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In this week’s episode Under the Radar, Craft + Tailored’s horological value hunter, Tyler Vanes, takes a closer look at a King Seiko Hi-Beat ref. 4502-7001 from 1973 and digs into the history of King Seiko to explain exactly why these watches are such underrated treasures.
While Grand Seiko has become a well-known luxury watch brand, King Seiko is a name that is typically only spoken of within serious enthusiasts circles. During the 1960s and 1970s, Seiko had its two factories compete against each other in a friendly inter-company rivalry to produce the absolute best timepieces possible. The King Seiko watches produced by the Daini factory were sold alongside the Grand Seiko models made by the Suwa factory, and while they were only produced from approximately 1961 until 1975, King Seiko watches represent some of the very finest vintage Seiko timepieces ever made.
In regards to the King Seiko Hi-Beat reference 4502-7001 that is featured in this week’s episode of Under the Radar, it epitomizes everything that the brand was trying to accomplish in regards to high-end movements and top-notch finishing. The manually-wound caliber 4502A beats at a frequency of 36,000bph for superior timekeeping and a super smooth sweep of the second hand, while the angular “Grammar of Design” case offers a sophisticated and geometric appearance that is entirely unique to Seiko’s watches.
Today, Grand Seiko is often regarded as the crown jewel of Japanese watchmaking, while King Seiko exists in what could largely be considered relative obscurity. With that in mind, it cannot be overstated that during the time that both Grand Seiko and King Seiko watches were in production, they were neck-and-neck when it came to mechanical innovation, immaculate finishing, and forward-thinking designs. Had history gone a slightly different direction, it could have very easily been King Seiko experiencing mainstream international acclaim these days, rather than being the cult-favorite sleeper from the brand’s archives.
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