Born in the 1970’s the King Seiko VANAC line was all about embracing the avant-garde design ethos of the time. Bold, dial colors and heavily faceted and angular cases were a direct contrast to the more austere timepieces that King Seiko had launched with. King Seiko at this time still maintained it’s reputation as a higher tier sub-brand within the Seiko Watch family. In its early days it had a healthy rivalry with Seiko’s other premium sub brand, Grand Seiko and the higher workmanship for both continued to be evident in this era but it was King Seiko that became the design playground for Japanese designers. Examples from this era have a unique whimsy of their own and are remembered for their original look and feel. Now more than 50 years later, King Seiko has been revived and is reinventing the spirit of VANAC with retro-modern pieces that channel the 70’s and reinterpret them for today. And the current top expression is the Titanium line, the VANAC HKF001, HKF002, HKF003.
This lineup picks up the heavily faceted look of the VANACs from the 70’s but executes the case and integrated bracelet in Grade 5 titanium. There is some beautiful Zaratsu-polishing on the watch and the play of light on these sharp planes certainly catches the eye. But it’s the dial where the real interest is at. Designed to evoke the Tokyo skyline and it’s complex system of high-speed roadways with fine lines. It’s a very graphic style of design that comes in 3 dial colors, purple, grey and black expressions of different moods of Tokyo at different times of the day. While it’s a very contemporary reimagining, there are still some callbacks to the 70’s with the V-counter weight on the second hand and the stylized 12 o’clock index.
Inside King Seiko equips these VANACs with their 8L45 movement. Yielding a 72 hour power reserve and a 4Hz frequency giving a nice, smooth second-hand sweep. The 8L45 is the same starting point for Grand Seiko’s 9S series which is an 8L45 that gets treated to tighter tolerances and more embellishment. That fact will forever be a King Seiko owner’s pride and so they give is a display caseback to admire said caliber that, speaking figuratively, punches well above it’s weight class. In a very literal sense though, it should be mentioned that the use of titanium does cut the watch’s weight by 40%, making it a package that has presence while staying all-day wearable.
Specs aside, today’s Titanium VANAC stays true to the spirit of the originals giving a beautiful mix of exuberant design and the restraint that is apparent in the fine workmanship. And with it, King Seiko makes good on its promise to be a cut above the rest. The King is back.