Grand Seiko? Seiko? What is this???
Hey guys, so this arrived in the mail today, and I’m genuinely confused. Is this a Seiko? I mean, I know it says Seiko on the dial. But, it kind of feels like a Grand Seiko. But, it doesn’t have any GS branding. I’ve not seen a Seiko or Grand Seiko that looks like this before. It even has a bit of funky 60’s vibe to it.
[Unfortunately, I couldn't catch the pups pooping in this shot.]
Anyway, any help at all in identifying this watch would be very welcome! 😜
39 comments
Sort by
Brian
The Artist formerly known as @HotWatchChick69 and formerly-formerly @Omeganut
San Diego, CA
Member since
Last active: 21 min ago
More from Mr.Dee.Bater
What are reference numbers around the 6oclock index? Can you include a shot of the case back?
Hey @Omeganut, Yeah, this is a kind of middle-ground between Seiko and GS that they released a few months ago like a fancy Presage crossed with non-Zaratsu-finished-entry-level-GS.
More ref. here:
https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/products/kingseiko
They also have a strap simulator, very cool:
https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/products/kingseiko/special/simulator/
Edit: They recreated the "original" KS case from the original KS line and, as far as I remember, the same with the bracelet.
Edit2: And there is an entire story about how Seiko created GS and KS and made them compete with each other to see which one was the best, like a very bad father. History told us who won, but then they revived the KS brand anyways. And I love that!
king seiko spb281j1 is this it?
Seiko reaching into their back catalog is a win for everyone. That is a fine looking watch.
In the 60’s and 70’s, King Seiko and Grand Seiko were separate divisions within Seiko that competed with each other. Each had their own designs and factories.
Some of the vintage King Seikos look fantastic.
Congrats!!
Love the new King Seiko’s!
Been looking at the spb287 myself.
I love the look of these and am considering one myself. When I asked about them on here though the general consensus was that the movement lets them down. I still think they look great though and am very tempted.
When I did look to buy one, I could only see them on seikoboutique.co.uk and they ask you to enter your details for a personal consultation which seems a bit much. If I could just buy it online, without talking to someone, I probably would.
Man, what a nice looking watch ⌚🙌!
ME WANT 😂!
Congrats dude! Looks good on the wrist. Regardless of how you want to address it, how do you like it? Give us your impressions plz 👍
What are reference numbers around the 6oclock index? Can you include a shot of the case back?
Hello, sir. I was being a complete a$$-monkey and pretending like I had no idea what it was. Sorry. Just joking around. You know, because we all know Seiko. And we all know Grand Seiko.
Incredibly juvenile of me. Sort of the watch equivalent of this:
Hey @Omeganut, Yeah, this is a kind of middle-ground between Seiko and GS that they released a few months ago like a fancy Presage crossed with non-Zaratsu-finished-entry-level-GS.
More ref. here:
https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/products/kingseiko
They also have a strap simulator, very cool:
https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/products/kingseiko/special/simulator/
Edit: They recreated the "original" KS case from the original KS line and, as far as I remember, the same with the bracelet.
Edit2: And there is an entire story about how Seiko created GS and KS and made them compete with each other to see which one was the best, like a very bad father. History told us who won, but then they revived the KS brand anyways. And I love that!
Yes, sir! I knew we could rely on WatchCrunch utter geekdom to prevail!
king seiko spb281j1 is this it?
King Seiko SPB279!
I wish I'd gotten in on that action originally.
Congrats!!
Love the new King Seiko’s!
Been looking at the spb287 myself.
I almost pulled the trigger on that one! The only issue is that I dress like a total slob, and wasn't confident enough that I could pull off something that looks that nice!
I used to have the original 44ks the movement is kind of awesome in those old seikos. I love the indices and the hands but mine had marks on the dial that annoyed me so i sold it for a longines conquest. i think seiko has nicer hands than the longines conquest heritage :) enjoy yours!
