I was initially transfixed by the Seiko Astron. Hunched over my desk in London, it sat in its jet black, almost futuristic case – no ticking, no noise – with the appearance of something more suited to the wrist of an astronaut, or James Bond during one of his more frenetic missions in the deepest of wildernesses.
It looked comfortable, as if it wasn’t meant to be taken out of its box, but remain an ornament to spur me on my keyboard tappings; a beacon of functional art. I soon came to, for to leave such a timepiece in its casing would be like staying in bed all day while on holiday in the Serengeti: a complete, inexcusable waste.
Because here’s the thing: this is no usual watch. While I sit staring at this computer screen, twiddling my thumbs and longing for my next coffee, the Astron is treading new ground, in contact with a number of GPS satellites fizzing around the Earth some 20,000km from the Capital. Welcomes, gents, to the world’s first GPS solar watch.
This is the wizard of watches, a Harry Potter among primates. At the risk of getting too tech heavy, what this GPS means is that whenever the dial is exposed to the sky, the watch automatically receives satellite signals, adjusting the hands to the exact time depending on the time zone you are in. The corrective rotation is as fast as it is memorising when you first capture it, and the 30 cities etched around the bezel indicate its range and ability.
A watch brand ripping up the script of traditional horology – a boundary that they have aspired to permeate since 1881 – Seiko have sought an ambassador of equal, record-breaking status. And in tennis world number one Novak Djokovic they have their man. Much like he to the sport, and the brand to innovation, the Astron imbues power to its wearer; both stylish and hugely efficient, with a double-coated sapphire glass screen that is nigh on invisible to the naked eye a neat additional touch. While receiving signals from faraway satellites, the Astron is sure to make waves across the globe. Needless to say, the case on my desk remains empty…
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