Seiko 1969 Quartz Astron

On December 25th fifty years ago, Seiko introduced the world’s first quartz wristwatch. It was a watch that revolutionized the watchmaking industry and its launch remains one of the most important landmarks in Seiko’s history.
The Quartz Astron set a new standard in wristwatch precision with an accuracy rate of ±5 seconds per month, made possible by several technological advances including the tuning fork shaped quartz oscillator and the open type step motor which are still standard components of quartz watches today. Soon after the launch of the Quartz Astron, Seiko opened most of its patents to the world, a move that helped bring the advan-tages of quartz timekeeping within the reach of all. In 2004, the Quartz Astron received the IEEE Milestone Award for its breakthrough contribution which is today widely used not only in horology but also in a vast range of other electronic applications. The Seiko Quartz Astron is recognized as one of Japan’s greatest achievements, giving all mankind access to high preci-sion timekeeping and changing the way time was told around the world.
The Astron name was revived in 2012 when the world’s first GPS solar watch was launched. Like its predecessor, the Astron GPS Solar took electronic watchmaking to new levels with its ability to connect to the GPS network and adjust to every time zone* at the touch of a button while taking all the energy it needed from light, never needing a battery change.