Seiko Astron Wristwatches

Seiko Astron

All watches keep time, but very few actually change the way time is kept. The Seiko Astron was the world’s first quartz wristwatch. It ushered in a revolution that toppled giants and reshaped an industry long dominated by Swiss mechanical watch manufacturers. Modern incarnations of the Astron continue to explore the boundaries of innovation and accuracy that the original pushed more than 50 years ago.

A Weapon for a Revolution

Rolex, Patek, Omega and Blancpain immediately come to mind as legendary watch brands that defined mechanical watchmaking for centuries. In 1969, it is unlikely that these stalwart brands considered Japan’s Seiko to be a serious threat to the Swiss-dominated business. At the time, though, Seiko’s output eclipsed all other manufacturers. 

Seiko’s drive to innovate in terms of both functionality and processes was well known. The company launched its quartz watch “Project 59A” development plan in 1959 and five years later introduced the Crystal Chronometer quartz tabletop clock. Seiko swept the Neuchâtel Observatory competition with its quartz pocket watch in 1967. Afterward the company focused resources on an aggressive one-year plan to miniaturize the movement and commercialize a quartz wristwatch. 

Seiko launched the first shot of the revolution on Christmas Day 1969 when the Astron 35SQ was revealed. Inside the 18-karat solid gold case was Seiko’s Caliber 35, a tuning-fork-shaped quartz oscillator that was accurate to +/- 5 seconds per month. With accuracy of +/- 500 seconds per month on the best mechanical movements, Seiko’s quartz movement offered a monumental improvement. In addition the battery lasted a year and required no winding or maintenance. 

Seiko initially produced between 100 and 200 of the solid 18-karat gold-cased units priced at $1,250; all sold immediately. The company likely made about 1,500 Astrons by the time the company discontinued the watch in June 1970 to produce more affordable quartz watches. Regardless of volume, the magnitude of Seiko’s quartz innovation cannot be overstated. It was quickly scaled by others in the industry. By the end of the decade ahead, more than 1,000 of the 1,600 Swiss watch manufacturers that operated in 1970 were no longer in business.

The Astron Returns

After disappearing for 42 years, the solar-powered second-generation Astron 7X series launched in 2012. The GPS Solar Astron uses GPS to automatically adjust to local time and deliver accuracy of +/- 1 second every 100,000 years. The watch supports all of the world’s 39 time zones by comparing GPS coordinates to an onboard database of the Earth’s surface. Sync happens automatically but can also be executed manually, and connectivity occurs through an antenna placed inside the bezel. 

The 7X’s antenna had a diameter of 38mm, which dictated the 47mm x 16.5mm-thick case design. Seiko reduced the antenna diameter by 3mm in 2014’s 8X. Then it shrunk the diameter to 10mm x 10mm for the 5X in 2018 before integrating it into the face of the 2019 3X. Each iteration also resulted in reduced case sizes culminating in the 3X, a Japanese domestic market (JDM) women’s version measuring 39.8mm x 12.9mm thick. Along the way, the speed of GPS syncing was reduced from up to several minutes to only three seconds. 

Seiko Astron Design and Features

The first-generation Astron was a simple gold three-hand watch with a textured surface that was created by hand using a leutor. Its 41mm x 12.7mm-thick cushion case was designed to convey luxury and appear as thin as possible. The baton hands and hour markers were highlighted by a black vertical hairline. They rested on a simple gold face with the Quartz Astron designation and Seiko name and logo. A 50th-anniversary 50-unit limited edition of the original Astron was released in 2019. True to the Astron 35SQ’s form, this $36,000 watch was a GPS solar version based on the 3X. Its caseback was engraved with “Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Quartz Astron, released on Dec 25, 1969.”

At 47mm, the Astron 7X is an imposing timepiece. Available in steel or titanium with a ceramic bezel, its dimensional luminous blue hour markers appear to float between the black bezel and dial. The 7X has a date window at 3 o’clock, a second time zone register at 6 o’clock and a solar charge indicator at 9 o’clock. A screw-down crown at 3 o’clock and pushers at 2, 4 and 10 o’clock control functions best described in the watch’s 57-page manual. As the impact of the antenna’s dimensions on the design lessened, the 8X, 5X and 3X took on a more traditional racing watch feel. Notable variants include:

• The 8X82 Astron GPS Chronograph, a 44.6mm three-register chronograph available in steel and titanium
• The Novak Djokovic Limited Editions released in 2014 (Reference 8X82-000, 2,500 units), 2017 (SBXB143, 5,000 units) and 2020 (5X53-0AT0, 1,500 units) 
• The SSHO73 Seiko Astron Hattori 2,500-unit limited edition 5X series, released in 2020 to celebrate the founder of Seiko’s 160th birthday

Astron Value and Collectibility

First-generation Astron watches are rarely seen on the resale market, though collectors suggest that values would easily stretch into six figures. Average value on the 7X in 2021 is roughly $600-$850. The 8X tends toward higher prices with regular production models typically in the $1,200-$1,800 range. Watches from the 5X series are significantly more valuable, with average prices about $2,000 for preowned models.  Retail prices for the JDM 3X are in the $2,600-$3,000 range.