Seiko Chronograph Black Dial Black Leather Men's Watch SKS485

WORLDTEMPUS - 24 December 2012

Billed as the "watch that understands time zones," earlier this year Seiko announced its first solar-powered GPS watch. The Astron GPS uses a patented low-energy receiver that picks up GPS signals and identifies the time zone, time and date using at least four GPS satellites. It covers all 39 time zones, and updates automatically once a day (as well as on demand) to the correct local time when it picks up your location.
The technological developments of the Astron GPS Solar are incredibly important to Seiko, who ranks it up there with the company's most groundbreaking developments: the Spring Drive (1999), the Seiko Kinetic (1988), its first solar-powered watch (1977) and of course, the world's first quartz watch launched in 1969, the Astron - after which this is named. The Astron GPS' moniker came about both because Seiko sees it as similarly innovative to its first quartz, and because it is seen as a horological descendent.
When you think about the fact that Seiko has accrued some one hundred patents for this watch, including for micro GPS technology, it's really quite an astonishing little bit of wrist wear. Many people don't realize that Seiko is a true watch manufacture, and one that takes innovation seriously. It is totally vertically integrated and makes all of its own movements, dials, bracelets, cases, hairsprings and mainsprings.
Technologically complex, easy to use
So, how is the GPS reception in the Astron activated? By pressing on the pusher at 2 o'clock for six seconds, at which point the seconds hand will jump to 6 o'clock to let you know that it is ready to receive the signal. The seconds hand will then jump to the hour number indicating how many satellite signals it is trying to get reception from: for example, if it jumps to 4 o'clock, it is trying to receive information from four satellites. It will then take between 30 seconds and two minutes to receive these signals, at which point your watch will sync. How accurate is it? To one second. If for whatever reason you don't receive a time signal, the accuracy is +/- 15 seconds per month.

The pusher at 4 o'clock is for setting the time zone. A quick push will show your current time zone and then jump back to regular timekeeping. If you push and hold it for more than 4 seconds, you will be able to manually adjust the time zone - use the 2 o'clock (or 4 o'clock) pusher to scroll through the cities listed and then the hands can calibrate to the selected time zone. Press the 10 o'clock pusher to reset to your current time zone. Helpfully, if you need help with operating your watch, Seiko has a dedicated Astron GPS website with instructions.
As well as the time, world time and daylight saving indicator, the Astron GPS boasts a perpetual calendar (correct until February 2100). Its water resistance is 10 bar and magnetic resistance is 4,800 A/m.

Technological advance in a classic Seiko look

At 47 mm in diameter and 16.5 mm thick, it is not a small watch, but it feels more like a 44 mm watch to wear, especially the titanium models, and it sits easily and surprisingly lightly on the wrist. One thing that was harder to pick up in the original launch photos is that this is a very architectural watch. The dial has a lot of actual physical depth, the hour markers stand up in sharp three-dimensional contrast to the rest of the dial. The dial itself is clear and easy to use, the subdials well placed. The dial is a solar panel, but to look at it, you couldn't tell. The Astron GPS is not like the techy watches of the 1970s and 1980s, which were less about the aesthetics and more about the technology; it is very much about technological development, but is a good looking watch as well, its style conservative but classic. 
In addition to five regular production models in steel or titanium (including two titanium models with ceramic bezels), there is a special model with a ceramic bezel created in a limited edition of 2,500 pieces (Ref SAST001) that comes on a silicone strap. All of them have the same functions and specifications, including a dual time subdial, in-flight mode indicator and sapphire crystal with Super-Clear coating. The silicon straps are soft and very comfortable to wear, and make the large case less pronounced a presence on the wrist.

If you are under any illusion of how popular this watch already is, check out this statistic: Seiko had sold a truly astonishing one thousand odd Astron GPS watches in Japan alone in the first week of its launch.

As Seiko puts it, when you step off your plane all you will have to do is to press a button and the time zone adjustment will be virtually automatic, taking approximately six seconds for the time to self-correct and 30 seconds or so to find the time zone. As if this wasn't cool enough, it also includes a perpetual calendar accurate until February 2100, which is plenty of time for most of us.