{"product_id":"king-seiko-special-5256-8010-kaliber-5256a-daini-seikosha-die-letzte-king-seiko-dienstjubilaumsuhr-der-nagoya-neji-seisakusho-marz-1975-frisch-revidiert","title":"King Seiko Special 5256-8010 – Caliber 5256A, Daini Seikosha – the last King Seiko – service anniversary watch of Nagoya Neji Seisakusho, March 1975 – freshly serviced","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn 1975, Seiko discontinued the King Seiko. Fourteen years after the line's inception, in the midst of the Quartz Crisis, the name vanished from the catalog – and did not return until 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis watch was built in March 1975. It is the last design that Seiko released under this name, and it was produced only in that single year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAnd we know to whom it belonged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Engraving\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThere are two lines on the caseback:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e永年勤続25年記念\u003c\/strong\u003e – In commemoration of twenty-five years of service.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKK名古屋螺子\u003c\/strong\u003e – Kabushiki-gaisha Nagoya Neji Seisakusho, literally: Nagoya Screw Manufacturing Co.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe name sounds modest. The company behind it is not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eNagoya Neji Seisakusho\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe company was founded in Nagoya in 1932 by Miyazaki Sadahachi and Watanabe Toshio, and transformed into a joint-stock company in 1936. From the beginning, its purpose was specialized: high-strength screws, bolts, and metal parts for the Japanese aviation industry, which was growing rapidly during those years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eCustomers included Mitsubishi, Aichi Tokei Denki, and the naval arsenals. An economic history study estimates the share of Mitsubishi's Nagoya aircraft plant in production value from 1932 to 1935 at 82.7 percent. Fasteners were supplied for airframes and aircraft engines – components where material quality and dimensional accuracy directly determine life and death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAfter 1945, the company shifted to civilian manufacturing:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003e1949\u003c\/strong\u003e Resumption of supplies to Mitsubishi\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003e1952\u003c\/strong\u003e Parts for the Mitsubishi Willys Jeep\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003e1954\u003c\/strong\u003e Supplier to Honda as well as components for Pratt \u0026amp; Whitney aircraft engines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003e1978\u003c\/strong\u003e Series production of tie-rod assemblies for aircraft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003e1984\/1987\u003c\/strong\u003e New plants in Komaki and Seki\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003efrom 1989\u003c\/strong\u003e Expansion into the USA, later Thailand and Indonesia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn the year 2000, the company renamed itself. It still operates today as \u003cstrong\u003eMEIRA Corporation\u003c\/strong\u003e – メイラ株式会社 – and supplies the automotive, aviation, and aerospace industries. The name is likely a shortening of the old one: \u003cem\u003emei\u003c\/em\u003e from Nagoya, \u003cem\u003era\u003c\/em\u003e from \u003cem\u003eneji\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThere is a printed corporate chronicle covering the first fifty years: \"Fifty-Year History of Nagoya Neji,\" published in June 1983, 133 pages. Copies are verified at the Research Institute for Economics \u0026amp; Business Administration at Kobe University and the corporate history archive of Chuo University, among others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eTwenty-Five Years\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eCounting back from the engraving date, the recipient of this watch joined in \u003cstrong\u003e1950\u003c\/strong\u003e – the year Nagoya Neji resumed postwar supplies to Mitsubishi.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHe was therefore there from the beginning as the aviation supplier became an automotive supplier. He experienced the Jeep production of 1952, the entry into Honda in 1954, and the re-entry into aviation. When he received his watch in 1975, Japan was the second-largest economy in the world, and the company where he had worked for a quarter-century was part of the network of suppliers that supported this rise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eEinen Kinzoku Hyosho\u003c\/em\u003e, the honor for long-term service, was the visible expression of the lifetime employment that shaped Japanese working life for decades. What a company chose for this said something about how it valued the honoree. A King Seiko Special for ¥30,000 was at the upper end of what was awarded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt is remarkable that this program still exists. MEIRA continues to honor years of service after 15, 25, and 35 years – today with special leave and vouchers instead of a watch. Whoever wears this King Seiko wears an earlier manifestation of a corporate tradition that persists ninety years after the company's founding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eKing Seiko – The Line from the Other Factory\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eTo understand what this watch is, one must understand how Seiko functioned at the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe corporation maintained two completely separate production facilities that competed against each other: \u003cstrong\u003eSuwa Seikosha\u003c\/strong\u003e in Nagano Prefecture and \u003cstrong\u003eDaini Seikosha\u003c\/strong\u003e in Tokyo. Both developed their own movements, maintained their own model lines, and competed for the top position. Corporate management explicitly encouraged this – whoever built the better movement received the contract.