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There are many vintage Seiko watches popular with Seiko enthusiasts, and for good reason - Seiko discovered the secret to manufacturing mass-produced stylish and affordable watches.

 

And it made a lot of them...

 

One of these is the white gold 1968 Seiko 1020-0010 Queen Seiko mechanical dress watch here.  Dainty by design, this watch is a perfect accompaniment for a night out on the town.

 

This Queen Seiko is powered by Seiko's 1020 manual-winding movements jewel, 19,800bph

 

The dial design is superb, with shiny silver applied hour indices complimented by a crystal faceted on the inside, for a look that appears pure Seiko "Grammar of Design" utilized by the company's high-end King and Grand Seiko dress watches - a fantastic and stylish combination.  And why shouldn't utilize the Grammar of Design?  The Queen Seiko was designed to accompany the King Seiko, after all, and came in a variety of metal, to include platinum.

 

Speaking of the Grammar of Design, in the early 1960s, Seiko hired a young designer by the name of Taro Tanaka, who created a set of design principles he called “The Grammar of Design.”  In 1962, Tanaka noticed Swiss watches "sparkled brilliantly" and realized the design of high-end Seiko watches could be radically improved through the implementation of "flat and conical surfaces perfectly smooth and free of distortion."

 

This "Grammar of Design" was implemented in Grand Seiko and King Seiko lines from 1967 and made these lines instantly recognizable as status symbols in the hierarchical Japanese business world of the 1960s and 1970s.

 

Tanaka’s rules would go on to fundamentally change Seiko’s design language.  All surfaces and angles of the case, dial, indices and hands had to be flat and geometrically perfect to best reflect light.  Following this aesthetic, the bezels were to be simple two-dimensional faceted curves.  And third, no visual distortion from any angle was allowed, and all cases and dials had to be mirror-finished.  In “A Journey in Time: The Remarkable Story of Seiko,” Tanaka’s approach to the new style is described as follows:
 

“He started by creating cases and dials that had a perfectly flat surface, with two-dimensional curves on the bezel as a secondary feature. Three-dimensional curves were not used, as a general rule. He also decided that all distortion should be eliminated from the dial, too, so that it could be finished with a mirror surface. This formed the basis for the new Seiko style.”

 

This ladies Queen Seiko comes on a Seiko OEM lizard strap, with rugged travel case, and springbar tool.

White Gold 1968 Seiko 1020-0010 Queen Seiko Womens Dress Watch

$299.99Price
  • DIAL: White Queen Seiko-signed dial, no imperfections.

     

    CASE: Slender white gold-plated case measures 19mm (21m including crown) x 25mm, with matching caseback.  Drilled case lugs make for easy strap replacement.

     

    CRYSTAL: Highly unique interior-faceted crystal, no cracks or deep scratches.

     

    BAND: This Queen Seiko 1020 comes on a grey Seiko OEM lizard strap.

     

    MOVEMENT: Seiko 23-jewel and 19,800 bph Calibre 1020 manual-winding mechanical movement, manufactured in December 1968. 

     

    CROWN: Stainless-steel unsigned crown.

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