King Seiko 56KS 5626-7200
The green machine
The 7200 sits well beyond the restrained end of my collection. Its colour, texture and cut crystal produce a spectacle that photographs only partly contain. When the light catches it, everything around it can seem rather low in definition.
This was not an immediate attraction for me. I initially found the design almost too eclectic. Living with it changed that reaction: the pleasure is in the force of the whole, even when it abandons the svelte elegance of quieter references.
The watch
| Reference | 5626-7200 |
|---|---|
| My example | April 1972 |
| Family | King Seiko · 56KS |
| Manufacture | Suwa Seikosha |
| Movement | 5626 · automatic, day and date |
| Beat rate | 28,800 vibrations/hour · 4 Hz |
| Case | Stainless steel |
| Case width, without crown | 36.2 mm |
| Thickness, including crystal | 11.7 mm |
Dimensions measured on this example.
King and Grand, in green
Beside the green 5646-7020, the distinction between King and Grand becomes especially clear to my eye. The KS green is more sprightly; its planes are broader and its folds less numerous. The GS is darker, more intricate and more ceremonious.
I read that pairing as a particularly deft expression of two different characters within the same family language. Even here, at the exuberant extremes of both ranges, the distinction feels considered.
