Seiko

I thought I would welcome myself to this forum (hah!) by posting a review of my current favorite Seiko, a 1973 King Seiko 56KS Hi-Beat Chronometer (5626-7041).

I imagine you all will learn a little about me from this, and hope it will be at least moderately interesting, too!

This is my King Seiko, made in December 1973 and thus one of the last wave of 56KS watches and day/daters specifically. Yes, I know there were day/date 52KS models produced but I choose to ignore those for the time being since I don't have one! Anyway, back to my watch.

It's got a 5626B (no cool rack and pinion external adjuster) and is running very strong. It was serviced in January in the very short month or so that the previous owner had it. Before that, it was offered on Watchuseek from the far East and has an unknown former history. I welcome your comments on its originality and condition!

I chose this model for its fantastic Tanaka design - lots of sharp angles and slick curves. The image above shows the "embedded saucer" concept in the bezel of the 7040/7041 case, and I think this was done better in this 56KS than in other KS and GS models by Tanaka. I especially like how the bezel "bites into the case" between the lugs, which you might be able to see in the following image.

This particular example has been refinished, but sensitively. It retains the brushing on the top of the lugs and the polished surfaces all around the sides. It has a few dents on the sides that have been polished over but are still visible. Let's just call that "patina".

The dial, markets, and hands are absolutely beautiful - I can't see a flaw on them. The "pencil lead" seconds and minute hand are gorgeous to behold while the chrome-edged hour hand is ho-hum. I love the silver sunburst dial and applied markers and logo, and there's a nice outline for the day/date windows. 

There's a bit of gunk under the crystal around the bezel, but the crystal is sharp and clear and was probably replaced. The crown looks correct to me, as does the case back and movement. Everything is clean but not overly so. According to seller -2, the quickset date was broken (as is common on the 5600 movements) but it works fine now, so I guess the watchmaker who serviced it did his job. Does anyone have a comment on the movement?

When I received the watch, it had a thin and nasty lizard-grain strap. The original KS buckle was long gone... I did some research (including ordering a copy of "Seiko Automatic Watches from Amazon Japan!) and believe that a black textured strap is correct for this model so I sourced a high-quality German Di-Modell alligator strap and brushed stainless deployant. It's an absolutely gorgeous combination here, with the contrasting stitching giving a little pop to the strap. See the photos at the top - the thread almost looks like brushed silver too!

The watch is keeping perfect time so far. It's literally my most accurate watch, which is amazing for a 40 year old piece. And I love the roughly 38 mm size though many these days would like a larger watch. Thank you for listening, and I welcome your comments!

  login to reply