from the position of the sun (…in the Northern Hemisphere).

The LC001 uses a hinged flip-top cover integrated into the case, with the raised central LAND CRUISER bridge dividing the dial when the cover is closed. Unlike the later LC006 and LC008, the cover does not overly conceal the watch face. The split-dial arrangement leaves the principal time display visible, allowing the watch to be read without opening the cover. Lifting the cover exposes the complete dial and provides unobstructed access to the 24-hour display and sun-compass indications.

Two dial variants have been confirmed. The black dial LC001-01, associated with product code 7106, and green dial LC001-02, associated with code 7107.

7106 LC001-01 (Black dial)

7107 LC001-02 (Green dial)

---

Measurements

Diameter	37.5mm
Lug-to-lug	42.5 mm
Thickness	11.7 mm
Lug width	20 mm

---

Sun compass

LC001 was marketed in Japan as a 太陽方位計 & 24時間計 — a “sun compass and 24-hour watch”. It does not contain a magnetic compass. Instead, the position of the sun, conventional hour hand and 24-hour disc are used to estimate direction.

The Maruman instructions describe two methods. With the watch held horizontally and the 12-hour hand pointed towards the sun, the 24-hour disc can be used to indicate north. Alternatively, the rotating compass bezel can be aligned with the dial to provide approximate north, east, south and west bearings.

Maruman cautioned that this was an approximate navigational aid only. The instructions describe its use in the Northern Hemisphere and note potential inaccuracies at lower latitudes and when the sun cannot be clearly located.

---

Movement

The LC001 is powered by a Seiko Instruments VX39 quartz movement. The movement provides conventional hours, minutes and seconds together with a separately displayed 24-hour indication and date.

• Movement: Seiko Instruments VX39
• Type: Quartz analogue
• Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, 24-hour display
• Battery: 373 / SR916SW
• Thickness: 2.92 mm

Caseback

The LC001 uses a press-fit stainless-steel caseback engraved with a Toyota Land Cruiser and the model designation. Examples are individually numbered. Illustrated casebacks such as 0915/1000, provide evidence for a nominal production run of 1,000 examples for at least this variant.

The caseback is additionally marked JAPAN MADE and WATER RESISTANT 10 BAR.

---

Original packaging

Surviving LC001 sets have been found with a Land Cruiser-branded presentation box, warranty documentation, Maruman instruction manual and model-specific hang tag.

The original labels are valuable in reconstructing the series. They associate the black and green LC001 variants with the sequential product codes 7106 and 7107, while the full JAN/EAN numbers (4902907571064 and 4902907571071) provide another means of tracing the watches through Japanese catalogues and archived auction records.

---

Internet photos

---

Further resources

• Toyota Land Cruiser Watches. Full collection
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC001 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC002 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC003 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC004 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC005 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC006 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC007 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC008 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser LC009 watch
• Toyota Land Cruiser watch. Additional references