Seiko Astron GPS

Sure, we’re mostly about mechanical watches here at Analog:Shift. But certain quartz-powered timepieces are simply too cool to ignore. The Seiko Astron is one such watch. Launched in 1969 as the world’s first quartz-powered timepiece, it’s always been a cutting-edge model family. These days, however, the Astron name indicates the presence of GPS technology and solar-powered charging, which allows a contemporary Astron watch to adjust automatically to the local time as one travels across 39 time zones. Pretty darn neat, if you ask us! This particular Astron, a Reference 8X82-0AC0, is housed in a 48mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a ceramic crown, four function pushers, and a black ceramic tachymeter bezel. It features a sunburst grey dial with hovering luminous indices, an outer, white UTC rehaut, a luminous handset, a date window at 4:30, and a triple-register display providing running seconds, a secondary time zone, a function selector, and more. Powered by a solar-powered Seiko Astron movement and paired to a black rubber bracelet with an unsigned deployant clasp, this is a 21st-century tool watch through and through, and perfect for the modern traveler. Check it out for yourself!