Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
The King Seiko series is Seiko’s flagship heritage line of high-grade mechanical watches along with the Grand Seiko series. Introduced in 1961 to lead the advancement of premium Japanese watchmaking, the King Seiko (KS) models offered sharp, geometric “Grammar of Design” aesthetics, high-end mechanical movements, and dials that celebrate Japanese culture.
Our Timepieces feature this Saturday, September 12, 2026, is our King Seiko Hi-Beat 5626-7113. Colloquially referred to as the KS56, its 25-jewel Seiko 5626 automatic mechanical movement operates at 28,800 beats per hour or 8 beats per second. Its complications feature a day and date display with a quick-set mechanism, which may be prone to stripping over time if adjusted incorrectly near midnight.
Produced by Seiko’s Suwa division in May 1974, our KS56 features a clean look with gold-plated “SEIKO” and “KS” mini-emblems affixed to the champagne dial, along with the printed words “AUTOMATIC”, “HI-BEAT” and the Suwa Seikosha symbol underneath. Faceted dauphine hour and minute hands point to gold-plated indices to tell the time, while the day/date window has a bilingual day wheel in English and Kanji.
Unlike earlier 5626 models that featured gold medallions, the 7113 variant, which was produced from 1973 until 1975, features a plain but improved stainless steel screw-down case back with a standard KS signature. The case back of our KS 5626-7113 has a Kanji inscription that translates to “Presented to the Yoshida Store”, which makes it a unique and highly collectible commemorative timepiece.
To position the Grand Seiko as their highest-grade luxury mechanical watch brand, Seiko ceased production of the King Seiko in 1975 but officially revived it in 2021. Despite the KS revival, early KS Hi-Beat models, such as our 5626-7113 with its commemorative inscription, have become the Holy Grail for vintage Seiko collectors. We’re thankful and proud to be the current custodian of this highly desirable and collectible KS56 Hi-Beat.
Model: King Seiko (KS56)
Reference No.: 5626-7113
Month/Year of Manufacture: May 1974
Type: Dress Watch
Movement: Self-Winding/Automatic
Caliber: Seiko 5626
No. of Jewels: 25
Diameter: 36 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Lug-to-lug Length: 41 mm
Lug Width: 18 mm
Weight: 48 grams
