![Seiko 35A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Seiko_35A.jpg)
The Astron wristwatch, formally known as the Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ, was the world's first "
quartz clock
Quartz clocks and quartz watches are timepieces that use an electronic oscillator regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. This crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, so that quartz clocks and watches are at least a ...
"
wristwatch
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
. It is now registered on the
List of IEEE Milestones
The following timeline tables list the discoveries and inventions in the history of electrical and electronic engineering.
History of discoveries timeline
History of associated inventions timeline
List of IEEE Milestones
The following l ...
as a key advance in
electrical engineering.
The Astron was unveiled in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
on December 25, 1969, after ten years of research and development at
Suwa Seikosha (currently named
Seiko Epson
Seiko Epson Corporation, or simply known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano ...
), a manufacturing company of
Seiko Group
is a Japanese corporate group consisting of three core companies Seiko Group Corp. (Seiko), Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) and Seiko Epson Corp (Epson). The three companies are linked by a common thread of timepiece technology. Epson has establi ...
. Within one week 100 gold watches had been sold, at a retail price of 450,000
yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...
(US$1,250) each (at the time, equivalent to the price of a medium-sized car). Essential elements included a XY-type quartz oscillator of (8192 = 2
13), 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.
Anniversaries
In March 2010, at the
Baselworld
Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show is a global trade show of the international watch, jewellery and gem industry, organized each spring in the city of Basel, Switzerland, at the Messeplatz.
The last Baselworld was held March 21–26, 2019. In ...
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.
"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
References and footnotes
*
*
*
alternate version
Further reading
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
website.
* Thompson, Joe
"1969: Seiko’s Breakout Year"
''WatchTime Magazine'', December 20, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seiko Astron (Wristwatch)
Products introduced in 1969
History of electronic engineering
Watch models
Seiko
Epson
Japanese inventions