Seiko’s “Cronos” line debuted in 1958, and shared the spotlight as a flagship along with the Marvel and Crown lines. The rivalry between Seiko’s two production divisions: Suwa and Daini, is ever present throughout most of the company’s history, and this is no exception. The Marvel was introduced in 1956, and was a great representation of Suwa’s technical capability. Daini answered back with the Cronos two years later, and it must have made quite an impact as Suwa refined the Marvel even further and introduced the Crown line just a year in 1959. If there’s any doubt as to the benefits of healthy internal competition, these mid-century paragons should certainly remove it. Cronos was minimalism at its finest on the surface, and technical prowess underneath. This example from August of 1960 features an impossible to find full Arabic dial. It’s surface is a satin silvery white with a glossy lacquer finish embellished with twelve perfectly balanced applied Arabic numerals in polished gold. The hour and minute hands are broad, beveled dauphines, and a slender tapered sweep ticks off the seconds. Only two lines of script are printed in thick black ink. The case architecture is classic and timeless with a thin frame bordering the dial, and long tapered lugs. Considering it’s age, the finish is in fantastic condition showing very little plating wear through. The case back is stainless steel and the etched markings are heavily worn, but still visible. The Cronos movement is a clean and elegant calibre with no numeric reference, however, it would eventually evolve into the early KS 44. The balance  is a bridge rather than cock as its supported on either side and is shaped like wave. Post service it is keeping time to within a few seconds per day, and winds and sets smoothly. A mid-century modern masterpiece boasting an extremely rare dial, this one will have you waiting in anticipation of opportunities to wear it.

Kvarnsjo Leather Dark Brown Grain Leather with White Reverse Stitching (cheapestnatostraps.com)

Serviced 6/20/19

Diameter- 35mm

Lugs- 18mm