Wow! You used to have an original 44ks? That's awesome! What do you mean the dial had marks? Like somebody had replaced the crystal and somehow scratched the dial?
Stop it
Wow! You used to have an original 44ks? That's awesome! What do you mean the dial had marks? Like somebody had replaced the crystal and somehow scratched the dial?
My King Seiko 44-9990
One I have my eye on, SEIKO KS HI-BEAT 5626-5010
My King Seiko 44-9990
One I have my eye on, SEIKO KS HI-BEAT 5626-5010
You got an awesome fur best buddy, and you have some awesome vintage Seikos!
Wow! You used to have an original 44ks? That's awesome! What do you mean the dial had marks? Like somebody had replaced the crystal and somehow scratched the dial?
I suspect its natural aging from water vapor in asia. Lovely re edition for sure. Wont mind the red dial version.
You got an awesome fur best buddy, and you have some awesome vintage Seikos!
How's the puppies going mate, have you adopted them yet or has the daughter taken them off your hands 😭
I love vintage Seiko and have had some real beauties in my collection over a few decades, some I've regretted selling, but I wanted other pieces like a couple of Sinn's and so they funded those purchases. Love to keep everything but my account manager won't permit it, well at this point anyway, retirement isn't that far off the horizon and things may change then when the reins are loosened 🤣
Even had a nice old Seiko Pocket watch
Here are mine that i bought from a hong kong gentleman a few years ago
How's the puppies going mate, have you adopted them yet or has the daughter taken them off your hands 😭
I love vintage Seiko and have had some real beauties in my collection over a few decades, some I've regretted selling, but I wanted other pieces like a couple of Sinn's and so they funded those purchases. Love to keep everything but my account manager won't permit it, well at this point anyway, retirement isn't that far off the horizon and things may change then when the reins are loosened 🤣
Even had a nice old Seiko Pocket watch
Pups are mine. The kids think the dogs are theirs, but let's be honest - the pups see me as their mother. 😂
Here are mine that i bought from a hong kong gentleman a few years ago
Damn. That is really beautiful.
Though, dude, I will say that I must have an... idiosyncratic take on watches. At this point, I don't believe whatsoever in in-house movements. Like, if a brand offered a Sellita SW200 versus their amazing in-house movement, I would always take the Sellita without question. "Workhorse movement" is the best compliment I can imagine for a watch, while "in-house" is, to my mind, a synonym for "janky, expensive, and totally unreliable."
So, the fact that this watch comes with the 6R31 is a major positive rather than a negative, while the commentariat and critics all feel the exact opposite.
If it's not something totally out of this world unique, like Spring Drive, the only thing I care with regard to the movement is that it is reliable and easy and cheap to service / cheap to replace.
In which case, if one doesn't care about the movement, at that point, you only care about fit, finish, and comfort, yeah?
It's got all that latter stuff in spades.
You nailed it.
This is why I got into vintage Tudor Submariners - workhorse ETA movement in an Oyster case.
You nailed it.
This is why I got into vintage Tudor Submariners - workhorse ETA movement in an Oyster case.
Brilliant! That's a collecting strategy that is well thought out!
More good luck than good planning. 🙄
But I do appreciate the style of the Tudors too. That's the real reason I got into them.
Seiko reintroducing the king seiko watches from years ago. King seiko were in friendly competition with grand seiko this helped push both factories to make better watches. So the new king seiko will be very similar to grand seikos. If I had the choice I'd go with the king seiko over a grand seiko I think. I got a soft spot for king seiko. Stunning watch for sure 👍
More good luck than good planning. 🙄
But I do appreciate the style of the Tudors too. That's the real reason I got into them.
Ha! Takes a confident man to admit when it was plain dumb luck rather than intelligence!
Love the new King Seikos. So handsome. Not sure I'd ever pull the trigger though. The movement definitely isn't up to the price tag, and at 37mm I'd have to try it on before buying, which doesn't seem possible with the limited availability of them unfortunately.