What I've been able to find out so far: The White 690
And Other "Flip-Top" Machines
The White 690 as delivered.
Installed in a Craig's list cabinet.
According to the White company, this machine was made in 1976 (in Japan). Who built it, I don't know. It uses an oddball bobbin that is (apparently) only common to the 690, the 510 (Which looks identical to the 690 except its a free arm machine), and the 710. There are conflicting reports of these bobbins also being the same as used in the 4000, the 305 & 310, and something called a 691 as well as a few others from White and competing makers (including a Simplicity and a Brother). This leads one to think that these machines were built by the same factory, but also that White didn't utilize this maker for very many models. Perhaps the bobbin sub-assembly was made by the same supplier for all these different brands/models.
A knowledgeable contributer notes:
[In the] mid to late seventies a lot of companies folded into each other. Some of the manufacturers became nothing more then distributors. White had gone down this road in 1962. Many of their machines were bought from Janome/New Home. It looks like they were also buying from Koyo. White owned the Domestic name and if you compare Whites, Domestics, and Koyos you'll find a lot of the same machines. In the 70s, New Home, Koyo, Necchi, and White started to all look alike. I can only speculate that they were coming out of the same factory. If that's right, I suspect that who ever owned what the team that was designing Koyo machines probably came out on top.
The controls on the front of your machine look a lot like a Maruzen/Jaguar 158 Kenmore, but the top looks Koyo or maybe Janome. Koyo is my best bet. Maruzen/Jaguar didn't start making that kind of top till near the 80's. Koyo and Janome who had been supply White had been making some designs like that much earilier then others.
I'm inclined to agree that it isn't a Maruzen/Jaguar from the fact that my limited exposure to machines of the period made by this company showed that they had a few plastic parts, whereas my White has none (not counting knobs).
Whoever made it, the 690 does NOT use the common "Class 15" bobbins (there should be a law requiring all machines to use class 15 bobbins!), or other bobbins advertised as fitting "most White machines". Unless it specifically states 690, it doesn't fit.
A source of bobbins for the White 690 et al (#55623NS). Best price I've found!
I also don't know what total number of years the 690 was built, nor how many. I was able to place that the model 510 was made more or less concurrently as the 690, an eBay 510 manual bore a 1976 publication date. I do know these were called "flip top" machines due to the handy flip top that covers the bobbin winder and several auxiliary controls. I get the impression that this is a fairly rare machine - maybe 1976 was the ONLY year these were made.
These are OBVIOUSLY the same machine. As seen on the American Beauty page, there is a long history of Whites being re-badged Toyotas. As the above machines bear more than a slight "familial resemblance" to my White 690, one wonders if the 690 was also built by Toyota. The resemblance would tend to bear that out; out the other hand, it could be mere coincidence. The fact that the 690 uses an oddball bobbin would speak against this idea. There certainly aren't any castings or other indication on the 690 that would suggest it was made by Toyota - or anyone else for that matter. Who knows? 
Two views of the White 510, identical to my 690 except its a free
arm machine. If you have a White 510, you can buy the manual
Two views of the White 710, also a "flip-top" machine; apparently an updated 510.
The White 305. Apparently not a "flip-top" but appears to use the same bobbins.
Pure Speculation:
Consider the following two machines:
The White 1099
The Toyota 6602
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