09/09/2026
Back to these two great empires, I have always wondered how this rare Persian Seiko (Pahlavi) ended up here in Ethiopia. The state visit of the Iranian Emperor to Ethiopia, accompanied by his military entourage, might have been the reason. The watch may have been brought to Ethiopia during that historic visit, perhaps as a personal item, a gift, or a souvenir connected to the occasion. AI overview :
Yes. I did a deeper dive, and there is a very interesting twist: your theory has a strong historical foundation, but the dates tell us that the watch probably did not arrive in Ethiopia during the 1968 state visit itself.
1. First, I think we can identify your watch
From the photograph, your watch appears to be the Seiko 7005-8140 Iranian Royal Army model, commonly called the “Pahlavi Seiko.”
The characteristics match very closely:
black rotating dive-style bezel
automatic Seiko movement
date at 3 o'clock
Seiko lettering positioned at about 9 o'clock
red Lion and Sun imperial Iranian emblem
Persian inscription referring to the Imperial Iranian Army
approximately 38 mm case
Collectors and watch references identify the 7005-8140 as a specially ordered Iranian military watch associated with Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Evidence from collectors and specialist listings indicates production/delivery around 1970, rather than 1968. �
Omega Watch Forums +2
And this is important: the genuine examples are quite scarce, with numerous modern aftermarket/fake examples circulating today. �
Reddit
2. That creates a fascinating problem with the stamp
Your Ethiopian stamp is absolutely connected to the Shah's visit.
The Ethiopian postal archive records the series as:
“State Visit of His Imperial Majesty Emperor of Iran”
and gives the issue date as June 3, 1968. �
Welcome - Ethiopost
The stamps themselves commemorate the visit and show the Ethiopian and Iranian monarchs. Your sheet is therefore not merely vaguely related to Iran—it is directly documenting the Pahlavi–Haile Selassie relationship.
There is also photographic evidence of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah visiting Ethiopia in 1968 and meeting Emperor Haile Selassie. �
Flickr +1
3. But the watch appears to be later
This is the key discovery.
The Seiko 7005-8140 appears to date to 1970, with specialist references describing it as a Royal Iranian Army watch produced specifically for Iranian officers. One surviving example is even documented with a serial number consistent with 1970 production. �
EveryWatch +1
So:
1968 — Shah visits Ethiopia
↓
1970 — Iranian Royal Army Seiko produced/issued
↓
1974 — Haile Selassie overthrown
↓
1979 — Iranian Revolution
That means the watch in your photograph cannot have been presented during the 1968 Ethiopian state visit if it really is an original 7005-8140.
And this actually makes the story more interesting.
4. The connection between the two countries was much deeper than one royal visit
I found academic research specifically on Pahlavi Iran's relationship with Ethiopia.
Iran and Haile Selassie's Ethiopia developed a remarkably close relationship beginning in the early 1960s. Ethiopia was apparently Iran's first major ally in sub-Saharan Africa, and the relationship was driven partly by their shared concerns about Arab radicalism, Soviet influence, instability around the Red Sea, and the survival of conservative monarchies. �
Cambridge University Press +1
A Cambridge study is particularly useful here. It notes that Haile Selassie visited Iran in 1964 and 1971, while the Shah made his only visit to sub-Saharan Africa during his reign to Ethiopia in 1968. �
Cambridge Assets
So there were repeated contacts between the two royal courts—not simply one isolated visit.
5. And the military connection makes your hypothesis plausible
This is where I would be cautious but very interested.
By the early 1970s, Iran under the Shah was becoming a major regional military power. The Shah was aggressively expanding and modernizing Iran's armed forces. U.S. diplomatic records from 1972 describe the enormous growth of Iranian military procurement and the Shah's determination to build Iran into a major military power. �
Office of the Historian
At the same time, Ethiopia was deeply concerned about its own security environment, particularly developments around Somalia, the Red Sea and Soviet influence.
There is even a later U.S. intelligence assessment that specifically says Ethiopian military and civilian leaders hoped that Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as the United States, might provide money for arms purchases. �
Office of the Historian
So there really was a military/security relationship in the background.
6. My strongest hypothesis for your particular watch
I would rank the possibilities like this:
① Iranian military personnel brought it to Ethiopia after 1970 — quite plausible.
This is the hypothesis I now find most interesting.
An Iranian officer, military delegation, diplomat, attaché, security official, or other member of the Iranian establishment could have brought the watch to Ethiopia sometime between 1970 and 1974.
It could subsequently have been:
given to an Ethiopian officer,
exchanged as a personal gift,
sold/traded to somebody in Addis Ababa,
left behind by an Iranian visitor,
or passed through an Iranian diplomatic/military connection.
② It was connected indirectly to the 1968 royal visit — also plausible, but not as the original gift.
The 1968 visit may have established or strengthened the relationship through which the watch eventually arrived.
In other words, the chain could have been:
Shah's 1968 visit → stronger Iran–Ethiopia relationship → subsequent Iranian military/diplomatic contacts → Iranian officer brings/wears 1970 Seiko in Ethiopia → watch eventually enters Ethiopian hands.
That would fit the historical evidence much better.
③ It was personally presented by the Shah — possible, but currently no evidence.
This is the exciting possibility, but we shouldn't claim it without provenance.
7. There's another clue I'd really like to investigate
Your watch's caseback could be extremely important.
Authentic Iranian Royal Army Seikos are reported to have Persian/English military markings and, importantly, some have the inscription “Amvale Dolati”, meaning roughly “Government Property.” �
Omega Watch Forums +1
If your watch has that marking—and especially if we can read its serial number and case/reference numbers—we could establish much more about it.
Your photograph only shows the dial. I would really like to see a clear photograph of the back of your watch, including the entire caseback and bracelet/clasp.
That could potentially tell us:
exact Seiko reference
serial number
approximate production date
whether the caseback is consistent with an original Iranian military example
whether the bracelet is original or later replacement
whether the watch has the Government Property marking
and, crucially, whether your particular watch appears to be one of the genuine military pieces rather than a later reproduction.
One correction to our earlier discussion
There is also an interesting philatelic detail: June 3, 1968 on your Ethiopian stamp is the stamp's issue date, not necessarily the exact date on which the Shah arrived in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian postal archive explicitly gives June 3 as the date of issue. �
Welcome - Ethiopost
So I wouldn't use “June 3” as the date of the state visit without qualification.
Bottom line: I think you've stumbled onto a genuinely fascinating historical connection. The stamp proves the 1968 Pahlavi–Haile Selassie connection, while the watch appears to belong to the 1970 Iranian Royal Army Seiko production. That actually points toward a later Iranian military/diplomatic connection with Ethiopia, rather than the watch being physically brought during the 1968 royal visit.
If you send me a sharp photo of the back of the watch, I can take the investigation much further.
