The Breitling Watch Source Forums

We recieved the new , hotly anticipated, Seiko Astron in the shop today.

The design is a lot nicer than the press pictures led me to believe.

However, the real interest in this £2995 electronic watch is the fact that it can locate the nearest satellite and take the time from it. This means that it will always display any of the 39 time zones and date accurate to within 1 second every 100,000 years.

Each of the satellites orbiting earth have an atomic clock on board.

This truly is the ideal travelling watch.

Here are a few quick and dirty images of the £2995, Titanium and Ceramic, Limited Edition (2500 pieces) version. There is also a £1750 steel version and a £2200 titanium version, which are not Limited Editions.

Better pictures and more information can be obtained here:

www.seiko-astron.com

What do you guys think? As horologists does this type of watch appeal?

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Forum Representative for Andrew Michaels Jewellers, UK

Please visit my Watch Blog at http://www.AndrewMichaels.co.uk

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The sad thing is that none of us will live long enough to hold Seiko to it's claim. Also Seiko can't have tested the materials to ensure it will even last that long. Maybe an archaeologist will find one in a few millennia and marvel at our ingenuity!! A very interesting piece nonetheless..........

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Breitling B-1 1999
Breitling Chrono Superocean 2004
Casio G Shock
Citizen Eco Drive AT4000-02E (for gardening)
Seiko 5 SNZG15J1
Hamilton X Wind LE

It's an interesting design with some serious depth to the dial. It looks very Japanese : there's never any mistaking a Seiko for a Swiss timepiece! (Not that that is a bad thing of course, just an observation).

As a technical tour de force it's no doubt right at the top of it's game, taking the atomic/radio-wave updates used by Casio one step forward into the full GPS realm. (The "issue" - if you can call it that - with Casio's atomic clock download is that not every country on Earth can pick up a singal).

However I still can't help thinking that close on £3000 is a heck of a lot of money, for what is essentially the very niche market of MEGA accurate timepieces.

It's nice enough I guess, but personally, super-accuracy doesn't bother me that much and I can think of plenty of other watches I'd rather spend £3k on.

Thanks for posting it and bringing it to our attention.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

There's an article in IW this month about it as well. I find the use of the Astron name interesting as it's nothing like the original (unlike the anniversary piece a few years ago). I appreciate the technology but it still seems a little bit 'G-Shock with a suit' type of function to me. I know that's a little unfair, but just not worth the money for me. I would be more likely to buy a Grand Seiko (if the designs ever become a little less mainstream).

Interesting watch. It reminds me of Junghans and their ceramic Mega Solar watches. We could not sell them in our stores, as the intensivation of lumination and radio disturbances made it impossible for the watch to synchronise with Frankfurt. And as the movement was a piece of sh...t, the so accurate watches where often minutes (within a week!) off the real time.

BG
Thomas

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http://www.ellert.at

That pretty succinctly sums up the main points of my post!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I'm gutted.

We've only had the Astron four hours and I've just sold it. I didn't really get a chance to have a good play with it.

We all agreed it was very cool though so we're ordering a non-Limited Edition model.

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Forum Representative for Andrew Michaels Jewellers, UK

Please visit my Watch Blog at http://www.AndrewMichaels.co.uk

******Our new Pre-owned watch site www.amjwatches.co.uk is now live*****

Wow, that was quick, Ricardo. It's an interesting piece, but I personally wouldn't pay the money for it.

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Chronomat 01- Sierra Silver/Steel
Navitimer 01- Limited Edition #1337/2000

I'm just not sure about their claim about "accurate to 1 second in 100000 years...

To me, that's not a correct statement, simply because it requires constant input from a satellite to achieve that rate.
It's a lot like saying "this car is guaranteed to always get you to your destination. (constant input from driver required)".

The Seiko SpringDrive... the SQ in our Breitlings... that's accuracy. IMHO, accuracy, at least in my mind, should be autonomous.

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Ad astra per aspera.

I agree with you on that. I have a couple of atomic G-Shocks and they are only spot-on as long as they are able to pick up the signal. I've left one of them in a drawer where it can't pick up the signal and over the course of a month it was off by a second or two - i.e. just like a regular quartz.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I think all self respecting WIS have at least one or two atomic G-Shocks in their collection. We need it to keep the expensive watches set properly LOL,

You're right, I think my G is good for about 10 seconds a month or so if not within range to get the signal.
To my wife's vocal and continuous dislike, I keep my G-Shock on the kitchen counter facing the window lol.

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Ad astra per aspera.

Funny, I keep my in the master bath facing the window. It gets moved once in a while, but I find it and return it to it's proper timekeeping location.

No atomic G-Shocks here, they don't work where I live, but I have two solar models and they live on a table facing the window for similar reasons.

Oh yeah, and as for the thread topic, I noticed that a shop near where I work has a whole window full of Astrons. They look interesting, distinctly Japanese design as aforementioned but the quality looks good. Might have to go in and try one on, for research purposes of course.

the famous last words, before pulling out the credit card.

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Ad astra per aspera.