DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles
The Seiko Astron as a series has its place in the history books of timekeeping. It began as the world’s first quartz watch in 1969. It has kept with progress of technology, and introduced the world’s first solar power GPS watch in 2012. This Baselworld, they introduced a new, smaller GPS Solar movemnt in the form of the Caliber 8X22. We review the new series, including the limited edition Ref SSE091 with mother of pearl dial, and the other references.
Seiko Astron: Historical perspectives
One of the seven versions using the 8X22 movement. This is the SSE087, with a black dial in a polished hardered titanium case and bracelet.
The 8X22 is a new Astron caliber being featured in 7 new references released in Baselworld 2016. It is the latest chapter in the life of the very interesting Seiko Astron series which originated as the world’s first quartz watch.
The Astron series began life as the world’s first quartz watch movement in the form of the Caliber 35 announced in Tokyo on Christmas Day 1969. It claimed and achieved an amazing accuracy of +/- 5 seconds per month, far better than any mechanical movement. The movement used a small, thin, stepper motor which moved the second hand only once per second. This behavior was similar to mechanical watches fitted with seconds morte mechanisms. However, it did so to conserve energy rather than to allow time to be read to the second with great precision.
The quartz oscillator proved to be very shock-resistant, completely immune to magnetism and worked at a very low voltage, ensuring a battery life of one full year. Interestingly, although quartz watches would later develop a reputation as inexpensive timepieces for the masses, the first one was decidedly luxurious, boasting of an 18k gold case. And had a retail price of ¥450,000 (then about US$ 1,500). As a comparison, the Toyota Corolla LE was ¥432,000 when it was released in 1966. Despite its high price, it sold 100 pieces within the first week.
The historical Astron on the left was the world’s first quartz watch. Sold for US$ 1,500 in 1969, the equivalent of a small car in Japan in those days. And on the right, the Astron GPS Solar introduced in 2012.
In 2012, the Astron GPS Solar watch was introduced. It is an analog, solar-powered watch that receives GPS satellite signals and adjusts to the precise local time anywhere on Earth. It did so by using GPS technology, and was the first solar powered watch do so.
When GPS signals are received, the second hand starts moving, indicates the number of satellites that it is in synchronization with. Once the required number is connected, usually 5 or 6, it automatically adjusts itself to display the correct current time according to the satellite data. It can do this automatically once a day, or on demand at the push of a button. Upon arrival at a new timezone, a simple push of the button is all that is required to bring the watch’s local time to the correct time, accounting even for Daylight Savings.
This is a major breakthrough in two areas. The first […]
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