King Seiko 1st Gold Filled "special dial" type 15 April 1963

Maker: Seiko

Model: King Seiko First

Case Referece: 15034 KS

Dial Code: KS15S-514-E

Dial: Silver, SD (special dial) logo

Year: April 1963

Case Material: Gold Plated 80 microns

Case Dimensions: 36mm, thickness 10.8mm

Case serial: 3412011

Caliber: Cronos based King Seiko caliber, 25 jewels 

Service history:  July 2022, currently running at +6.2 seconds/day

Lug Width: 19mm

Bracelet/Strap: choice of Latigo Horween beige calf strap (pictured in the wrist shot) or Jones in Tokyo brown calf strap (pictured on pocket shot)

Box/Papers: None

The first model of the now legendary King Seiko line (lovingly referred to as the King Seiko "First" by collectors) started production in August 1961. Seiko at this time was made up of its parent company/retail arm, the Hattori watch company with two different factories producing wrist watches for Hattori watch company - the Suwa factory based in Nagano, Japan and the Kameido (Daini) factory based in Tokyo, Japan. In 1960 the Suwa factory introduced the Grand Seiko First as their top of the line luxury model. After years of R&D, especially through its Cronos line of watches, the Kameido factory released their own version of a luxury dress watch, the King Seiko. The King Seiko was produced completely in-house by the Kameido factory and was produced with a concept of offering high quality luxury watches to consumers at a more affordable price point than the Grand Seiko.

Roughly speaking, there are two different iterations of the King Seiko First - the 14 ligne J14102 and the 15 ligne 15034. This King Seiko First we have on offer is the 15 ligne 15034 in GF-or "gold filled" case with the "special dial" logo, which signifies that the index were made in 18k yellow gold. The 15034 was produced between October 1962-July 1964 and its distinguishing features are the bevelled side flapped lugs and the 36mm case which was about 1mm larger than its predecessor, the 14102.

Overall this King Seiko First in 15034 gold filled case with SD logo is in great condition. Although there are some scratches on the case and has likely been polished in the past, the original bevels are still prevalent and the lugs remain thick. The original silver dial has aged with minor blemishes/spotting throughout but is in honest/good condition considering its age. The dial is the coveted and rare SD (special dial) dial as can be seen by the octagonal sun logo above the six o’clock index. The handset and crown are all original and are both in great condition. The shield medallion on the caseback is most likely a replacement but is the period correct version.

The movement has just been serviced by our watch maker in July 2022 and is running well at +6.2 seconds / day. The watch comes with either a beige Horween Latigo leather strap or a brown calf strap made by Jones in Tokyo.

Ships from Japan