Seiko is set to kick off their 140th anniversary year in 2021 with a new release that already has fans of the brand and vintage enthusiasts buzzing. The Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition Re-Creation of King Seiko KSK (the watch?s official moniker) is a beautiful example Seiko’s unique spin on mid-century watch design, and the inspiration is plucked straight out of an important piece of the brand’s history. This one is sure to be popular with new and old fans alike, so let?s get right into it. 

The story of King Seiko is fairly well known by now among enthusiasts, but with this release Seiko is actively telling this chapter of their company?s story to a much broader audience. If you haven?t already read it, be sure to check out Christoph McNeill?s excellent column on the watch that served as the basis for this new limited edition, the King Seiko 44-9990. There you?ll find photos of an original vintage example, and can plainly see how close the new version comes to the old (with some key changes, that we?ll cover momentarily).  You could make a case that the King Seiko piece of Seiko?s long history was key in getting the brand to where they are today. The line has its roots in 1959, when the line was launched to compete with the then new-to-market Grand Seiko. It was thought that competition would drive both product lines (which were independently produced) to improve, and that?s essentially what happened. Throughout the 1960s, Seiko made some of...