Vintage Seiko 5856 - 5000 King Quartz Watch With Kanji Day, Bracelet 1978
Item History & Price
I acquired this Seiko 5856-5000 King Quartz a few years ago in an auction lot from Japan along with another watch I actually wanted. When it arrived I was taken aback by how good the condition was and how it gave the impression of hardly being worn considering its age. The serial number indicates it was made in July 1978. Please take a good look at the images - they really speak for themselves.
The case width is about 35mm excluding the crown. Due to the rectangular shape it has... significantly more presence than a watch of this width with a circular dial would have.
The bracelet with its interesting texture looks and feels like new with no stretching or slack in it. There's an anti-reflective coating on the crystal which does a great job. In the right light I can see some fine scratches in this coating but the glass itself looks to have no damage at all.The day and date quickset function works perfectly. The day wheel can be set to English or Japanese Kanji characters and has the traditional blue Saturday and red Sunday.
If you're wondering how the bracelet adjustment works, the clasp can be easily unlocked and slid along the bracelet to achieve a perfect fit. My wrist is about 17cm/6.75inch and there's room to loosen the clasp position by about 3cm/1.25inch.
There are some speckles on the dial, mostly on the left side and most notable between the 10 & 11 markers. A Google image search indicates that dial deterioration is quite common with this model, with some developing an even, brown patina and others with extensive blackened areas. This one doesn't seem to have developed any further imperfections in the several years I've had it though.The only other unfortunate aspect are the numbers scratched into the caseback. This is how it was when I received it. Why would someone do that to an otherwise fine watch?! smh
A few years ago I tracked the accuracy of this watch between the clocks going forward in March and back in October and it gained only 22 seconds in that period, beating all my other quartz watches.
I've also tracked how long the battery has lasted and prior to the last change it started ticking twice every 2 seconds (indicating low battery) after the battery had been in it for a little over 2 years. This is in line with the original specifications for the 5856 movement. The battery hatch on the back allows easy battery replacement so long as you're careful with the rubber gasket inside.
Any questions welcome.
On 21-Aug-19 at 21:15:49 BST, seller added the following information:I've just installed a fresh Seizaiken SR1120SW silver oxide battery.
The case width is about 35mm excluding the crown. Due to the rectangular shape it has... significantly more presence than a watch of this width with a circular dial would have.
The bracelet with its interesting texture looks and feels like new with no stretching or slack in it. There's an anti-reflective coating on the crystal which does a great job. In the right light I can see some fine scratches in this coating but the glass itself looks to have no damage at all.The day and date quickset function works perfectly. The day wheel can be set to English or Japanese Kanji characters and has the traditional blue Saturday and red Sunday.
If you're wondering how the bracelet adjustment works, the clasp can be easily unlocked and slid along the bracelet to achieve a perfect fit. My wrist is about 17cm/6.75inch and there's room to loosen the clasp position by about 3cm/1.25inch.
There are some speckles on the dial, mostly on the left side and most notable between the 10 & 11 markers. A Google image search indicates that dial deterioration is quite common with this model, with some developing an even, brown patina and others with extensive blackened areas. This one doesn't seem to have developed any further imperfections in the several years I've had it though.The only other unfortunate aspect are the numbers scratched into the caseback. This is how it was when I received it. Why would someone do that to an otherwise fine watch?! smh
A few years ago I tracked the accuracy of this watch between the clocks going forward in March and back in October and it gained only 22 seconds in that period, beating all my other quartz watches.
I've also tracked how long the battery has lasted and prior to the last change it started ticking twice every 2 seconds (indicating low battery) after the battery had been in it for a little over 2 years. This is in line with the original specifications for the 5856 movement. The battery hatch on the back allows easy battery replacement so long as you're careful with the rubber gasket inside.
Any questions welcome.
On 21-Aug-19 at 21:15:49 BST, seller added the following information:I've just installed a fresh Seizaiken SR1120SW silver oxide battery.
