Quartz Commemorative Edition

In 1969, the original Quartz Astron was the first watch in the world to use quartz technology, and it changed the way the world told time. Today, four decades later, the new Quartz Astron redefines the precision, power and durability of the quartz watch with 10-second-a-year accuracy, instantaneous date change, a high-torque stepping motor, and super-precise alignment of the second hand. It houses the SEIKO quartz caliber, 9F62, which may well be the most advanced quartz caliber ever built.Accuracy to a remarkable 10 seconds a yearThis is achieved by the use of specially selected quartz crystals whose precision at different temperatures is individually monitored over several weeks. The performance characteristics of each crystal are then fed into the watch's IC, which then compensates for any variation throughout the life of the watch.Display of time as precise as its timekeepingTo do justice to the high accuracy of the movement, every aspect of the watch's display of time is at a new level of precision. At precisely midnight, the date changes instantly. In fact, thanks to a special lever, the date change is completed in 1/2,000 of a second, a speed at which its change eludes the human eye. Similarly, the second hand aligns itself exactly to each second marker, a feature that is not possible in a conventional quartz watch.Large hands like a mechanical watchThe hands are larger and therefore heavier than on any conventional quartz watch. The use of larger hands is made possible by the use of a unique IC that delivers two pulses per second, rather than the one on most of the quartz movements.More reliable than any other quartz watchTo maintain the accuracy at this high level throughout the long life of the watch, the movement is enclosed in a super-sealed cover so that no dust enters the mechanism to ensure long-term reliability.To create the 9F62 caliber required complete mastery of both electronic and mechanical timekeeping. Indeed, it is the synergy of these two areas of expertise that has made possible the advances in accuracy and reliability. For example, to make the second hand align exactly to the markers required the addition of a “backlash auto adjustment system” based on a balance spring. SEIKO's skills in high-grade mechanical watchmaking have allowed advances in a quartz watch.