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn 1960, Suwa introduced the first Grand Seiko. Daini responded in 1961 with the first King Seiko. What followed is one of the most productive rivalries in watchmaking history: the 44KS in 1964, the 45KS with 36,000 vibrations per hour in 1968, in parallel the Suwa 56 series, and from 1971 the 52KS – Daini's last construction for this line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eKing Seiko was never the second choice, but rather the watch from the other factory. In several disciplines, it was on par with the Grand Seiko, and in the chronometer versions, the King Seiko was even more broadly positioned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBy the way, Daini Seikosha became Seiko Instruments, and Suwa Seikosha became Seiko Epson. Both exist to this day – just like the company that gifted this watch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWhy Specifically the 52KS\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor the automatic King Seikos, two movement families ran in parallel until the end: the \u003cstrong\u003e56 series from Suwa\u003c\/strong\u003e and the \u003cstrong\u003e52 series from Daini\u003c\/strong\u003e. Both were sold simultaneously, side by side in the same catalog.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe ratios are clear. The vast majority of classically styled King Seikos ran with the Suwa 56 movement. Only a handful of references received the Daini 52: the 5246-6000, 5246-6010, 5246-6020, 5246-7000, the 5256-8000, and this 5256-8010. Specialists consider the two 5256 models \"unusual to rare.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn the 1975 Seiko catalog, the prices were listed side by side:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003eSuwa King Seiko 5626-7113: \u003cstrong\u003e¥28,000\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDaini King Seiko Special 5256-8010: ¥30,000\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003eSuwa King Seiko 5626-7041 Chronometer: ¥33,000\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003eGrand Seiko of the 56 series (base model): ¥47,000\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 52KS Special was therefore not the entry-level model of the line, but ranked above the standard King Seiko and was priced closer to the chronometer version.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\"Special\" – What the Lightning Symbol Means\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eOn the dial, it says \u003cem\u003eKS SPECIAL\u003c\/em\u003e, followed by a small lightning bolt symbol. This is not decorative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSeiko tiered its movements according to internal accuracy classes. The \"Special\" designation denotes, according to general collector opinion, a version that was regulated to the next higher class than the base version of the same movement family. For Grand Seiko, this distinguished the 6155\/6156 calibers from the base 6145\/6146 movements; for King Seiko, \"Special\" identified the 5246 and 5256.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe preceding 5246 series also bore \"Chronometer\" on the dial. For the 5255\/5256 models built from 1973 onwards, this designation was omitted, and \"Special\" remained as the sole quality mark. This watch thus carries the designation that Seiko used at the end of the King Seiko era for its best-regulated automatic movements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Caliber 5256A\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eAutomatic\u003c\/strong\u003e with auxiliary manual winding and hacking seconds\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003e25 jewels\u003c\/strong\u003e, 28,800 vibrations per hour\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eDay and date\u003c\/strong\u003e with quickset\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eBilingual day wheel\u003c\/strong\u003e, Japanese and English\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003eManufactured by \u003cstrong\u003eDaini Seikosha\u003c\/strong\u003e, Tokyo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 5256A replaced the 5246A in 1973; the main innovation was a spring-loaded pawl for the date quickset, which made the mechanism significantly more robust. The movement was built until 1976.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIts history did not end there, however. The architecture of the 52 series became the foundation for the \u003cstrong\u003e4S series\u003c\/strong\u003e in the 1990s, with which Seiko resumed production of its high-end mechanical watches. Whoever wears a 5256 wears the last link of the classic era – and at the same time the construction upon which the later restart was built.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe End of an Era\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn December 1969, Seiko presented the Astron, the world's first quartz wristwatch. Within a few years, this changed the entire market – and hit its own mechanical top models the hardest. A quartz watch was more accurate than any chronometer version and, within a short time, cheaper to manufacture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBy the mid-1970s, Seiko drew the consequence. The mechanical King Seiko and Grand Seiko vanished almost simultaneously. Grand Seiko returned in 1988, King Seiko not until 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 5256-8010 from 1975 stands exactly at this breaking point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eCase and Dial\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe case follows the design language that Taro Tanaka formulated at Seiko in 1962 as the \"Grammar of Design\": flat, sharply defined polished surfaces, no rounded transitions, angular lugs, and a bezel executed as a flat surface rather than a curve. Tanaka's initial observation was simple – Japanese watches looked dull in the display case next to Swiss competition because their surfaces diffused light. His answer was to polish every surface flat and leave the edges crisp so that light would reflect in defined directions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis only works as long as the edges are sharp. Any repolishing rounds them off and destroys the effect – which is why the condition of the case is the actual criterion for collectors of these models, not the dial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe dial is a light silver tone with a fine grain that diffuses light rather than reflecting it. The hour markers are applied, multi-faceted batons, accompanied by slender faceted hands. The calendar window at three o'clock shows the day and date stacked in an applied frame – an arrangement that distinguishes the 52KS from the 56 models.