In The Shop - Shop Spotlight: A Royal Return: King Seiko Arrives In The HODINKEE Shop

The story of King Seiko is truly fantastic. It's one of the most compelling history lessons the watch industry has to offer. I genuinely believe that the tale surrounding the intra-corporate competition between Grand Seiko and King Seiko in the 1960s and '70s has fascinated all who have heard it. You can't not love it. In the most rapid-fire of recaps (you could write a book on this very topic), what you should know is this: For a little over a decade, Seiko operated two separate watch manufacturers, each completely independent of one another. Watches labeled Grand Seiko were produced at the Suwa factory, while timepieces designated King Seiko came from the Daini factory. The rationale here? Two disconnected facilities would promote internal competition, resulting in the absolute best final product possible. Obviously, Grand Seiko is a brand we intimately know and love today, so it might – at first glance – seem like GS walked away the winner. But in the short-term, both Grand Seiko and King Seiko lost. The dueling factories were shut down in the early 1970s to prioritize manufacturing space for Seiko's newest innovation: quartz timekeeping. Grand Seiko was, as you likely know, revived in 1998, while the King Seiko identity has remained almost entirely quiet for close to 50 years. Until now, that is. In late 2020, on the eve of ringing in the company's 140th anniversary year in 2021, Seiko made a quiet announcement: King Seiko was to officially return from its decades-long slumber in a new, limited-edition run of 3,000 watches. Seiko selected one of the most memorable vintage King Seiko designs for this release – the legendary second-generation "KSK" from 1965. Now available in the HODINKEE Shop, the King Seiko "KSK" SJE083 Limited Edition is exactly the watch that longtime Seiko enthusiasts have been waiting for, and here's why. King Seiko's Lasting Influence The '60s were a crazy time at Seiko headquarters, a period of tireless ambition for the Japanese watchmaker. The decade started out with the Grand/King Seiko division and ended with the introduction of one of the first automatic chronograph movements – the Seiko 6139 – along with the reveal of the quartz-powered Seiko Astron on Christmas Day. That's all well and good, but I want to highlight one key hire the Daini factory made early on in the 1960s, whose work would eventually play a pivotal part in how we view high-end Seiko timepieces today. His name? Taro Tanaka. Thanks to the creative design work of Tanaka, the King Seiko name and branding may have disappeared around five decades ago, but its broader influence on Seiko never went with it. Tanaka developed a new visual language for King Seiko timepieces that was called "The Grammar Of Design." You may have heard it mentioned in passing when discussing contemporary Grand Seiko watches, but it all started at Daini with King Seiko. The second series of King Seiko watches were released in 1965, and it's here that Tanaka's aesthetic principles start to visually take effect. Those include an emphasis on flat facets for the case – particularly the lugs – the dial furniture, and handset, in order to most effectively reflect light. The bezels were to be straightforward affairs, offering a simple frame for the dial and nothing more. And of course – no distortions allowed anywhere on the case or dial; that means practically every visible aspect of the watch had to be mirror finished, which eventually led Seiko to adopt the Zaratsu polishing technique. If that all sounds familiar to you, it's for good reason. Those are the same aesthetic hallmarks that today govern most of Grand Seiko's contemporary watch releases. But, historically, it goes back to the mid-1960s reign of King Seiko. And now, Seiko pays tribute to Tanaka and the history of King Seiko with the new SJE083 Limited Edition. Long Live The King Seiko didn't change up its formula with the new SJE083. They stayed with what works, building on the excellent King Seiko foundation laid by Tanaka and the watchmakers at the Daini factory in 1965. Even the proportions are largely identical to the vintage models, with a slightly larger – but still relatively compact – profile measuring 38.1mm × 11.4mm. The geometry of the case, however, appears as if it's been transported directly out of 1960s Daini. The amount of angles and facets are almost impossible to keep track of, but they all share the same extensive polished finish courtesy of the distortion-free Zaratsu technique that's frequently used on Grand Seiko timepieces today. After polishing is complete, Seiko applies its proprietary "Super-Hard" coating to strengthen the outside of the King Seiko's steel to protect it from surface scratches. It might pass as vintage at a glance, but Seiko thankfully approached the fit and finish of its King Seiko revival just as it would any other high-end dress watch in the current catalog. Other vintage-appropriate details include the textured Seiko-signed buckle and the Seiko-signed crown that's stamped with a "W" to indicate its water resistance capability (see below). Both elements are executed with a keen eye toward the accurate vintage style and design cues. For a relatively simple three-handed dress watch with date, the dial of the SJE083 is packed with personality. The dauphine hands and hour markers are each individually diamond-cut and highly faceted to reflect any semblance of light, just like you'd find on a Grand Seiko today. The 12 o'clock double hour marker, however, has been decorated with a unique crosshatch texture that carries over from the original 1965 King Seiko examples. Of course, as you'd expect, the font of the vintage King Seiko logo, placed above six o'clock, has been replicated with precision. Really, the only major differences to note are a result of Seiko's choice of movement inside. It's the self-winding caliber 6L35, a departure from the original's manual stature, and includes a three o'clock date complication, also unlike the vintage models. More importantly, however, is that the caliber 6L35's slim architecture allowed Seiko to only increase the case thickness by 0.5mm compared to the King Seiko's 1960s predecessors. That's a big factor in judging long-term wearability of any watch. Oh, and we can't forget to highlight one of the most thrilling details of the new King Seiko Limited Edition, located right on the caseback. A golden medallion has been fitted to the center of the caseback, engraved with the vintage-appropriate King Seiko logo and emblem. Just like you'd find on an original example, now updated with an engraving of each example's specific, individual limited-edition number. Discover The New King Seiko In The HODINKEE Shop Seiko is only making 3,000 of the new King Seiko Limited Edition, and there's no indication there will be follow-up watches in a new "King Seiko" series to continue moving its legacy forward. So if you're a Seiko fan like me and have spent hours scrolling through various online auction platforms on the hunt for that perfect, mint-condition vintage King Seiko, it's time to embrace all that 2021 has to offer. And this year – Seiko's 140th anniversary – has the watch you've always wanted, available now in the HODINKEE Shop , for $3,300.A vintage revival from Japan that hits all the right notes.