Post by timelessluxwatches on Feb 21, 2015 11:46:10 GMT -6
Seiko Astron Chronograph SSE031
Today we look at a very cool new addition to Seiko's popular Astron collection, the SSE031. Like some other new Astron chronographs, it features a ceramic bezel and ceramic center links, but what really sets the SSE031 apart is how it looks. It's probably the closest thing the Astron collection has to a "tactical" watch, with its black coating and bright red accents. Cool looks aside, alongside the other Astron chronographs, it's still arguably the most technologically sophisticated analog watch in the world and, surprisingly, both affordable and practical.
The Introduction
I would argue that the Seiko Astron is, without a doubt, the most important watch of the 20th century. The original Astron was the vessel for the first quartz wristwatch movement available to the public and ushered in the quartz crisis (or revolution, if you like Seiko), an innovation that would permanently alter the landscape of horology. It even had serious ramifications at Seiko and ultimate led to the hibernation of the brand's top line of watches, Grand Seiko. It's no surprise that Seiko chose to bring back the Astron to reveal their newest time keeping innovation.
That innovation is, of course, GPS time keeping and time zone syncing. The Astron (the predecessor model to this chronograph) was the first analog watch to be able to figure out your time zone via information from multiple GPS satellites. That means that by holding down a single button, anywhere in the world, not only will your time be made perfect to the second, but your time zone and date will change as needed as well. This is very interesting because unlike most horological innovations, it's not merely a gizmo--it may not be the total game changer that quartz was back in '69, but it can actually make life a little easier for frequent travelers.
The Astron chronograph we're looking at today is the second generation of contemporary Astrons. They're smaller in every dimension than their rather large predecessors and they add chronograph functionality making for an overall improvement in both functionality and wearability. For ease of reference, Astrons whose names start with SSE are Astron chronographs and Astrons whose names start with SAS are the original non-chronograph model. There's a wide variety of each available but the SSE031 is one of my new favorites, along with my favorites from the last big Astron comparison. Its black dial, black everything really, combined with the bold red accents just make it pop.
The Face
The face is that of a very contemporary sports watch--which is to say, very complex, but it's not lacking in the fine details you've come to expect from higher-end Seikos. A fine guilloche texture covers everything but the subdials, a subtly that is often lost in the complexity of its chronograph layout, but it's appreciated nonetheless.
One thing I often appreciate about Seiko is their thoughtful hand design on chronographs. Whether it's this SSE031 or the Grand Seiko SBGC001, you'll notice that the chronograph hands are all in a matching color, distinct from any of the other hands. This makes it very easy to either ignore or focus on the chronograph functionality of the watch.
Although it's difficult to tell, thanks to the reflection of my camera, the main hands are stainless and have a surprisingly substantial amount of lume on them.
Each individual subdial's frame also has its own guilloche finishing although the inside of the subdials are matte--they're likely more efficient surfaces for the solar cells underneath. Here we see the seconds subdial, the hand again matching the main hands. The Y and N indicate whether a successful satellite sync was accomplished.
I really like the matching date window and black coated frame. The white numerals are really bold and legible, and I appreciate that although few will even see the frame, they didn't cut costs by just dropping it and leaving a rough hole in the dial. The date looks off centered here, but that's just the angle of the camera, and at any rate, the position of the date is adjustable.
The lume is also excellent. I wouldn't characterize it as a diver, but it's definitely enough to be useful. Also note that the lume for the chronograph seconds hand is actually on the bottom of the seconds hand. I've never much cared for this design, but it's apparently useful for allowing a seconds hand to carry more lume on a quartz movement and you often see this on quartz divers.
The chapter ring displays UTC or time zone. The face has a ton of depth to it thanks to that chapter ring, the subdials and the date.
All in all, it's just a very, very cool watch. It's easily the coolest Astron--not necessarily the most versatile, but definitely the most awesome. If you happen to be a member of the Navy SEALs or Army Rangers and are in the market for an Astron, get this one.
