What to Look for When Buying a King Seiko | Buying Guide

From personal experience I know it can be a jungle when buying a "new" vintage watch. In this video I go through some tips and things to look for when buying a King Seiko.
Collaboration video:
• What Watch Have We Bee...
Ref numbers:
KS 5625-7040
KS 5626-7110
KS 5256-8010
Contact:
[e-mail]

[@TeddyBaldassarre]

This video was a couple days late for me haha. You inspired me to have this awesome part of Seiko’s history in my collection so I decided to go buy one. Awesome overview, William! I would love to see more videos like this on affordable vintage pieces.

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thanks man! What model did you get? I hope we see some awesome KS videos from you in the future ;) Regards GAW

[@serjay5170]

Its Teddy Balsassarre!!! Ohmygod

[@tudorino66]

Oh Teddy is here!

[@ItsNeverTooHot4Leather]

I know this is quite a late comment, but most people don't know how good the quality is from this era of King Seiko. They were truly competing with Grand Seiko, and Seiko in general was trying to produce the best timepieces in the world at the time. Any watch collector who understands the history, engineering, and dedication that went into crafting these movements and cases should appreciate the King Seiko watches manufactured in the 1960s-1970s.

[@fastbikesandtoomuchcoffee6871]

Such a well made video! I’m looking into vintage Seiko’s and this will be very useful.

[@DarkFreedomGaming3812]

Thank you William. I have just picked a gorgeous one of these up.. Very pleased

[@nathankbick95]

I used this video when buying myself a King Seiko, thanks for such a great video!

[@chrisg-gg2iu]

Nice review! I’d be interested in seeing more videos on vintage watches (e.g. Seiko, Omega) and what to look for when buying. I recently picked up a Seiko Sportsmatic 5 Deluxe, but I could definitely use more information before buying another vintage watch.

[@kurtsterling5703]

This is a great video! I've had the vintage KS bug for a while now and just decided to move forward with a trade/purchase. I'm glad you pointed out the differences in dial numbers. I picked up a 5625-7110R. I had some trouble cross-referencing the watch online because of the slight differences between 7110R and 7110T. The casebacks on the 7110R models are labeled 7111.

[@oscargustavoarcosruiz8793]

I really like this format. Will be very nice too see more videos like this about another vintage watches. Good job, and great channel.

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thank you! Will definitely do more videos like this in the future. Regards GAW

[@henryalvarez6284]

Awesome 👌 review. Thank you for your insight.

[@kamelthorn]

The brown leather strap is stunning with the white dial.

[@andrewcheung6942]

Thank, very good explanation. 👍👍

[@ManishSahay]

I was waiting for this video ever since I saw your watch on that channel a few days ago. I have done research on these King Seikos multiple times. My favourite model is King Seiko 45-7001 36mm. This model does not have a Day/Date window. The King Seiko 5626-7110 is probably the best or the most refined model of their line-up. This is a helpful guide for those who want a piece of Japanese Watchmaking History in their collection :)

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thanks! :) The 45KS are fantastic looking watches. if I'm not mistaken, they have the last KS movement, that is truly built by hand. Also the big crown on those models look great. One thing to keep im mind with those models is the higher wear on the movement thanks to that 36 000BPH. Let me know if you end up getting one. Regards GAW

[@Kyle-xk4ke]

Helped me a lot thanks!

[@TimeforaNewWatch]

I just picked up a 5626-7110 for a pretty good price. While waiting for it to ship I kept trying to find problems with it in the sellers pictures. Your video was very helpful and I suspect I have a refinished dial due to the "hi-beat" text looking off and the Suwa symbol being a bit thin. If it doesn't have the sunburst finish I guess I will be 100% certain. I might hunt down a better example and do a side by side comparison to help people looking for originals.

[@frankdux6930]

Awesome vid, just pulled trigger on an original KS 5626 7041 chronometer. Cant wait to get it!

[@sandergrondahl]

Great and useful video 🙂

[@kamelthorn]

Their stunning, something to put on the radar

[@wessamhamadneh9877]

Perfect timing for this video... I was just about to purchase and King Seiko haha thank you!

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thanks man, glad you found it helpful! Let me know which one you buy. Regards GAW

[@Dave062YT]

Great little watches and brilliant marketing by Seiko to have all the different medallions to collect .

[@EricBishard]

I have the black dial, an amazing piece of vintage Seiko History 😉

[@ilzephyrli]

Rewatching this and just noticed how beautiful that brown leather strap is. Where is it from?

