Engineering:Astron (wristwatch)
The Astron wristwatch, formally known as the Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ, was the world's first "quartz clock" wristwatch. It is now registered on the List of IEEE Milestones as a key advance in electrical engineering.
History
The Astron was unveiled in Tokyo on December 25, 1969, after ten years of research and development at Suwa Seikosha (currently named Seiko Epson), a manufacturing company of Seiko Group. Within one week 100 gold watches had been sold, at a retail price of 450,000 yen (US$1,250) each (at the time, equivalent to the price of a medium-sized car).[1] Essential elements included a XY-type quartz oscillator of 8192 Hz (8192 = 213), a hybrid integrated circuit, and a phase locked ultra-small stepping motor to turn its hands. According to Seiko, Astron was accurate to ±5 seconds per month or one minute per year, and its battery life was 1 year or longer.[2]
Anniversaries
In March 2010, at the Baselworld watch fair and trade show in Switzerland, Seiko previewed a limited edition new version of the watch and related designs of the original Astron watch, commemorating the fortieth anniversary in December 2009 of the debut of the Astron watch.[3]
Second Generation
Seiko used the "Astron" trademark again as "Seiko Astron" when it released a satellite radio-wave solar-powered wristwatch using GPS satellites in 2012.[4]
50th Anniversary Model
In 2019, Seiko released several limited edition Astron models to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the quartz Astron.[5][6] Among them, the model produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces (3.8 million yen) mimics the original case design and has a rough engraving pattern by craftsmen belonging to Epson's "Micro Artist Workshop".[6]
Footnotes
- "IEEE History Center: Electronic Quartz Wristwatch, 1969". IEEE. http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Electronic_Quartz_Wristwatch%2C_1969.
- "Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ December 1969: The quartz watch that revolutionized horological history". Seiko Epson. http://global.epson.com/company/corporate_history/milestone_products/05_35sq.html.
- "The Watch That Changed Horological History". Seiko Epson. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100331142657/http://global.epson.com/newsroom/epson_story/pdf/EpsonStory02E.pdf. (alternate version )
References
- ↑ The price of Toyota Corolla E10 was 432,000 yen (US$1,200) when it was released in 1966.[1]
- ↑ "Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ". Seiko Epson Corporation. https://global.epson.com/company/corporate_history/milestone_products/pdf/05_35sq.pdf. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ↑ "The new SEIKO Quartz Astron: A demonstration of SEIKO’s four decades of dedication to the perfection of the quartz watch", Seiko press release, March 18, 2010
- ↑ 世界初。全世界39のタイムゾーンに対応。ソーラーGPSウオッチ<セイコー アストロン>衛星シグナルをキャッチし、地球上どこでも現在時刻をすばやく取得 - セイコープレスリリース（2012年3月5日）
- ↑ クオーツ アストロン 50周年記念限定モデル - セイコー
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "セイコー、「クオーツ アストロン」誕生50周年を記念したトリビュートモデルを数量限定発売". トラベル Watch. 2019-11-01. https://travel.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1216194.html. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
Further reading
- "Seiko Quartz 35 SQ: The Seiko 35 SQ Astron was the first quartz watch on the market", Smithsonian Institution website.
- Thompson, Joe, "1969: Seiko’s Breakout Year", WatchTime Magazine, December 20, 2009
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