Up Close with the new King Seiko Watches
Thursday - 29 December 2022
The five King Seiko watches of 2022 come in rich dial colours of silver, grey, anthracite, brown and burgundy. All with a simplified and pared-back dial design that foregoes the date, protected by a vintage-inspired boxed sapphire crystal glass front to evoke King Seiko watches of the past
Is it possible for a watch company to compete with itself? In short – yes. The King Seiko was a watch that enjoyed a successful 14 years between the years 1961 and 1975 having been released due to the rivalry between King Seiko and Grand Seiko. Whilst some believe that the true competition arose between Swiss watchmaking and Japanese watchmaking, others see it more of a clever business tactic – a brand stretching itself across two subsidiaries in two different factories – both of which were producing excellent quality wristwatches. The Grand Seiko watch arrived in 1960, followed by the King Seiko watch in 1963. Both were made for very different purposes and offered their own qualities. Then, tapping into Seiko’s back catalogue, the King Seiko KSK SJE083 was released in 2020, paving the way for an all-new model represented in five different dial options – the new 2022 King Seiko watches, which we’re going to meet today.
Whilst these new King Seiko watches may look similar to the SJE083, there are some subtle differences to take note of. The case has dropped a little from a 38mm diameter to 37mm whilst the height has increased by 0.5mm, now measuring a depth of 12.1mm. The growth in thickness is down to a different movement which takes the power reserve to an improved 70 hours along with a subtraction of a date window.
All five of the new King Seiko watches for 2022 feature an identical spec list but offer a different dial colour. The SPB279J1 is a stunning silver sunray brushed dial iteration that looks similar to the slightly darker reference SPB281J1 with a light grey straight brushed dial effect. The reference SPB283J1 boasts a sophisticated and slightly more contemporary-looking charcoal grey dial. Then there’s the King Seiko ref SPB285J1 with a sumptuous brown dial and the SPB287J1 showcasing a rich burgundy red dial. Close in design to the 1965 King Seiko 44-9990 model is the silver dial version, evoking a very classic look, yet all the models feature angular cases with a sharp aesthetic that looks clean and crisp on the wrist. A King Seiko emblem on the crown and the caseback, paired with a 37mm diameter harks back to the original King Seiko model, along with a 1960s-inspired, nostalgic boxed sapphire crystal glass front and a set of faceted lugs.
The silver, grey, anthracite, brown and burgundy dials are all slightly different in design, yet they all forego a date window and all feature a double hour marker at 12 o’clock. Stylishly, the hour and minute hands have acquired Seiko’s unique Zaratsu polished effect along with an ultra-thin seconds hand. Each dial is spacious and pared back to reveal the bold King Seiko lettering at 6 o’clock on the dial, followed by the “Automatic” lettering underneath it. To the very top of the dial is the Seiko lettering, framed by a detailed minute track around the periphery of the display.
Under the dial of the new King Seiko 2022 watch is the Calibre 6R31 with automatic and manual winding. It performs at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour and delivers a 70-hour power reserve with an accuracy promise of +25 to -15 seconds per day. The movement is protected inside a rugged stainless steel case integrated with a water resistance rating of 100 meters and features a screw-down caseback as well as a screw-down crown. The boxed sapphire crystal glass front has plenty of anti-reflective treatment applied to its surface, enabling you to reference the time at any point in the day without the undesirable glare from the sun or artificial lighting.
The new King Seiko watches in silver, grey, anthracite, brown and burgundy all come fitted on a stainless steel bracelet that secures to the wrist with a Seiko stamped deployment clasp with a push-button security clasp for easy release and closure.
If you want to check out the five new King Seiko watches, you can view the new range here online at Jura Watches or call us today on 01335 453453 and speak to a member of our friendly sales team.
