With the development of precision timepieces including the first automatic chronograph in 1969, the sixties was a decade of significant design and technical advancements that laid the foundation for Seiko’s future success in the prestige watch arena. Alongside Grand Seiko, one other series, in particular, demonstrated the company’s ability to create mechanical watches with high accuracy. It was called King Seiko, and, in addition to its precision, it offered a powerful yet graceful design that symbolized the high quality of its construction.
In 1965, four years after the birth of the first King Seiko, a second 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. New modern creations are even slimmer than the original, an advance made possible by the thinner 6L35 movement and enhancements in the case construction as well as a new box-shaped crystal with a reduced height. Though the 6L caliber allows for a sleek profile, it offers a bi-directional winding system with enhanced accuracy and efficiency over time. An artful melding of proportions, design, and functionality results in watches capable of moving gracefully from relaxed.
Featuring a combination of a flat, sunray-finished dial with faceted indexes and broad, razor-edged hands, additional 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.
The crown and caseback of each model bears the new King Seiko emblem whose design was inspired by that of the 1965 KSK. The bracelet also pays homage to the design of the original series, its many beveled surfaces reflecting the light in a dynamic and ever-changing way. 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.