It is almost as if the three big Japanese brands – Seiko, Citizen and Casio – had passed the word around: 2014 will be the year of the GPS watch, capable of displaying the exact time instantaneously, wherever you may be on the planet.
Seiko thus presents its new Astron GPS Solar, which combines solar power and GPS function in a magnificent design; Citizen unveils its new Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F100 with a high-sensitivity antenna; and Casio launches its G-Shock GPW-1000, the first watch that is capable of receiving both radio wave and GPS signals!

 New design for the SEIKO ASTRON GPS SOLAR

Last year Seiko presented its Astron GPS solar at BaselWorld. This watch could automatically adjust to any of the different time zones around our planet. Furthermore, it uses solar power to do so. This technological breakthrough was made possible when the engineers at Seiko succeeded in simultaneously harnessing the signal from four or more satellites in order to determine precisely the position of the watch and immediately display local time, wherever in the world it may be. You simply have to press a pushbutton to activate the signal receiver.

Astron GPS Solar by Seiko

Specifications:
Calibre 7X52 GPS-controlled time and time zone adjustment. Hour, minute and second hands, date, perpetual calendar correct to February 2100. Signal reception result indication. World time function (39 time zones). Daylight saving time function. Power saving function. Accuracy: +/-15 seconds per month (without receiving a time signal and at temperatures between 5°C and 35°C) Case diameter: 48.1 mm, thickness: 18.1mm. Stainless steel, or stainless steel with pink gold-colour hard coating or with black hard coating. Screw-down crown and screw case back. Water resistance 10 bar, magnetic resistance 4,800 A/m Extra-strength silicon band with three-fold clasp with push button release or crocodile strap with three-fold clasp with push button release. Approximate recommended retail prices in Europe: Euro 2,300 to Euro 2,400.

According to the brand’s executives, “in just a few months, this Astron GPS Solar has gained a big audience”. So this watch whose name “Astron” comes from the world’s first quartz watch, launched by Seiko in 1969, has been a commercial success.

At BaselWorld this year, Seiko presents a new design for this high technology piece.

Let us be clear: it is a brilliant success in terms of design. It is a design inspired by the view of the Earth from outer space: a blue sphere floating in space. The dome-shaped sapphire crystal that entirely covers the case middle, which does not have a bezel, gives a genuinely space-like impression. This complex sapphire crystal – 10 hours of polishing for each one – protects (like a thin atmospheric layer) a luminous dial marked by four large blue hour markers. Decorated by a representation of the Earth viewed from above the northern hemisphere at the centre, it has the codes of the towns and their time difference to UTC (Universal Time Coordinated), based on International Atomic Time (TAI). The different time zones, printed in bold on the edge of the dial, are perfectly readable, including on the side of the watch, thanks to the dome-shaped crystal.
A splendid success.

 Thinner, lighter, faster…
The new CITIZEN ECO-DRIVE SATELLITE WAVE F100

Citizen’s Eco-Drive Satellite Wave, launched in 2011 as a concept watch, was the brand’s first light-powered watch capable of synchronising with GPS satellites to display the correct time anywhere in the world. The first series-produced models using this technology were presented at BaselWorld last year in the form of the Eco-Drive Satellite Wave Air, with improved antennae sensitivity that ensured the world’s fastest signal reception speed, and the Eco-Drive Altichron Cirrus, with an altimeter function.

Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F100 by Citizen

Specifications:
F100 Eco-Drive movement with satellite timekeeping system with worldwide reception, world time in 40 cities, perpetual calendar and power reserve indicator; accuracy +/- 5 seconds per month; case diameter 45.4mm, thickness 12.4mm, in titanium with matching titanium bracelet.

Both of these models sported highly technical designs that reflected the enormous amount of research that had spawned the miniaturised technology beneath their dials. But the next generation of this technology, which Citizen is introducing this year, has understatement as its byword. Thinner and lighter, with a titanium case, the new Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F100 now captures the signals from GPS satellites orbiting 20,000 kilometres above the Earth in just three seconds (over twice as fast as the previous model) and its hands immediately adjust to display the correct time in any of the 40 recognised time zones around the world.

Despite brimming with technology, the dial is a model of understatement, with a clear display of central hours, minutes and seconds and date at 3 o’clock in the most conventional of arrangements. The only other indications are the discreet “NO”, “RX” and “OK” around the top of the dial (RX indicates a that the watch is in reception mode, then OK will indicate that a signal has been received or NO will indicate that no signal has been received) and an offset subdial underneath for the day of the week and a new indicator, subdivided into seven increments, that shows the level of light that is shining on the dial for charging the watch. The large angular facets of the 45mm case are a refreshing new design reminiscent of watches from the 1970s. The bezel is flush with the edge of the case, which opens up the dial even more and adds to the clarity. The three-letter abbreviations for the world’s major time zones are etched on the outer edge of the crystal, which also aids with clarity.

What the Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F100 loses in weight and clutter, however, it gains in accuracy, since the new F100 Eco-Drive movement offers accuracy to within +/- 5 seconds per month – three times more accurate than the previous model. It will be available from autumn 2014 in three versions: with black and silver dials on the titanium case and, as a limited edition of 500, with a coated titanium case and polyeurethane/titanium bracelet.

  CASIO, “SYNCHRONIZED TIMEPIECES”

The main theme chosen by Casio for BaselWorld 2014 is “Synchronized Timepieces”. It is best seen in two watches, a new double-synchronized G-Shock and an Edifice that can be connected to a mobile telephone using Bluetooth® v4.0 technology.

The G-Shock GPW-1000, with an analogue display, is the world’s first watch to use a hybrid system that can receive GPS signals and combine them with radio wave signals. The latter do not cover the entire planet. They are transmitted by six different stations, covering the territories of China, Japan, the four time zones of the USA, Great Britain and Germany.

G-Shock GPW-1000 by Casio

By combining the reception of these radio signals and the GPS satellite signals, the new G-Shock can display the exact time – regardless of changes between summer and winter time – anywhere on the planet. Technically speaking, the watch uses Multi-Band 6 technology to receive the radio waves in the areas covered by this system (which is in turn controlled by atomic clocks and relayed by powerful antennas) and automatically switches to GPS reception where the signal is no longer available. The G-Shock PGPW-1000 is fitted with a very low-energy GPS LSI chip which has been specifically developed together with Sony for use in a wristwatch.

Another analogue and connected new watch, the Edifice EQB-50, connects to your smartphone using Bluetooth® technology. It has a Bluetooth® Low Energy LSI ML7105 chip developed with Lapis Semiconductor Co. While displaying time information from a smartphone, the watch allows its world time and alarm functions to be set from the same smartphone.

Both concept models feature Casio’s unique Multi-Mission Drive, which enables each watch hand to perform multiple functions. They are also equipped with a new shape of solar cell and motors that are 26 per cent smaller than before. These advancements have allowed Casio to create high-performance devices in the form of classic analogue watches, while maintaining outstanding readability and ease of use.

Source: Europa Star April - May 2014 Magazine Issue