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The great irony of Seiko’s status as the king of affordable automatic watches is that, a few decades ago, the company nearly destroyed the mechanical watch industry.
Seiko’s Astron, which debuted in 1969, was the first commercially available quartz watch, and the technology was so disruptive that it nearly ended mechanical watchmaking.
Thanks to a new generation of enthusiasts’ appreciation for the craft, the watch industry has fully bounced back from the “Quartz Crisis.” Electronic and analog timekeeping now happily coexist.
Seiko may be a leader in making automatic movements affordable and advancing mechanical accuracy, but the brand that invented quartz watches has not abandoned that field.
The Astron line is still alive and well, showcasing the Japanese watchmaker’s most advanced timekeeping technology. Most references prioritized performance over looks, but the simplified time-and-date SSJ series blends unparalleled accuracy with beautiful design.
The new Astron SSJ037 is the most refined iteration yet. Its integrated titanium sports watch case and bracelet, with a super-hard coating for extreme durability, are complemented by a metallic geometric dial for a suave, modernist aesthetic.
