When I first put on the King Seiko 45KS Two-tone Redux 145th Anniversary, I thought there must have been some sort of mistake. You see, I started writing for Oracle Time when Seiko was celebrating their 140th anniversary and that was in 2021 and it can’t possibly have been five years since then. But when I do the maths now, 2026 really is five years later. Concerns about the eternal march of time aside, the King Seiko 45KS Two-tone Redux 145th Anniversary edition (alongside its counterparts in the Presage and Prospex lines) is a proper celebration of the Japanese brand’s latest milestone.
The anniversary watch is a special edition of the standard 6L 1969, which means it has the same, 39.4mm case with a thickness of 9.9mm. It does wear slightly larger than those dimensions indicate on paper because the curving, turtle shape of the design gives it a flared appearance, broader than a circular watch of the same size. However, it’s still comfortable and ideal for slipping under a cuff.
What marks this as an anniversary edition is the dial, which pays homage to the two men at the foundation of Seiko as we know it today. The first is Kintaro Hattori, who founded the brand 145 years ago, initially under the eponymous name K. Hattori. In 1892 he partnered with an engineer called Tsuruhiko Yoshikawa and the business evolved to become the Seikosha Watch Factory and later just Seiko. It was Hattori’s idea to first introduce engraved dials to their collections and Yoshikawa who brought that to fruition with the nanako pattern. It’s that pattern that’s reproduced on the King Seiko 45KS Two-tone Redux 145th Anniversary edition.
Nanako translates from Japanese as fish roe, referring to the tightly packed, dense pattern that emulates the appearance of fish eggs in a stylised fashion. I must admit that having two fish egg inspired watches launched in short succession following Studio Underd0g’s Champagne & Caviar was not on my bingo card but here we are. Fortunately, the King Seiko has that stylised element that means it’s actually more of tight basket weave design than a photorealistic ode to fish.
It’s a really captivating design and reflects the manner in which King Seiko sits between the accessible Seiko on one side and the finishing master classes of Grand Seiko on the other. The grey of the dial is balanced by gold coloured hour markers and matching hands. It retains the characteristic arrow markings on the 12 o’clock marker, as seen on other references in the 1969 line.
Below the dial is the 6L35 automatic with 3-day power reserve. The 6L line is Seiko’s slim collection, which is how it achieves a sub-10mm thickness. It’s protected by a solid steel caseback with the King Seiko shield medallion and an inscription marking it as a limited edition. Speaking of which, there are only 800 pieces available priced at £2,700. For a special edition like the King Seiko 45KS Two-tone Redux, that seems appropriate. Especially with a dial as nice as this.
Price and Specs:
More details at Seiko.
I am using seiko watches since 1977 when I purchase a Seiko chronograph automatic wrist watch in Damian city of Saudi Arabia ,I love SEIKO ,Thanks