A late version of the first King Seiko model, with a gold filled case. Model reference J14102.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From the serial number on the case back we can accurately date this watch to being made in January 1963.
CONDITION
The elephant in the room is the black dial. We have been unable to find a period catalogue or advert with this model with a black dial, so we must presume it is a repainted dial. But it has been done quite well – the numbers under 6 are all correct, whereas often with repainted dials these are not even reproduced (they are barely visible with the bezel in place – we have taken a few photographs with the bezel removed to show the dial as clearly as possible). The dial has the eight pointed star on it to say this was a special dial – special dials had solid gold hands and hour markers – but as this is a suspected repaint we can trust this as 100% true to this watch. The hands and hour markers show no signs of tarnishing though. What we can say is the rest of the watch all checks out – even the crown that has lost the gold cap has the same notched pattern as the originals, despite losing the S on the end. The movement is the 25 jewel King Seiko movement, up from the 23 jewel movement it was developed from. It also has a tadpole regulator for fine adjustment, and whilst the movement doesn’t have a calibre number it is engraved with an individual serial number – something normally reserved for movements that meet chronometer grade testing. The case back also has the correct crest for this model, and it hasn’t rubbed – gold filled cases have much more gold than gold plated cases, but case backs can still rub through over the years. The leather strap is new, and could be swapped for a different colour or material if preferred. The watch is signed on the dial, case and movement.
This watch will be supplied with our branded and reusable zipped travel case and cleaning cloth, and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 37.3 mm
Width without crown 34.8 mm
Between lugs 18 mm
Lug to lug length 42.9 mm
Case Thickness 10.8 mm
All sizes are approximate. The watch is photographed on a wrist of 190mm/7.5 inches.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.
