Re-creation of King Seiko KSK

The second series of King Seiko, known as the King Seiko KSK, was introduced in 1965, four years after the release of the first series that, alongside Grand Seiko, demonstrated the company’s ability to create mechanical watches with high accuracy. The King Seiko series was born during a time of significant advances in both technical and design development of Seiko’s watchmaking that laid the foundation for the company’s future success in the prestige watch arena. In addition to its precision, it offered a powerful yet graceful design that symbolized the high quality of its construction.

The King Seiko KSK from 1965 was a new departure in design. In contrast to the gently rounded contours of the first King Seiko creation, the KSK case was strikingly sharp and angular and had a contemporary feel. Its flat surfaces and multi-faceted corners caught the light from any angle and gave the watch a new and striking brilliance. With its water resistance and hacking seconds hand, it offered a high level of practicality which, together with its distinctive design, soon made the KSK a much-demanded watch for Japan’s fast-growing number of watch fans.

The re-creation of King Seiko KSK celebrates the 140th anniversary of Seiko’s foundation and brings back to life the original watch in every detail. The combination of the flat dial with the faceted indexes and broad, sharp hands re-creates the refined elegance of the original. The sharp, bold faceted lugs feature large flat planes and razor-sharp angles and are Zaratsu polished to a distortion-free mirror finish.

Just as on the first KSK, the index at twelve o’clock has a bright sparkle thanks to its intricately faceted way. The case back carries the King Seiko name and the same shield design as the original. The buckle, too, is an accurate reproduction. The Seiko name and a “W” mark that signifies the KSK’s water resistance appears on the crown.

Of course, the re-creation is also completely up-to-date in technology, function and form. Even with an automatic movement and the addition of a date window, the new watch retains its slim profile and is just 0.5mm thicker than the original, thanks to Seiko’s slimline Caliber 6L35. The case is slightly wider than the original at 38.1mm. The crystal is a boxed-shaped sapphire with an anti-reflective coating in the inner surface that delivers high legibility from any angle. The case’s durability is also enhanced by the super-hard coating, which protects the watch from scratches.