My Eastern Watch Collection: King Seiko Collection SPB287J1 Red Dial (similar to SPB279J1, SPB281J1, SPB283J1 and SPB285J1) - Comfortable and Perfect, A Review (plus Video)

King Seiko is a sub-brand of Seiko that was famous in the 1960s and 1970s. Back than, it competed against its sister brand Grand Seiko. The group felt that some healthy competition between its sub-brands was a good motivator for innovation. Unfortunately, the quartz revolution in the 1970s forced Seiko to shelf the King Seiko and Grand Seiko sub-brands. After a couple of decades have passed, the group re-launched the Grand Seiko in 1998. Surprisingly, King Seiko was not revived as well.

In 2000, a one-off release of a King Seiko was made. The SCVN001 was part of the Seiko Historical Collection of that year. However, after reviewing marketing data, it was decided not to continue with the King Seiko line but instead focus on developing the Grand Seiko line which was just re-launched in 1998.

Twenty years later, on 8 December 2020, Seiko announced the second official recreation of the King Seiko line. This time, the SJE083J1 (please refer to this link to read the review) was released which I was lucky enough to get one. This particular model was a limited edition piece and does cost a lot.

In 2022, Seiko finally released a series of standard models under the King Seiko line that are more affordable. This series have five models to choose from and I decided to get the SPB287J1 for the collection.

The Series

The King Seiko Collection 2022 consists of five references, all featuring a 37.0 mm sized case very close to the original King Seiko 44-9990 (or more famously known at the 1965 King Seiko SKS). The sharp and angular case as well as the brushed and polished surfaces, looks very close to the original. Unlike the more recent SJE083J1, Seiko finally went with a design that exclude the date complication which was never added in the original (this is one of my complaints of the SJE083J1). Moreover, both the crown and the case-back are finished with the King Seiko emblem, similar to the original.

The King Seiko Collection has five different dial colors on offer. The silver SPB279J1, is the most traditional of the group, with a silver sunburst finish that mimics the look of the King Seiko KSK. For the SPB281J1, the silver dial surface has a deep, heavily grained vertical brushing. The SPB283J1 has the charcoal grey sunburst finish while the SPB285J1 has the deep cocoa brown sunburst dial finish. The most striking is the SPB287J1 with its deep blood red sunburst finish.

SPB279J1	SPB281J1	SPB283J1
SPB285J1	SPB287J1	All come standard with a 19 mm bracelet and an extra specially designed strap with quick release lug bars. MSRP: €1,700 / RM7,700

Interestingly, each watch also comes with a spare specially designed 19 mm strap with quick release lug bars. The reference and colour of the various spare straps are as follows: XSL00119 - calf grey leather strap; XSL00319 - calf black leather strap; XSL00519 - calf brown leather strap; XSL00719 - calf dark brown leather strap; and XSL00919 - artificial suede grey strap.

XSL00119	XSL00319	XSL00519
XSL00719	XSL00919	The straps are allocated in the following manner: SPB279J1 = XSL00119 SPB281J1 = XSL00319 SPB283J1 = XSL00519 SPB285J1 = XSL00719 SPB287J1 = XSL00919

The straps are allocated in the following manner as tabulated above. Below is a illustration of the various models with their designated straps (from L to R is the SPB279J1 and the rest of the collection in series).

Note to Seiko: It would be better if you allow the buyers to pick and choose the strap they like for their respective model.

The Watch

Made out of stainless steel, the SPB287J1 is 37.0 mm wide, lug-to-lug length of 43.6 mm and a height of 12.1 mm. The size and form of this case follows the 1965 original, with the sharply faceted “Grammar of Design” case geometry that is synonymous with King Seiko’s design philosophy (see my writeup on the SJE083J1 about the history of the King Seiko line and its design mantra via this link). The wide flaring and faceted lugs are the clearest example of the King Seiko philosophy at work.

The dial is clear from unnecessary clutter. With a straight walled polished chapter ring surrounding the dial, everything appears balanced. The polished and faceted hours markers as well as the line minute markers at the edge of the dial are symmetrical without any break. The decision to go back to the original design specification of the 1965 model that does not incorporate a date complication (this was the issue I had with the SJE083J1) was spot on as it eliminate the need to make any holes on the dial or displacing any markers to disrupt the flow of the dial. Combined with the spearhead handset, the design has that simple yet elegant feel to it.

The deep blood red sunburst dial makes the SPB287J1 the most visually striking model within the collection. Apart from the applied hour markers and line markers, there are some texts on the dial. The four lines of texts are the brand (applied), the sub-brand, the movement type and some manufacturing coding (in very small fonts). The first text line is located at the upper quadrant while the last three texts are located at the lower quadrant. Apart from the applied brand, the rest are painted with silver paint directly on the dial. My only comment is the use of the generic word "AUTOMATIC" for the third line of text. I would go for something similar to the original "DIASHOCK 25 JEWELS". Perhaps, "DIASHOCK 24 JEWELS" as a description for the 6R31 movement used in the watch would be a better choice.

