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Advice on buying a vintage King Seiko?
I'm thinking of getting a vintage King Seiko but I've never bought a vintage piece before.
What advice would you give to a vintage novice & do you have any recommended models. Preference is one from 1973, it's it not a deal breaker?
PS I know the picture is a reissue 😉
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Jimbob
@Galactica
Love all kinds of watches, but not all watches. Self confessed Seikofile, but not exclusively. Compulsive collector, definitely!
Northern England
Member since
Last active: 3 hrs ago
I'm terrified with vintage pieces. Especially for those watches that are popular like Seiko Pogue, Seiko Willard. Which can easily go for couple thousand and you might get a franken watch. I think Quartz are a bit safer to collect. If you do go that route I recommend Japanese retailers like https://www.jackroad.co.jp/shop/r/rjwse7/
Scroll through @Porthole's post & comment history
Scroll through @Porthole's post & comment history
Not for Seiko - never touch them
First and foremost you should buy the seller. Basically stick with those who have a well established record of positive interactions with their customers. If you choose to do your vintage shopping via eBay that's totally fine. It's where I got most of my vintage watches. I would however strongly suggest that you avoid buying any watches from sellers based out of India or the Philippines. Watches that are sold from there have a bad reputation for being Frankenwatches cobbled together from spare parts or outright fakes.
Try to only buy watches that have been recently overhauled or at least serviced. It will save you the hassle of having to get this done yourself after you receive the watch. If the listing for the watch you're interested in buying doesn't show that it's been serviced recently and the seller can't or won't provide that information, you should assume that it hasn't received the attention of a watchmaker in many years.
As for King Seikos that I would recommend, I would say that either the 52KS or 56KS series would be the best ones to look at if you want something from 1973. They have great automatic calibers that are quite capable even by modern standards and the 56KS series in particular has a wide variety of different styles to choose from.
Just be extra careful with how you use the quickset day/date mechanism if you get a KS with a 56xx movement. They're notoriously fragile and prone to breaking if you try using it in the danger zone between 9PM and 3AM. I only use the quickset on mine after moving the hands to around 6:20pm, just to be safe.
Take your time, If you want a 1973. Then wait until you find just the right one. You can also look for your birth month as well. First digit in the serial number is the year. 2nd digit is the month. But take your time!
There's also the Vanac King Seiko's which I think are much cooler than the standard white or silver dial KS ones you'll find. The other thing to consider is. Do you want a domestic release or a JDM release? I prefer the Japanese direct market issues. I like having the kanji date wheel and the vintage JDM's are just on another level.
I have a couple dealers I can refer you to. DM me
Take your time, If you want a 1973. Then wait until you find just the right one. You can also look for your birth month as well. First digit in the serial number is the year. 2nd digit is the month. But take your time!
There's also the Vanac King Seiko's which I think are much cooler than the standard white or silver dial KS ones you'll find. The other thing to consider is. Do you want a domestic release or a JDM release? I prefer the Japanese direct market issues. I like having the kanji date wheel and the vintage JDM's are just on another level.
I have a couple dealers I can refer you to. DM me
OMG now you did it, i can't unsee them Vanacs 😮
https://www.kingseiko.info/KS_VANAC.html
OMG now you did it, i can't unsee them Vanacs 😮
https://www.kingseiko.info/KS_VANAC.html
Welcome to the Matrix, Now try and decide!