THE ORIGINS OF KING SEIKO
With the development of precision timepieces including the first automatic chronograph in 1969, the 1960s was a decade of significant design and technical advancements that laid the foundation for Seiko’s future success in the prestige watch arena. King Seiko particularly demonstrated the company’s ability to create mechanical watches with high accuracy. In addition to its precision, the collection offered a powerful yet graceful design that symbolized the high quality of its construction.
KING SEIKO KSK
In 1965, four years after the birth of the first King Seiko, a series known as the King Seiko KSK was created. It was this design that forever defined the character of the collection, with its sharp, angular case and high functionality. Featuring a combination of a beautifully-finished dial with faceted indexes and broad, razor-edged hands, modern re-interpretations of the KSK offer a refined and striking presence. The twelve o’clock index is more than twice the width of the others and has a patterned texture specially crafted to ensure high legibility and to give the dial a bright sparkle that invites the eye. The bold, uniquely shaped lugs have sharp angles and wide flat surfaces that showcase both mirror and hairline finishing, creating a sense of precision. An artful melding of proportions, design, and functionality results in watches capable of moving gracefully from relaxed to formal situations and everywhere in between.
KS1969
Inspired by the King Seiko designs from the late 1960s, the KS1969 series features a specially developed slim case with curved edges to resemble the vintage models, achieving an astounding thickness of only 9.9mm. Reflecting the city of Tokyo, where tradition and modernity coexist, the dials evoke the juxtaposition of the bustling metropolis with a classic Japanese sensibility and feature a prominent 12 o’clock marker decoratively carved with an arrow feather pattern, a date calendar, and hour and minute hands cut on three sides to provide enhanced beauty and visibility. Crafted of stainless steel, the case flows seamlessly to the multi-row bracelet equipped with impressively narrow links to realize a truly streamlined fit on the wrist.
A CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC
Reviving the classic style of the original collection, Seiko honors its rich history of timekeeping while endowing each new King Seiko timepiece with modern enhancements of contemporary watchmaking. Equipped with the 26-jewel, 6L35 movement, allowing for high precision and a bi-directional winding system with a rapid date change mechanism while maintaining a slim design, new creations offer exceptional accuracy and efficiency over time. Additional designs present stylistic interpretations of the original models, reflecting the time and place of the beginning of King Seiko, while providing a power reserve of 3 full days thanks to Seiko’s updated 6R mechanical movements. With finishing characteristic of the original collection, the crown and caseback of each model bears the new King Seiko emblem honoring the past while looking forward to a future of continued expertise in mechanical watchmaking.
KING SEIKO COLLECTION
PRESS LOUNGE
King Seiko
After the success of the King Seiko collection's second design series, known as the KSK, a wide range of case shapes and designs entered the collection from the late 1960s through the 1970s as Seiko saw many advances in technology and design creativity. Today, a new series inspired by a vintage design born in 1969 joins the King Seiko collection..... ( READ MORE )
King Seiko
The 1960’s was a decade of unprecedented advances for Seiko, both in terms of technical development and design creativity. Alongside Grand Seiko, one other series demonstrated the company's ability to create beautifully designed and finished mechanical watches with high accuracy..... ( READ MORE )
King Seiko
Never before in the company’s history has there been a period of such creativity and achievement. From the first Grand Seiko in 1960 to the automatic chronograph in 1969, the sixties was a decade of important advances in both technical and design development that laid the foundation for the company’s future.... ( READ MORE )