From King Seiko, a new KSK is born. A striking design that has captivated fans through the years.

King Seiko, re-launched in 2021 as a limited-edition re-creation of an original design to the delight of numerous watch enthusiasts, was brought back again the following year, 2022, as a regular-edition model. It marked the full-scale restart on the way to carving out a new chapter for the brand. While each model in the current lineup was inspired by the famous original released in 1965, they are by no means a simple redo of an archival piece. The newly born King Seiko is a truly pleasurable timepiece with a strikingly sharp and angular profile, sure to strike a chord also with highly design-conscious contemporary fans.

The famed “KSK” reappears to mark 60 years since the birth of King Seiko

　The comeback was dramatically sudden. The year 2021 marked the 140th anniversary of Seiko’s founding. To celebrate this landmark, a legendary model from the 1960s was re-created as a limited-edition release. That was the King Seiko “KSK” Re-creation Design. It was a double-anniversary year, being also the 60th year since the birth of King Seiko. Watch lovers excitedly greeted the long-awaited release of a model bearing the King Seiko name.

　In fact, 2021 was not the first time a re-created King Seiko model was brought out. In 2000, as part of its “Seiko Historical Collection,” Seiko made a limited-edition release of the 1968 “56KS” model.

　That release was naturally a hit on the market at the time, but out of consideration for the positioning of its other brands, Seiko stopped short of bringing back the King Seiko brand.

　More than 20 years after that, the 2021 “KSK” recreation design came out. As is clear from the model name, Seiko chose the “KSK,” the second-generation King Seiko released in 1965.

　In an anniversary year, why was the second generation chosen rather than the first? The reason is that the distinctive feature of King Seiko is its shape, skillfully incorporating straight lines; and of all the historical models, the KSK is the most emblematic of this design work.

　Given the favorable reception of the 3,000-piece limited-edition re-creation model, the time was ripe at last. Preparations for a restart went forward at a rapid pace; then, in 2022, King Seiko once again was added to the brand lineup.

　After launching the first models with a choice of five dial colors, in 2023 a new caliber model was released, boasting a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. This was followed up with two new models, the SJE089 and SJE091, equipped with a slim automatic winding movement, Cal.6L35, with a more compelling figure based on the KSK sharp profile.

One of the foundational brands undergirding the success of Seiko mechanical wristwatches

　Why did the King Seiko revival excite watch enthusiasts to such an extent? That’s because, along with Grand Seiko, it is known as one of the brands that propelled Seiko mechanical wristwatches to success starting in 1960.

　Going back a bit further in time, Seiko through the postwar turmoil and into the 1950s at last built up a true full-process production capability. Considered the citadel of this capability was Daini Seikosha (current Seiko Instruments; the watch business was transferred to Seiko Watch Corporation in April 2020), founded in Kameido, Tokyo, in 1937.

　At the time, the Kameido factory was responsible mainly for manufacturing products aimed at women; but in 1958 it developed the Cronos, a men’s wristwatch praised as one of the masterpieces of the era. What’s more, by releasing two updated versions in only a year, the Cronos played a major role in advancing Seiko watch manufacturing technology.

　The culmination was King Seiko, released by Daini Seikosha in 1961. It should have been no surprise that the Kameido factory, with its experience turning out so many ladies’ watches, had mastered the art of making exquisite exterior shapes. Drawing on those superior skills, and with the clearly articulated concept of providing high-quality wristwatches to more people, King Seiko made its eye-opening debut.

　The road to mass-producing a high-quality product was of course not an easy one. Without a doubt, however, it was the very desire to provide a high-quality wristwatch to more people that stimulated the creative minds of the production team.

　Their ingenuity in the face of manufacturing cost constraints resulted in the King Seiko first-generation model, with its trendy and minimal appearance employing linear elements throughout. This appearance was further accentuated in the second-generation KSK.

　The King Seiko of that time was touted as having “a design with class.” As this phrase indicates, King Seiko, while maintaining high precision, established a position as a wristwatch focusing on styling design, firmly engraving its name in people’s hearts.

Design work seeking to challenge modern sensory expectations

　Although the intention was to make the 2021 KSK a base for bringing back the King Seiko brand, that turned out to be no easy matter. A major problem was that, while wanting to make the limited-edition model a faithful re-creation of the original, none of those involved in making the original were still around. The development team therefore set about painstakingly analyzing the original model, endeavoring to re-create it down to the last detail.

　While the twelve o’clock index is machine tooled using computer numerical control, the grooves on the top surface are delicately cut one by one to reproduce the original diamond knurl pattern. The dial color was newly developed for the limited-edition model. Each of these details required considerable effort to replicate; but what the development team found most difficult were the lugs, even while recognizing these as the most characteristic feature of the KSK.

　The KSK lugs have four planes, from the top to the tip, all intersecting the same vertex. If one plane is polished too much, it will fall out of alignment with the vertex, so that polishing must be done with extreme care. What’s more, naturally the four lugs must be finished uniformly, making this detail one that requires a high level of skill.

　Even while focusing on characteristic details in replicating the limited-edition recreation design model, further modern updates were made to the SJE089 and SJE091. A particularly stand-out feature is the bracelet. The 2021 limited-edition model came with a leather strap, which was changed to a multi-row bracelet for the regular-edition model released in 2022.

　Though based on the design of the bracelet used in 1970s King Seiko, a bulkier appearance is achieved by carving solid stainless steel, and the bracelet links feature flat planes to go with the multifaceted lugs, aimed at harmonizing the wristwatch design as a whole.

　The dial has also undergone just a slight amount of tuning. By adjusting the length and hardness of the finishing brush, the silver dial of the SJE089 model is finished with a sunray pattern for a more exquisite and soft impression and a high-quality texture.

　For the SJE091, a new black color was developed to realize a feeling of depth, in harmony with the sharp profile of the case design. Under the sunlight, it shows slight bluish hues, with the expressions of both models suggesting an innovative, urban ambience.

　The case has the same powerful profile as the original KSK with its three-dimensional look, but the thickness is 0.2 mm less than the original, which had a hand-wound movement. This is the result of incorporating the automatic winding Caliber 6L35, the thinnest automatic mechanical movements of current Seiko movements.

　Whereas the 2021 model made the box-shaped watch glass thick to give off the atmosphere of the vintage era, the SJE089 and SJE091 have thin watch glasses, also contributing to their thinner proportions when compared to the original.

　Thanks to the creative ingenuity of the production team of the time, King Seiko had a minimal design that gave off a unique presence; but by carrying over such linear elements as the three-dimensional indexes and the lugs with their multifaceted structure while combining them with the new multi-row bracelet emphasizing the flat planes, the resulting appearance is truly sharp, somewhat reminiscent of modernist architecture.

　Just as numerous architectural works designed in the 20th century and on have continued to be loved in subsequent eras, we should expect without a doubt that the sharply angular and truly rational profile of the newly born King Seiko will strike a chord with design-conscious fans today.