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe day wheel is bilingual and can be toggled between Japanese and English. The Japanese version follows the country's calendar convention: \u003cstrong\u003eSunday in red, Saturday in blue\u003c\/strong\u003e – a detail not found on European watches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe dial is sparsely labeled: \u003cem\u003eSEIKO AUTOMATIC\u003c\/em\u003e at the top, \u003cem\u003eKS SPECIAL\u003c\/em\u003e with the lightning bolt at the bottom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis watch is in exceptionally good condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eTechnically flawless: It was professionally serviced by a watchmaker in Japan in the spring\/summer of 2026 – completely disassembled, cleaned, oiled, and regulated. The automatic system, manual winding, hacking seconds, and the quickset for day and date work perfectly, as does the bilingual toggle of the day wheel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe case is the crucial point. The transitions between surfaces are clearly defined, the contours are preserved, the proportions are unchanged – the watch has not been over-polished. Anyone who has ever held a refinished King Seiko in their hands will recognize the difference immediately: there, the edges are soft, the bezel appears rounded, and the interplay of light between the surfaces is lost. None of that is the case here. There are only slight, age-appropriate signs of wear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe dial is clean and uniform, without spots, discoloration, or fading. The lettering is complete and sharp, the applied indices are firmly seated and show no corrosion, and the calendar frame is intact. The crystal is clear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe caseback shows the usual fine marks from opening and wearing; the engraving, reference 5256-8010, and serial number are complete and clearly legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt is mounted on a new black Seiko leather strap.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eDating\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe serial number 534311 allows for unambiguous identification according to the Seiko scheme: the first digit indicates the last digit of the production year, the second the month. 5 – 3 results in \u003cstrong\u003eMarch 1975\u003c\/strong\u003e. This coincides with the documented production period of the reference, which, according to available sources, was built exclusively in 1975.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eTechnical Specifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand \/ Line:\u003c\/strong\u003e King Seiko, Special\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eReference:\u003c\/strong\u003e 5256-8010\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eSerial number:\u003c\/strong\u003e 534311\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduction date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 1975\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eMovement:\u003c\/strong\u003e Seiko Caliber 5256A, automatic with manual winding, 25 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eManufacturer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Daini Seikosha, Japan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eFunctions:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hours, minutes, central seconds, day and date with quickset, bilingual day wheel (Japanese\/English) with red Sunday and blue Saturday\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eCase:\u003c\/strong\u003e Stainless steel, caseback with service anniversary engraving 「永年勤続25年記念／KK名古屋螺子」\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eDiameter (excluding crown):\u003c\/strong\u003e 36.1 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10.1 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eLug-to-lug:\u003c\/strong\u003e 41.4 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eLug width:\u003c\/strong\u003e 18 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight (incl. strap):\u003c\/strong\u003e 50 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eStrap:\u003c\/strong\u003e New Seiko leather strap\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eCrystal:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mineral glass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eService:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring\/summer 2026, Japan – complete disassembly, cleaning, oiling, regulation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor Whom\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor collectors who want to fully document the King Seiko history. The 52KS is the rarer of the two automatic King Seiko movements, the 5256-8010 was built for only a single year, and the line ended with it. Those who already possess the Suwa 56KS get the Daini counterpart to the same rivalry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor anyone seeking a mechanical Seiko of the classic era at a Grand Seiko level without paying that price – and who values an unpolished case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAnd for anyone to whom provenance means something. Most vintage watches are anonymous; you know where they were built, but not who wore them. With this one, both can be proven: built in March 1975 at Daini Seikosha in Tokyo, presented by a company that has existed since 1932 and still exists today, to an employee who joined in 1950. There is even a printed company chronicle where the years this person spent there can be read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWith a diameter of 36.1 mm, a height of 10.1 mm, and 41.4 mm lug-to-lug, it wears discreetly and also fits smaller wrists. The bilingual day wheel makes it wearable for everyday use without limitation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWarranty (used)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a used item. The limitation period for claims for defects (statutory warranty) is 12 months from delivery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs this is a vintage watch, water resistance cannot be guaranteed. To protect the movement, the watch should not come into contact with water or moisture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vintage \u0026 JDM (Japan Domestic Market)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54775165288786,"sku":"A515","price":1390.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0911\/3908\/0530\/files\/48B72E80-4C5C-4397-939C-73277532CC79.jpg?v=1789830663","url":"https:\/\/japanese-microbrands.com\/en\/products\/king-seiko-special-5256-8010-kaliber-5256a-daini-seikosha-die-letzte-king-seiko-dienstjubilaumsuhr-der-nagoya-neji-seisakusho-marz-1975-frisch-revidiert","provider":"Japanese Microbrands - Mario Lenke","version":"1.0","type":"link"}