King Seiko 1st Stainless Steel "special dial" type 14 January 1963
King Seiko 1st Stainless Steel "special dial" type 14 January 1963
Maker: Seiko
Model: King Seiko First
Case Referece: J14102E
Dial: Silver, SD (special dial) logo
Year: January 1963
Case Material: stainless steel
Case Dimensions: 35mm (excluding crown), thickness 11.4mm
Caliber: Cronos based King Seiko caliber, 25 jewels
Service history: December 2022, currently running at -13.8 seconds/day
Lug Width: 18mm
Bracelet/Strap: Jones in Tokyo Taupe calf epsom 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 the 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 minor scratches, the original lines of the case are in tact. The dial is original and as can be expected from a watch of this age, has developed an attractive patina. The dial is clean for its age with no significant blemishes or discoloration. 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. This logo means that the index on the dial is made of white gold and were hand planted by the craftsmen - a technique called the "shokuji" technique. The crystal has minor scratches. The handset and crown are all original and are both in good condition. The shield medallion on the caseback is original and is in crisp shape with the engraving still visible. The movement was last serviced in December 2022 and is running well at -13.8 seconds / day. The watch comes with a taupe calf epsom strap from Jones in Tokyo along with a generic steel buckle.
Ships from Japan