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[WTS] "Kotobuki" Seiko (ref 21-3210); released in 1973 to celebrate Emperor Hirohito's 50th Wedding Anniversary

watch.source.namePosted by ProvenanceWatches in reddit.com
$55

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[WTS] "Kotobuki" Seiko (ref 21-3210); released in 1973 to celebrate Emperor Hirohito's 50th Wedding Anniversary 1
Thumbnail [WTS] "Kotobuki" Seiko (ref 21-3210); released in 1973 to celebrate Emperor Hirohito's 50th Wedding Anniversary 1

[WTS] "Kotobuki" Seiko (ref 21-3210); released in 1973 to celebrate Emperor Hirohito's 50th Wedding Anniversary

watch.source.namePosted by ProvenanceWatches in reddit.com
$55

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**The "Wedding Anniversary" Seiko** (ref 21-3210) was made in 1973 to celebrate Emperor Hirohito's upcoming 50th Wedding Anniversary. The watch is often simply referred to as 寿 in Japan, which means "Kotobuki" or Congratulations/Long life. Interestingly, "Kotobuki" is also the word for a Yōkai, or mythical Japanese creature, that is depicted as being a combination of the 12 animals from the Chinese zodiac. As a result, the dial is adorned with two Kotobuki as a way to offer congratulations and a long life to the Emperor. This was a very limited JDM release 1973 that's not very easy to track these down in the West, especially in this immaculate condition. **Produced in:** November 1973 Here’s a [video of the watch in action](https://streamable.com/ip1abd) **The Theme:** The 21-3210 comes in two colour options; gold and silver. The gold one, as you might expect is rarer and more desirable, but both are hard to get hold of. Designed as an elegant dress watch, to be worn during celebrations for the Emperor's wedding anniversary, this square shaped manual wind vintage piece has a lot going on visually speaking. Pay particularly close attention to the raised etchings across the dial. **Condition:** Near brand new condition. Some incredibly minor hairline scratches on the case back, but the dial, crystal and case front are all near perfect. I’ve had the gold and silver reference before, but I’ve never seen one with a dial that is free from all patina. The dial looks months old rather than 51 years old. The crystal is in great condition. Running well with a strong amplitude for a watch this old (~210+ degrees), and regulated to an average of +/- 19 seconds per day across three positions. **Scope:** It gets interesting. This watch comes with the original price tags, the original golden buckle (the unoriginal strap on the watch is using a different buckle) and the [original spare dial](https://i.imgur.com/JCkTEEs.jpeg). Yes, a spare dial! The spare dial is a non-Kotobuki version of the dial, i.e. a “plain” dial. My understanding is that people were expected to use the Kotobuki dial during the 50th Anniversary year, and then switch to the plain dial for the “non-anniversary” years that followed. That seems like a hassle, and I’d love to know how many people actually did it! **Movement:** Manual Wind, 19800 bph, 23 Jewels **Dimensions:** Lug to Lug: 33.6mm Case Width: 32.5mm Case Thickness: 8.1mm Strap Width: 17.0mm **Price:** It’s rare, and I do see others for sale in the thousands, but that seems silly. Given the incredible condition, and the additional pieces it comes with, I’m listing it at $650 + shipping (sent from London, UK; costs $5-$55 depending on where you are in the world). I accept Wise, Paypal and Bank Transfer, depending on your transaction history. [Album](https://imgur.com/a/FiINJiZ) [Timestamp](https://imgur.com/a/9z2cT0f)

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