Today we look at a very cool new addition to Seiko's popular Astron collection, the SSE031. Like some other new Astron chronographs, it features a ceramic bezel and ceramic center links, but what really sets the SSE031 apart is how it looks. It's probably the closest thing the Astron collection has to a "tactical" watch, with its black coating and bright red accents. Cool looks aside, alongside the other Astron chronographs, it's still arguably the most technologically sophisticated analog watch in the world and, surprisingly, both affordable and practical.
The Introduction
I would argue that the Seiko Astron is, without a doubt, the most important watch of the 20th century. The original Astron was the vessel for the first quartz wristwatch movement available to the public and ushered in the quartz crisis (or revolution, if you like Seiko), an innovation that would permanently alter the landscape of horology. It even had serious ramifications at Seiko and ultimate led to the hibernation of the brand's top line of watches, Grand Seiko. It's no surprise that Seiko chose to bring back the Astron to reveal their newest time keeping innovation.
That innovation is, of course, GPS time keeping and time zone syncing. The Astron (the predecessor model to this chronograph) was the first analog watch to be able to figure out your time zone via information from multiple GPS satellites. That means that by holding down a single button, anywhere in the world, not only will your time be made perfect to the second, but your time zone and date will change as needed as well. This is very interesting because unlike most horological innovations, it's not merely a gizmo--it may not be the total game changer that quartz was back in '69, but it can actually make life a little easier for frequent travelers.
The Astron chronograph we're looking at today is the second generation of contemporary Astrons. They're smaller in every dimension than their rather large predecessors and they add chronograph functionality making for an overall improvement in both functionality and wearability. For ease of reference, Astrons whose names start with SSE are Astron chronographs and Astrons whose names start with SAS are the original non-chronograph model. There's a wide variety of each available but the SSE031 is one of my new favorites, along with my favorites from the last big Astron comparison. Its black dial, black everything really, combined with the bold red accents just make it pop.
The Face
The face is that of a very contemporary sports watch--which is to say, very complex, but it's not lacking in the fine details you've come to expect from higher-end Seikos. A fine guilloche texture covers everything but the subdials, a subtly that is often lost in the complexity of its chronograph layout, but it's appreciated nonetheless.
One thing I often appreciate about Seiko is their thoughtful hand design on chronographs. Whether it's this SSE031 or the Grand Seiko SBGC001, you'll notice that the chronograph hands are all in a matching color, distinct from any of the other hands. This makes it very easy to either ignore or focus on the chronograph functionality of the watch.
Although it's difficult to tell, thanks to the reflection of my camera, the main hands are stainless and have a surprisingly substantial amount of lume on them.
Each individual subdial's frame also has its own guilloche finishing although the inside of the subdials are matte--they're likely more efficient surfaces for the solar cells underneath. Here we see the seconds subdial, the hand again matching the main hands. The Y and N indicate whether a successful satellite sync was accomplished.
I really like the matching date window and black coated frame. The white numerals are really bold and legible, and I appreciate that although few will even see the frame, they didn't cut costs by just dropping it and leaving a rough hole in the dial. The date looks off centered here, but that's just the angle of the camera, and at any rate, the position of the date is adjustable.
The lume is also excellent. I wouldn't characterize it as a diver, but it's definitely enough to be useful. Also note that the lume for the chronograph seconds hand is actually on the bottom of the seconds hand. I've never much cared for this design, but it's apparently useful for allowing a seconds hand to carry more lume on a quartz movement and you often see this on quartz divers.
The chapter ring displays UTC or time zone. The face has a ton of depth to it thanks to that chapter ring, the subdials and the date.
All in all, it's just a very, very cool watch. It's easily the coolest Astron--not necessarily the most versatile, but definitely the most awesome. If you happen to be a member of the Navy SEALs or Army Rangers and are in the market for an Astron, get this one.
