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 creature, that is depicted as being a combination of all of the animals from the Chinese zodiac. It has the head of a rat, the ears of a rabbit, the horns of an ox, the comb of a rooster, the beard of a goat, the neck of a dragon, the mane of a horse, the shoulders of a tiger, the arms of a monkey, the back of a boar, the hind legs of a dog, and the tail of a snake.
As a result, the dial is adorned with two Kotobuki as a way to offer congratulations and a long life to the Emperor. As a very limited edition JDM from 1973 that's not very easy to track these down in the West, especially not in this condition
Features:
Year Produced: November 1973
The Theme: The 21-3210 comes in two colour options; gold and white gold; both are plated in 18kt gold (Gold and White Gold, respectively). 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. Pay particularly close attention to the raised etchings of the two Kotobuki on the dial.
Condition: In very good condition overall. The White Gold is untarnished, and any marks are cosmetic and small. The strap is not original, but it is in keeping with the original design.
Scope: This watch comes with the original price tag and buckle, but the leather straps is an aftermarket piece.
Movement: Manual Wind, 19800 bph, 47 Power Reserve, 23 Jewels
Dimensions:
- Lug to Lug: 33.6mm
- Case Width: 32.5mm
- Case Thickness: 8.1mm
- Strap Width: 17.0mm
