A LOOK AT THE TWO HISTORIC SUB-BRAND
First Lord Marvel, 1958 / Credit: Seiko
Seiko, like many brands, has often created sub-brands to try to target different categories of consumers. Today, Seiko has brands like Credor, Grand Seiko, and Orient that do just that. But there are two important Seiko sub-brands in the vintage watch world that were once very prominent that are now defunct: King Seiko and Lord Marvel.
Lord Marvel is actually the older of the two, and older than Grand Seiko, with the first Lord Marvel movement/watch being produced in 1958 by Suwa Seikosha (two years before the first GS). The Lord Marvel was a successor to the Marvel (1956) and was Seiko’s flagship watch when it was released. It was not only the first true luxury watch for the Japanese company but also Japan’s first hi-beat movement – a technical ‘marvel’.
First Lord Marvel’s movement, 1958 / Credit: Seiko
Not long after, Seiko released one of the most well recognized Lord Marvels today, the LM5740, with 36,000 bph! This was significant because it was officially released mere months after the release of the Girard-Perregaux Gyromatic Caliber 32A, in 1966 – a watch that is widely lauded as being the first and one of the best hi-beat chronometers. Remember 36,000 bph means 10 beats per second. The LM5740 (5740-8000) was produced between 1967 and the late 1970s (it was still available in Japan after it was already discontinued internationally), and remains an important accomplishment both for the Suwa division that made them and Seiko itself. Lord Marvel as a collection was discontinued in the late 1970s.
An important thing to consider is that at the time, Suwa and Daini Seikosha were two competing watch factories under the wider Seiko umbrella. So, where Lord Marvel was meant to be the flagship, high-end offering from Suwa Seikosha (replaced by Grand Seiko in 1960); the King Seiko line was created by Daini Seikosha to compete directly with Grand Seiko! In fact, the first King Seiko was released the year after the first Grand Seiko, in 1961. The first King Seikos were made with unmarked, manual winding, 25 jewel movements, that were not internally tested chronometers. This was followed by the release of the 44KS in 1964. The 44KS was a remake of the 44GS; manual winding, 18,000 bph, with a screwdown case back. In 1968, the 45KS was introduced, a manual winding, 36,000 bph hi-beat movement – again meant to compete with the 45GS but generally less accurate and with less finishing. (GS was chronometer grade.) These first two were produced by Daini but one of the most impressive King Seiko’s, the 56KS, was actually made by Suwa! The King Seiko 56xx movements were the same as those used in Grand Seiko’s 56GS series, Lord Matic watches, and Seiko chronometers. It was also introduced in 1968 and featured an automatic, 28,800 bph movement with 25 jewels and a 47-hour power reserve. These watches were all marked ‘Hi-Beat’ on the dial despite being only 28,800 bph (instead of 36,000). The 56KS was made until 1975 when the King Seiko line was discontinued by the company.
Seiko Lord Marvel ref. J14038 / Special Dial
The last King Seiko collection was made by Daini, and was the 52KS, starting off in 1971 with the 5245s and 5246s. These were meant to be high-end chronometers, with some even marked “Special” on the dial. Unfortunately, a few years after the King Seiko line was discontinued in 1975.
What’s most interesting to me, as a collector interested in all three of these sub-brands, is the fact that all of them were made to compete with each other, even if perception today dictates that Grand Seiko is the superior sub-brand. Personally, I kind of like the allure of a defunct brand like Lord Marvel or King Seiko, there’s a uniqueness to it and a sense of something special knowing that they were right up there with Grand Seiko and are no longer produced today.
The LM5740, the 56KS – two models that punched high above their weight – as can be expected from vintage Seiko.
By: Andres Ibarguen