[@aryamansinha9309]

The vintage omega you’re wearing is absolutely beautiful

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thanks man! Regards GAW

[@gmshadowtraders]

Great video!

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thanks! :) Regards GAW

[@grinnerschic]

Thank you great video. What does the * next to the quick set date on 562x models mean. I saw one listed but date doesn't work. Should I not get it? Thanks.

[@caliulster5581]

I love my King Seiko. Mine has some deterioration around the chapter ring and no medallion but I still think it's beautiful.

[@joelstatosky1817]

I am here because I can't afford a grand seiko. i don't even like the newer grand seikos to be honest with you

[@ecaseyification]

How about a separate review of the chronometer 5625-7040. I like the dial and the case lines. I’m currently looking for one; are there any sellers you can recommend. Have you thought about reviewing vintage sellers, examining some of their items, offering your opinion on the probability of a good purchase etc?

[@Leo-Crespi]

Thanks

[@spaceangza]

Hey, nice strap! Can you tell where I can get that strap from?

[@tcgoealex]

More King Seiko videos please !

[@gilbertvera1678]

Thank you got a really nice 5246 movement just not with a king sieko dial in its name does it still count being that it's a king seiko movement ?

[@tudorino66]

Those different hours on every watch are killing me!!!!!!!

[@theJade]

From what I read on ablogtowatch, the medallion can also just say "seiko" for the later models, specifically on some models where the hacking feature has been improved. Is this true?

[@damienlao9555]

Hi, May I know what does the 7000t/r stand for? As the one I'm looking at currently is a 7010T AD and I have no idea what it stand for

[@jzurcher345]

I picked up a king seiko 4402-8000 and love it! Any thoughts on it?

[@MrMadvillan]

Something you missed in the video - the early 56 series movements king, lord and even gs(I believe) with day and date use a plastic star gear on the rocker arm that quick sets day/date - they i inevitably break so the quickset won’t work. a seller should state if the quickset works. There were later 56 that had a metal gear but they are hard to find. There are aftermarket parts you can have your watch maker install. it takes 15-20 min

[@butwait]

But then also note that it's much more than simply putting a new gear in. If you buy a new gear you'll also need to have the staking set to disassemble the gear arm and replace it. Most of the time it's easier to source a complete working gear + lever combo from a lower end LM watch than it is to replace the gear, which would require a lot more time, and specialized equipment that the average watchmaker simply won't have.

[@thai-anhnguyen5527]

What kind of strap is that brown one?

[@Collectorsguideclub]

May I ask when to stop the winding ?

[@zayyadfoodhouse351]

Have you have any experience nonkun llc? If you do, do you recommend buying from them? Thank you in advance!

[@taytzuleong5584]

I have two KS watches with me. One is the 5626-7110 and one is the 5625-7000 with the gold medallion. Not to nitpick so much, the 5626-7110 has the best condition dial among the two (no water stains at the edges of the dial) but then I realized that the dial is a 5626-7000 version (slightly bulkier indices). Quite a bit of a bummer and that was my mistake. The glass is not original too (which can be fixed as it is sourcable) but not the dial as a spare part alone unless I get another whole watch itself but what the heck right, still looks damn beautiful looking at it and I ain't going to flip it just because of that ;) Plus it is definitely not a refinished dial as it has all the sunburst effect and in original silverish color. The Seiko logo and the rest of the fonts are perfect. Both movements have been recently overhauled too. A question, does anyone know what are the 5625/6 caliber accuracy specifications from the manufacturer? I tried googling it and the only place I can find info is that it is between -6 to +9 sec/day.

[@kurokamei]

Does the day date king seiko changes day and date instantly?

[@rajgill7576]

I'm trying to find an original grand seiko, or king seiko bracelet in gold

[@BayuMukti937]

Can you do video like this but with 44KS?

[@thegirthquake8574]

2:48 is when he stops advertising and gets to the actual content.

[@eziodeicasmorante7798]

Hi, great and usefull video! If've just buy one 5626 7111... but one question: on the dial is written JAPAN5626-7110R... it means that is not it's original dial? Thanks!

[@neil4701]

It's fine. The case numbers and the dial numbers are separate IDs. The 5626-7110R (and 5626-7110T) dial was introduced with the 5626-7110 case, but it was used for the 5626-7111, 5626-7113 etc too. The case was updated but the dial remained the same, so it retained the same ID.

