1971 King Seiko HI-Beat Chronometer (Ref. 5626-7040) Blue Dial

Fans of Seiko have almost certainly heard the fascinating story of the brand's inter-company competition during the 1960s and 1970s. Back then, Seiko had two separate factories creating its watches, with Grand Seiko being produced at the Suwa factory and King Seiko at the Daini factory. Seiko’s objective behind having its two factories compete against each other was to promote progress through competition, with the end goal of building the best timepieces possible. Something that seems to have worked quite well for them.

While Grand Seiko ultimately won out, King Seiko watches have plenty of clout and cache themselves, with a production window that ran from approximately 1961 until 1975. This particular King Seiko Hi-Beat Chronometer ref. 5626-7040 dates to 1971, putting it at the latter end of the Daini factory’s line of luxury Seiko watches. The “Hi-Beat” name is due to the automatic chronometer-grade movement, which beats at a frequency of 28,800bph and offers incredible precision from within the watch’s monoblock case.

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