Protecting the dial is a box shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface. The crystal is framed with a curved fixed bezel polished to a mirror finish. This two-step design, beginning from the crystal and transitioning to the bezel enhances the height of the sapphire. As such, the small sized casing coupled with the tall crystal creates a rather 'chubby' package that feels substantive in the hand. Having the box shaped sapphire crystal gives that vintage vibe that appeals to a lot of people.

At the side of the casing at 3:00 is the crown. Signed with the King Seiko logo, the crown utilises the typical push-in/pull-out system to engage the gears.

Below is a photo of another side of the casing. Note the length of lugs and the dip angle from the horizontal plane of the casing. Despite having a 37.0 mm diameter casing, the long lugs extended the lug-to-lug length of the watch to 43.6 mm. Nevertheless, people with small wrists can still wear the watch nicely as the lugs effectively cover the angular shape of one's wrist.

At the back of the watch is the screw-down case-back. There are no display window provided to view the internal movement. Instead, a large graphic in the form of the King Seiko logo is stamped at the center. Note the serial number of the watch; 1O0786. If it does follow Seiko's serial number convention, this particular watch was the 786th unit made in October 2021.

The watch is powered with the in-house caliber 6R31, which is essentially a 6R35 movement minus the date complication. The 6R31 has 24 jewels and runs at a frequency of 21,600 BPH. Power reserve is approximately 70 hours. The movement is accurate to run within +15/-25 seconds per day, just like the 6R35. It is a pity the movement is not made visible. I would have liked it if Seiko added a window (even a small aperture would do) through the case-back. Nevertheless, keeping to the original design is deemed more important.

The lack of a higher frequency movement used on the the new Kind Seiko Collection is telling. When the SJE083J1 was launched, it uses the 6L35 movement operating at 28,800 BPH. I expected something similar for this new series but instead, a lower frequency movement was chosen to improve on the power reserve (6L35: 45 hours versus 6R31: 70 hours). For some purist, the more choppy seconds hand sweep on the wrist is a letdown as it affects the perception negatively that King Seiko is a more luxurious sub-brand.

The whole construction have been water rated to withstand 10 bars or 100 meters.

The watch casing is paired with a stainless steel multi-link bracelet, very much like the one on the original 1965 model. The faceted links, tapering from case to folding buckle, have a brushed finish with polished bevels. For added design quality, the sub-brand, "KING SEIKO", is etched at the edge of the folding buckle.

I am happy to note that the package also includes a vintage-styled leather straps with a signed buckle and quick release lug bars (the stainless steel bracelet has the standard lug bars). The lug width is 20.0 mm.

Relative to the watch, each link, machined from a solid blank, is thin and very flexible (a shown in the photo above). As the links are rather short, no half-links were provided for resizing. I was lucky that I can resize the bracelet to the correct length for my wrist. However, it may not be for a number of people. You may need to wear the watch slightly loose.

The overall weight of the watch plus bracelet is approximately 129.0 gm.

Below is the spare strap provided with the SPB287J1. It has the reference XSL00919 (the extra 'J' at the end signifies it is made in Japan).

Interestingly, the extra leather strap is provided with its own lug-bars. Instead of standard lug-bars, the designers gave quick-release lug-bars. This helps the switch-out to be quick and easy.

The watch has not been provided with Seiko's proprietary LumiBrite paint. Hence you can only see the hands and hour markers in lighted conditions.

The Wearing Experience

Size does matter when it comes to dress watches. The contemporary wisdom is for 40 mm wide (or slightly bigger) but historically, sub-40 mm timepieces have been the design flavor of many iconic dress watches. In this regard, the King Seiko Collection stays true to the classic taste.

I got a 6.75 inch wrist and the SPB287J1 fits perfectly on my wrist. Below is a video of the watch on my wrist. You can clearly see the watch and the simplicity of the design.

My only complain is the stainless steel bracelet. Due to the angles on the links, you do feel sharpness as you run your fingers over the bracelet. Also, if you do have hair around your wrist, it does catch and can be a bit painful at times.

The price point for the King Seiko Collection may or may not give an indication of where Seiko is placing this sub-brand vis-à-vis the other sub-brands such as Presage or Seiko Premier lines. As a sub-brand with unique value proposition, competition between the various sub-brands will be in the form of design and functionality and not merely price. Hopefully, the pricing on this King Seiko Collection is the mid-point and some future offerings may be lower than this.

Overall, I am impressed with this timepiece and I can see it spending a lot of time on my wrist.

The Packaging

A nice surprise when I received the watch is in the packaging. Instead of the typical rectangular box, the watch was delivered in a nice signed pocket traveling case.