[@NaNa-wj8tw]

Why does the refinishing matter? I see some auction sellers who sell refurbished vintage models in amazing as new condition from all coveted brands. Value is sighted by collectors but there are no shortage of buyers paying a lot of money. If these watches were virtual giveaways I could understand it but they aren’t. What gives?

[@karthikipe]

very helpful video, what are the places you would recommend to buy from?

[@WatchesAndCars]

Glad you liked the video! I usally buy vintage from, Swedish watch forum, eBay, WUS (look on watchrecon). Be careful with eBay as there are a lot of rework watches. But if you know what to look for, I think it's the best place to get them. You can also try Yahoo Japan auctions. Regards GAW

[@1AlphaCrux]

Hi! Nice review, it's the first time I see KS in KZbin, many thanks! Could you write the reference number of each one please? I know you mention them at the beggining of the video, but english is not my first language. Thanks un advance!

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thanks! I will add the reference number in the description :) Regards GAW

[@Freco1967]

Thanks so much for another great video, William. Very helpful information indeed! That 5626-7110 is such an amazingly nice watch...I know you said it's the Hirsch Forest, but is it the Gold Brown? The color looks different on their website. Thank you!

[@WatchesAndCars]

Thank you, really appreciate it! Yeah, I believe it's the Hirsch Forest Gold Brown. I remember getting it because of the pictures, but it ended up looking like in the video. The color can vary a bit though. Regards GAW

[@Freco1967]

Thanks so much!

[@haybob2527]

What is the little screw between the lugs for.?

[@WatchesAndCars]

It got a monocoque case, so you have to go through the glass to get to the movement. To make adjusting the movement easier, you adjust it with that screw on the outside. Regards GAW

[@anthonytam5633]

Are the serial numbers on the case back supposed to be the same as the serial on the movement?

[@neil4701]

Not necessarily. They are distinct IDs. E.g. the 5626-7110 dial was used in the 5626-7110 case, but also in the 5626-7111 case and the 5626-7113 case.

[@1923copacelul]

Did Suwa produced King Seiko 56k watches with ''Special'' printed on the dial?

[@WatchesAndCars]

Great question! From my understanding, Suwa didn't produce any King Seiko's with special on the dial. Only Daini did that. So if you see a King Seiko that says "Special", you know it was produced by Daini (52KS). It can of course be a fake as well. Regards GAW

[@alexhurt7919]

Thinking about buying one because how else are you going to get a chronometer at these prices. Also the history is fun. My main concern is that it'll be impossible to service or even find parts for.

[@jakelewis3d]

The plastic date/day rocker is the hard part to find, although Vintage Time Australia are selling a metal aftermarket version for watchmakers.

[@oanhpham7238]

NICE

[@eljestilbenefattore9400]

What's your opinion on the 45xxxx series? They are hand made and beats at 36000 bpm, isn't that right?

[@WatchesAndCars]

I love the 45KS series. They look great and the movements are very special. Only thing to keep in mind when buying a KS with a 36k BPH movment is that they are a bit more fragile thanks to the from the higher beat rate (higher beat rate, more friction, more wear). So If you plan to buy one and wear it regulary, I would recommend a full service on it. Other then that they are fantastic watches and I can highly recommend one. I believe the movment is hand made (perhaps not all parts though). The 56KS movements and onward are all machined If i'm not mistaken. Regards GAW

[@eljestilbenefattore9400]

@@WatchesAndCars Ok, thank you An quite unbelievable price for a high end piece. I'd better buy one before TGV rewiew one;-) Thank you for taking time.

[@spitfireaace]

Affordable luxury watch, I just got one from Japan on eBay.

[@olivier7593]

Seiko's are made in Japan 🗾.

[@daveholloway8780]

I’m living in Tokyo and want to buy a KS! After watching the video I will :) Have you seen a 5626 with a Blue text day indicator? Thanks

[@WatchesAndCars]

The 5626 have blue text for Saturday. Let me know which one you get! :) Regards GAW

[@daveholloway8780]

GreatAffordableWatches Thanks for the reply. I was hoping I could ask your advice. Some of the case backs looks solid. Does this make them more difficult for servicing?

[@wolfreaper7253]

Why did King Seiko stop making watch ?

[@jongarcon7911]

Far as I know, King Seiko & Grand Seiko merged and just became Grand Seiko.

[@jameswong6590]

What are case diameter for these three pieces?

[@WatchesAndCars]

Around 36-37mm. Great size. Regards GAW

[@neil4701]

Yup, around 36-37 but they wear a bit smaller.

[@MrMadvillan]

bro 2min before we get to content tooooo long