Vintage Watch | King Seiko 5626 (Grey Dial)

King Seiko 5626-7070 Hi-Beat – Rare Grey Brushed Dial (Fully Serviced)

A Suwa-built King Seiko from the early 1970s with the face most 56KS never received. Reference 5626-7070 wears a brushed grey dial — not the usual silver or white — and the case still carries its gold KS medallion. The movement has been serviced in Japan. Day and date quick-set work as they should.

King Seiko: The Other Crown

Grand Seiko arrived from Suwa in 1960. Daini answered in 1961 with King Seiko. The two factories were set against each other so Seiko could push accuracy, finishing and case design without waiting on Switzerland. Early KS was hand-wound (44KS, then the 36,000 bph 45KS). From 1968 Suwa added the automatic 56KS — the same 56-family architecture that also powered Lord Matic and 56 Grand Seiko, but adjusted and beaten as a King.

King Seiko was never a “junior Grand Seiko.” It was the parallel high line: Grammar of Design cases, hi-beat movements, chronometer-grade regulation on many pieces. The name faded around 1975 when quartz took the floor. Collectors kept the 56KS because the calibre still runs like a modern watch when it is serviced.

The King Seiko Caliber 5626

This watch uses Caliber 5626: automatic, typically 25 jewels, 28,800 bph, hacking seconds, hand-winding, bilingual day-date and crown quick-set. It is the hi-beat day-date of the 56 family — the same layout as the 21,600 bph 5606 Lord Matic, tightened to King Seiko grade (about −6 / +9 sec/day when it left the factory). The 5646 Grand Seiko is the same architecture with a still-tighter spec. One caution that belongs in any honest 56-series note: do not quick-set the calendar in the late-night window; the plastic corrector on these movements is the known weak point.

5626-7070 — The Case

The King Seiko 7070 is one of the more elegant 56KS cases: elongated lugs, mirror flanks, a slimmer dress profile than the blockier 7000-style KS. Early pieces are one-piece cases with the gold KS medallion on the back. This example measures 37 mm across, 42 mm lug-to-lug, 18 mm lugs. The case is in good condition with small usage marks. The gold medallion is in great shape.

A Rare Grey Dial, less than 1 in 10 production

Most King Seiko dials of this era are silver or white. Grey, blue, and other coloured faces are the minority — in the market you will see far more silver than grey; coloured KS dials are commonly estimated at well under one in ten of surviving examples. This one is brushed grey that can read deeper blue-grey in some light. The dial is in great shape. There is one minor aging mark near the “AUTOMATIC” text. That is the only honest flaw on an otherwise clean face.

A 56KS that is already a King — and then the uncommon grey brush instead of another silver sunburst.

Specification:

Maker: Seiko

Model: 5626-7070

Era: 1971 Sep

Case Diameter: 37 mm

Lug to Lug: 42 mm

Lug Width: 18 mm

Case Condition: Unpolished mirror finished case in nice condition with minor usage on the case, with the case back gold medallion on the case 

Dial Condition: Extremely rare Grey Dial developed in a good grey blue tone.