King Seiko 1st Stainless Steel "special dial" type 14 December 1962

Maker: Seiko

Model: King Seiko First

Case Referece: J14102E

Dial Code: KSJ145-438-E

Dial: Silver, SD (special dial) logo

Year: December 1962

Case Material: stainless steel

Case Dimensions: 35mm (excluding crown), thickness 11.4mm

Case serial: D217472

Caliber: Cronos based King Seiko caliber, 25 jewels

Service history: June 2021, currently running at -14.2 seconds/day

Lug Width: 18mm

Bracelet/Strap: Delugs saffiano taupe strap (pictured)

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 J14102E and the 15 ligne 15034. This King Seiko First we have on offer is the 14 ligne J14102E in stainless steel with the "special dial" logo, which signifies that the index were made in 14k white gold.

Overall this King Seiko First in stainless steel SD logo is in great condition. The case retains its thick lugs and although there are some scratches, one can clearly appreciate the original bevelling. The original silver dial has aged and has developed patina. It is clean for its age with no significant blemishes. The crystal has minor scratches. The dial is the coveted and rare SD (special dial) dial variant as can be seen by the 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 original and is in crisp shape with the engraving still clearly visible.

The movement was last serviced in June 2021 and is running well at -14.2 seconds / day.

Ships from Japan