![]() ![]() The four titanium and four stainless steel models will be offered either with what Seiko calls a super-hard coating (which does not affect the color of the base metal) or with “black hard coating,” completed by bracelets that match the case both in material and in color. This year’s additions include eight regular production and one limited edition model: four variations in steel and four in titanium with super-hard coating, with the flagship limited edition of 7,000 numbered pieces also coming in titanium. All in all this leaves us with two calibers, two sizes and a sum of 26 different models in the Astron line of watches. Seiko communicates that in parallel with producing this 2014 novelty collection they will also keep on offering the larger models–still equipped with the original 7X52 caliber. ![]() That further proves that from Switzerland to Japan, major brands are starting to realize the end of the “oversize craze,” as although we are not seeing brands terminating too many of their beefed-up collections, many of them are starting to offer them in smaller sized alternatives along with the original ones. The end result is that while the original piece measured in at 47 millimeters in diameter and a rather hefty 16.5 in height, the Seiko Astron GPS Solar Chronograph is a more compact 44.6 by 13.3 millimeters.Īlthough that is still medium-to-large in size, it also makes the new model wearable for a much wider range of enthusiasts. The reason why it’s here nonetheless, is that one of the most important advancements that the new caliber presents over its predecessor–beyond the inclusion of a chronograph–is that it is considerably smaller in both diameter and thickness. Looking at the image above you could say “That is a weird shot!” and we would agree, as you don’t see us picturing watches in such awkward positions. Speaking of aesthetics, let’s see what else did Seiko manage to achieve during these two years since the Seiko Astron’s 2012 debut. It will take some extended on-the-wrist time to judge how the new watches perform in terms of readability and wearing comfort on a day-to-day basis, but what we can already say is that despite this modification, the dials on the Seiko Astron retained their superb three-dimensional look and depth. While the 8X82 still has the “one-touch” operation that allowed for a remarkably easy use of the GPS function, it now also incorporates a 6 hour chronograph, a decision which necessitated the use of a tri-compax dial layout. We should add that when the watch is not synced, Seiko claims the movement’s accuracy will fall in between +/- 15 seconds per month, a rate it can maintain between +5 and +35 degrees Celsius. It is, of course, still charged by the solar panel in the dial and it still connects to the GPS network to tell the time with atomic clock precision. Now called the 8X82, it carries all trademark functions of the original while also offering some additional features, more than the subtle change in its name would imply. It is through this global positioning system that the watch will “know” where it is in the world and hence will adjust itself to the correct time of its momentarily location.įor 2014, Seiko redesigned its 7X52 caliber, the one with which the Seiko Astron Solar GPS debuted back in 2012. With GPS watches like the Seiko Astron GPS Solar however, the watch automatically or on the wearer’s demand will connect to a number of satellites orbiting our planet some 12,000 miles above. Given that there are 40 different time zones of course meant that the wearer had to adjust the watch to the time zone of his momentary position while the signal from the atomic clock was to assure to-the-second accuracy. High-end quartz watches of the past would receive radio signals from a handful of atomic clocks situated all over the world, adjusting themselves to the signal received from the nearest clock. For those not yet fully acquainted with GPS signal receiving watches, let me briefly explain what all the fuss is about. ![]()
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