Seiko has been price walking its watches for a few years now, but on the upside demand on the used market for Seiko watches is generally strong, arguably stronger than for some Citizen and Casio models, so maybe Seiko is a true investment watch? Maybe so, certainly an early Astron is now worth big money, but then not many quartz movements from the 1970s are still shaking the crystal nicely.
The latest Astron range look stunning, there’s no debate about that, but with prices starting at £1800, you really, really, have to love a quartz watch to invest that kind of wedge. Two grand buys a nice pre-owned Tudor, a brand new Swiss automatic dive, dress or tool watch. OK, not a Rolex, Omega, IWC, Vacheron, Hublot or similar premier league brand, but still few would turn down a Rado Captain Cook with bronze case for example.
So Seiko has its work cut out we think, as nice as the new Astrons are. One detail that strikes you immediately is how very AP the case edges, the patterned dials are, which is a good thing, a homage element perhaps? The trend continues with the integrated bracelet too. These watches are bound to feel 100% luxury in every way, so maybe the answer is to get the feel of them in the metal, in a Seiko shop. But for just another grand on top you could pick up a used Grand Seiko and that is a tempting alternative. Here’s the word from Seiko;
This new series includes three watches that will join the main Astron collection, with dials in blue, grey, and black, and a limited-edition watch with a unique, horizontally-striped design. All four watches will be available at the Seiko Boutiques and select retail stores worldwide from July 2023.
The new series has a dynamic presence thanks to the dimensional case and the faceted bezel with hairline finishing on top, which contrasts with the polished sides. The case lines flow seamlessly through the lugs to an integrated bracelet that has a sharp design that matches the angular case to give the watches a refined appearance. This bracelet tapers neatly toward the clasp, reinforcing its harmonious and graceful look. The titanium case and bracelet have a scratch-resistant super-hard coating, and thanks to the titanium’s light weight and the case’s low center of gravity, the watches sit comfortably on the wrist.
All four watches feature a dial with a simple design with a single sub-dial at 8 o’clock that indicates the receiving process of GPS satellites as well as the watch’s charging status, leap second data receipt, and in-flight mode. Matched to the color of the bezel, the applied indexes and the hour and minute hands, all filled with Lumibrite, enable easy reading in every viewing condition. The blue, grey, and black dials feature a pattern that evokes the quartz crystals used to create the tuning fork-shaped quartz oscillators of the original Quartz Astron introduced by Seiko in 1969. The Astron name, long associated with accuracy, has been carried on by the Astron GPS Solar series since 2012.
Each of the new watches is powered by a new GPS Solar movement, Caliber 3X62, whose enhanced reception of solar signals allowed for greater freedom in design. The watch connects automatically up to twice a day to the GPS network to maintain its precision of one second every 100,000 years.
When the dial detects sunlight, the watch connects to the GPS satellite network and adjusts automati cally to the correct time. If the watch is hidden from light, it remembers the time of its last successful manual connection and attempts to receive the GPS signal again at that same time.
The limited-edition watch features the same design characteristics as the other three creations but has a dial with horizontal stripes in alternating shades of grey.