Vintage King Seiko 5626-7120 Hi-Beat Automatic Wristwatch 1972 Serviced UK Warranty

SPECIFICATION

Reference: 5626-7120
Movement: calibre 5626 automatic
Age: September 1972
Case Size: 37mm
Case Thickness: 10mm
Lug to Lug: 41mm
Lugs: 18mm
Condition: Used Seiko watch
Box and Papers: No
Case Material: Stainless steel
Warranty: 12-month mechanical UK warranty

POINTS TO MENTION

• In great pre-owned condition, with light wear from use
• Case and bezel have some light scratches and marks
• Vertically brushed dial
• English and Kanji day wheel
• Fully serviced hi-beat movement with upgraded metal quickset
• KS signed crown
• Paired with an unworn blue leather strap with deployant buckle
  

THE WATCH

By 1972, Japanese watchmaking had found a visual identity of its own. Look at the King Seiko 5626-7120 and you see how comfortably Seiko could combine an everyday automatic watch with a much more purposeful design. It was no longer trying to prove that a Japanese watch could imitate a Swiss one.

The 56KS family belonged to Suwa Seikosha's ambitious mechanical range. Even while quartz was changing what people expected from accuracy, Seiko continued to give its automatic King Seikos real character. The silver face of this example keeps things restrained, allowing the watch to feel quietly individual rather than merely formal.

A BIT OF TRIVIA

In 1967, Seiko designer Taro Tanaka's ideas found their fullest early expression in the Grand Seiko 44GS. Instead of soft, rounded surfaces, his 'Grammar of Design' called for crisp edges, broad flat planes and polished surfaces that would catch light cleanly. It established a distinctly Japanese idea of how a fine watch should look. This King Seiko belongs to the same era when Japanese watchmakers were developing a confident design language of their own.

OUR THOUGHTS

We can see the attraction of wearing a King Seiko that doesn't try too hard to look important. A quick glance gives you a useful, legible watch; a longer look reveals why collectors enjoy this period of Seiko design so much. That is the sort of pleasure that lasts beyond the excitement of buying something new. We'd enjoy it as an everyday companion with a rather good story tucked away for anyone who asks.