King Seiko 56KS 5621-7020
Nothing to prove
This is one of my favourite Seikos. Its familiarity can work against it: the shape is so recognisable that it is easy to stop looking. A very sharp example reveals how much is contained within that seemingly unassuming outline.
The narrow tops of the lugs are vertically brushed. That small strip gives the gentle C-shaped case a counterbalancing sharpness, and it is a detail easily lost on worn examples. This May 1971 watch is my finest example, and I believe it has seen very little, if any, use.
Its appeal lies in doing the necessary exceedingly well. Proportion and detail give the watch its character, with very little appetite for excess.
Black, silver and a change of angle
Viewed head-on, the black inserts make the markers sharply legible. Move the wrist and their polished surfaces reveal a much richer, silvery world. The balance between those two parts is unusually effective here.
The watch
| Reference | 5621-7020 |
|---|---|
| My example | May 1971 |
| Family | King Seiko · 56KS |
| Manufacture | Suwa Seikosha |
| Movement | 5621 · automatic, time only |
| Beat rate | 28,800 vibrations/hour · 4 Hz |
| Case | Stainless steel · monocoque |
| Case width, without crown | 35.9 mm |
| Thickness, including crystal | 10.2 mm |
Dimensions measured on this example.
Beside its date-only brother
I photographed this May 1971 example with its date-only brother, the white-dial 5625-7110 from June 1972. The family resemblance is immediate. The small framed calendar window adds one element to the quiet composition; seeing them together makes the uninterrupted rhythm of the time-only dial particularly clear.
