Vintage Watch | King Seiko 5626 7200 Green Dial [Mint]

King Seiko 5626-7200: August 1973 A Rare Green Linen Dial in Integrated Style 7200 Case

A King Seiko 5626-7200 is a late 56KS automatic: green linen gradient dial, screw-back steel case. This one is August 1973. The dial runs dark green at the edge to lighter green at the centre, with a linen texture still sharp. The case is in amazing condition. It comes on an aftermarket steel bracelet. The crystal is the original faceted type, with two slopes on the sides. The watch in such a condition is extremly rare to find.

King Seiko as the top line side by side Grand Seiko

King Seiko was Seiko’s internal rival to Grand Seiko. Both sat at the top of the catalogue and both were aimed at the same Swiss market. Where Grand Seiko carried the GS mark and the tighter regulation, King Seiko carried the KS mark and a slightly more open brief on case and dial. In the early 1970s the 56KS was the automatic generation: Caliber 5626, 25 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, hand-wind, hacking, quick-set day and date in English and kanji. The dial is marked HI-BEAT. That is Seiko’s own wording. The rate is 8 beats a second, not the 36,000 of the earlier 45KS. The same 56 architecture, finished differently, also ran in 56GS and Lord Matic.

Why the green linen is rare in vintage Seiko

Most 56KS dials are silver or white. Coloured dials exist, but they are the minority it was said that one in every 10 vintage Seiko are made with a coloured dial. Green is scarcer still. The 7200 green is not a flat paint. It is a linen-textured gradient: darker at the rim, lighter toward the centre, so the texture shows under changing light. Applied markers sit on top. On this watch the green is even and the linen is still readable. That combination is the reason collectors look for a 5626-7200 instead of a standard white 5626.

The Seiko 7200 case integrated style

Reference 7200 is a later 56KS case: about 36–36.5 mm across, roughly 41 mm lug-to-lug, 18 mm lugs, around 12 mm thick. Screw-back, the later generation of King Seiko does not thave KS stamp on the back. The form is rounder and more integrated-looking than the sharp Grammar-of-Design 7000. On the wrist it reads as a 1970s experiment that, fifty years on, sits next to current Y2K shapes without looking forced. On this example the edges and the brush are still there. Amazing condition for the year.

A very spcial Crystal that is close to not replacible 

The original crystal is faceted, with two slopes on the sides. It is still on the watch and in perfect shape. The slopes catch light and keep the dial depth; the linen gradient and the markers read clearly under it. Most King Seiko with original crystal come with usage mark, we are glad that we can find one in such condition.

Specification

Maker: Seiko

Model: King Seiko 5626-7200

Era: August 1973

Case: Stainless, 7200 form, about 36–36.5 mm, ~41 mm lug-to-lug, 18 mm lugs

Crystal: Original faceted, two slopes on the sides, perfect. Dial depth retained.

Dial: Green linen gradient, dark edge to light centre, applied markers, day and date at 3

Movement: Automatic Caliber 5626, 25 jewels, 28,800 bph, hacking, hand-wind

Bracelet: Aftermarket steel

An August 1973 King Seiko 5626-7200 with an intact green linen gradient is the coloured-dial 56KS that most people never see. The original faceted crystal is still on it. The case shape does the rest.

Shown on the aftermarket bracelet. Any Kyoto Series or Saddle Series colour on request.