Today we are having a look at King Seiko. Not just one of them, but all of them. The difficulty with Seiko watches nowadays is not so much if you should get one. But rather, which one you should get. So what about these new King Seiko watches? What are these all about? For all the details and more, click below to view the full video review:
King Seiko is new to the modern Seiko collection, but it is a brand that is not new to Seiko of course. King Seiko was launched in the early sixties, it was essentially a direct competitor to Grand Seiko. Some friendly competition to keep everyone on their toes and ensure Seiko’s watchmakers kept pushing the envelope. King Seiko was made in one Seiko factory, and Grand Seiko in another, and eventually Grand Seiko came out on top. That is until Seiko launched the Quartz watch because that essentially meant both King and Grand Seiko got put on hold. The quartz crisis, or well, quartz revolution if you ask Seiko, of course, decimated the traditional watch industry and this is also where Seiko then shifted its full focus. Quartz was the future. Fast forward a few decades and Seiko brought back Grand Seiko, but King Seiko never did make a return. Until very recently…
King Seiko is not just a watch, it is truly a new family of watches that will continue to exist under the Seiko umbrella. We know Presage & Prospex for example, and now you can add King Seiko to that list as well. King Seiko distinguishes itself from the other family of watches due to the level of finishing and a more or less traditional design.
What all the King Seiko dials share are the nicely finished hands and indices. While not exactly as elaborate as what we find at Grand Seiko, it is truly well done, and color me impressed. I had to remind myself that this is a Seiko dial, not a Grand Seiko dial.
Zooming out a bit, you can also see that the interesting visuals are not limited to the dial only. The case has very nice lines, strong angles, and a combination of brushed and polished surfaces. The crownCrown The knob on the outside of the watch that you typically use to either wind the mainspring or set the time [Learn More] here also bears the updated King Seiko logo which is a nice touch.
The screw case back is closed, helping the watch with its 100m water resistance. Beating inside is Seiko’s in-house caliberCaliber The caliber ('movement') is the heart and engine of a watch. It consists of a number of interconnected components that work together. Energy is transmitted through the gear train, to the escapement mechanism. The escapement mechanism releases this energy in a controlled manner. This drives the gear train, which ultimately rotates the hands of the watch and keeps time. [More Info] 6r31 which offers a very impressive 70-hour power reserveRéserve de marche Also known as Power Reserve. A watch's power reserve refers to the amount of time a mechanical watch can run without being wound. The power reserve of a mechanical watch can vary depending on the size of the mainspring, the efficiency of the gear train, and the rate at which the mainspring releases energy. If a watch has a Power Reserve 'complication' it simply means that the status of the power reserve can be seen on the watch itself (either on the dial or movement side of the watch). [Learn More] and has an accuracy of +25 and -15 seconds a day. Caliber 6r31 is essentially the same as caliber 6r35 without the date function, which is excellent news to me on this type of watch. No date just looks better here and it also helps keep the thickness down of the caliber which is another plus.
You can get this watch on a variety of straps, however, do yourself a favor and get it on the bracelet. It is gorgeous! It feels great on the wrist and the construction of the bracelet and the clasp feels excellent, time will tell how it holds up of course. Make sure to view the video review where you get a much better look at the bracelet and how the watch sits on the wrist.
In conclusion, this is a stellar release by Seiko. Much like the Prospex SPB143 and its siblings from a while back, this watch was an instant yes for me as soon as it hit my wrist. Well made, lovely dial details and finishing, a nice all-rounder, and a very versatile watch. And that bracelet, just lovely. King Seiko is back indeed.
More info right here.
SPB279 SPB281 SPB283 SPB285 SPB287