King Seiko 56 Steel

The King Seiko 56 or KS56 refers to the watches that house the Cal.5621, 5625 and 5626 movements. These watches were produced for 14 year period, spanning from 1968 to 1975. They are the performance automatics of the base Cal.5601 and Cal.5606 Lord Matics. The Kings run at a higher beat rate requiring a beefier mainspring and pallet fork jewels. For better accuracy, they are fitted with jeweled barrel holes. The KS56 movement also have a decorated bridge plate. The automatic rotor also has gold filled lettering. Furthermore the King line has been retired from the late 70 and has only been revived recently, giving the line a nostalgia that is frozen in time. This particular example is the 7111 case which has a screwdown caseback and without a gold medallion. The case is quite compact and the lugs have a sharper profile compared to the venerable 7000 monocoque case. It is also taller. This is also a date only model which give the watch a very minimal look. The Dial has an interesting all-over patina which most likely came from rust particlaes sitting on the dial for a prolonged period. There is also a fleck of yellowed varnish near the 6 o’clock. It is an entirely unique dial that is pleasing in its own way, for those who desire subtle patina. The Dial is otherwise very clean without stains, as are the hands. The Date Jumper Star has been replaced with a metal one an works flawlessly. The strap is black leather and suits the King Seiko.

This is an excellent every day watch with vintage charm. Its design is versatile enough to be paired with dressy or casual wear. This would also be a good choice for someone looking for a compact King Seiko. As for sizing, the case is a bit tall compared to its profile but the compactness of the Cal.56 makes for an overall compact wear.

• 30mm Sternkreuz Flat Mineral Crystal with Polished Bevel - Same dimension as OEM without the slight inner dome.

• This Example has a new metal Date Star Jumper

• Fine Bezel Crack at the 7 o’clock - Structural holds the crystal without issue.

• 36.5mm Case Width

• 41.5mm Lug to Lug

• 18mm Lug Width

• 11mm Height

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• 28,800 Beats Per Hour

• 25 Jewels

• Automatic with Hand Winding

• Quickset Date

• Hacking Seconds

• English and Kanji

• 30mm Sternkrutz Flat Mineral Crystal

• 3 O'Clock Crown

• Push/Pull

• Suwa-Seikosha

Average Deviation:

(+) 5.5 s/d 0.1 ms 215 deg