The King Seiko watch is part of an original “King and Queen” set manufactured in Japan with reference number 44-2000 having a 36mm stainless steel round gold-filled case and winding crown with elongated case lugs. The dial is silver with gold-filled raised baton markers, doubled marker at the 12 position, gold-plated dauphine hands, and sweeps seconds. The dial reads “SEIKO” at the top and “KING SEIKO Diashock 25 Jewels” below and “Japan 44 2000 RAD” at the base with an acrylic crystal. The caseback is stamped “KING SEIKO” with the King Seiko shield featuring a vertically striped field overlaid with a cross, crown and three diamond-shaped designs. The inside caseback is stamped “3015370 AGF (All Gold-Filled) 44 2000 JAPAN A”.The movement is stamped “KING SEIKO 25 Jewels 117023” (photos of movement provided by watchmaker during service). The Red leather straps were made custom for this set, but is not original. Overall condition is very good with slight wear
The original purchase from the flagship store in Tokyo, known as the Wako Main Building (now Seiko House Ginza) shows that the sale occurred in March 1965, as evidenced by the original guarantee papers that accompanied the set. The documentation with the original guarantee certificates names the Wako store and the date of sale, confirming they were acquired as a matching set, which is one of the key pieces of evidence for the existence of such sets. This documented set confirms that while King Seiko and Queen Seiko were typically individual product lines, the Wako store did facilitate their sale as “his and hers" matching pairs for customers, likely as a special offering or upon request, complete with official documentation of the combined sale.
Seiko “His-and-Hers” Marketing
Seiko did market the Queen Seiko line as a ladies’ counterpart (1962) to the King Seiko, and purchasing them as a pair was a common practice for couples in the 1960’s and considered something of a status symbol in this era.
Undocumented Pairs
There are instances where collectors have independently acquired King Seiko and Queen Seiko watches with matching production dates (same month and year) and paired them up. These are considered “matching pairs” by the collectors who own them, but they do not have the original single purchase documentation from the retailer like this Wako set.
The Wako King Seiko and Queen Seiko Status
The 1965 Wako set is particularly notable because it has remained together for over 60 years and retains its original proof of purchase from Seiko’s flagship store in Japan, making authenticated provenance like the Wako receipt extremely rare. While other pairs of King Seiko and Queen Seiko watches exist, the specific set purchased from the Wako store in 1965 with the original guarantee is unique and rare due to its documentation with original box, papers, and condition. The King Seiko 44-2000 and Queen Seiko set value would be significantly higher than typical market prices due to their rarity and provenance.
King Seiko Details:
44-2000 reference is the model’s caliber and case reference number identifying it as a specific model from the second-generation King Seiko line.
44 - refers to caliber 44A movement, a hand-winding 25-jewel movement that operated at 18,000 bph and included hacking seconds. This movement was developed by the Daini Seikosha factory.
2000 - This portion of the code is the specific case type identifier within that caliber family
Japan – stamped inside the caseback signifies that the watch and its movement were manufactured and assembled entirely in Japan, indicating a domestic market model.
“Japan 44 2000 RAD” on a vintage King Seiko dial identifies a 1960s Daini produced 44-2000 model, made in Japan
