seiko qhr016

TweetEmailThere aren't a lot of people who need a watch that can survive the airless void of space, but Richard Garriott happens to be one of them. He's headed for the International Space Station and some extra-vehicular activity (spacewalking). Garriott could have just chosen to wear the vacuum-rated Omega Speedmaster, or maybe a Fortis Cosmonaut, but instead he turned to one of my favorite watchmakers: Seiko.Seiko has a long tradition of creating limited-edition watches for explorers in extreme environments. They've made some extraordinary watches, and routinely use the lessons learned in later production models. For example, they made Landmasters for trips to both poles (the GMT hand goes counter-clockwise for the Landmaster South Pole!), an amazing shrouded diver for commercial divers, a ceramic and titanium masterpiece for Mt. Everest, and even a watch specifically designed for hikers of Japan's mountains. As most of these are limited editions, they are tragically hard to find, and rarely even seen.For Garriott, Seiko has designed a true masterpiece introduced this year at BaselWorld: the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk. Have a look at these features:Spring Drive 5R86 movement for accuracy under the extreme temperature swings of space (-20�� to +70�� Celsius, or about -4�� to 160�� Fahrenheit).Titanium case with the sides etched out by a new CNC (computer numerical control) machine that Seiko built in order to help get the weight down to only 92.5 grams.Completely air-tight case capable of surviving direct exposure to space.Oversized buttons for use while wearing space gloves.Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.Waterproof to 100m, or 330ft (in case of a water landing, I guess).12-hour chronograph.GMT hand for 24-hour UTC time (which is used in both space and aviation).New luminescent material that Seiko says is three times as bright as a typical luminescent watch.A special dial and hand design for maximum readability.53mm by 15.2mm which is huge.Limited edition of just 100 watches (price not yet announced).They made some interesting design decisions on this one, and I'm smitten by the results. The dial is ultra-readable, with unobtrusive chrono hands, a subtle but still readable "there if you need it" blue skeletonized GMT hand, and bold white hour and minute hands reminiscent of the 6S37 Flightmaster. The power reserve subdial is subdued, and the date window is symmetric with the 9 o'clock marker. Blue makes a low-key accent, carefully placed to be non intrusive. The sculpted case and top-mounted buttons and crown (referred to as a "bullhead" design) make for a stunning and unique timepiece.The Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk is to space what the new Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA is to the ocean. Even at 53mm, I'd happily wear it. It's gorgeous, functional, and built like a titanium tank. Let's hope Seiko introduces a production model soon.Update (June 15): Richard Garriott gives us an update on how the Seiko Spacewalk is performing so far during training.By Paul Hubbard

TweetEmailIf you’re a regular Watch Report reader, you know how much I love the combination of atomic and solar, which usually means Casio. It looks like Seiko is getting serious about their atomic solar collections, however, and has announced the first atomic watch which works worldwide. Of course, “worldwide” means wherever there is an atomic clock, which is Japan (Fukushima and Kyushu), Germany (Frankfurt), and the US (Fort Collins, Colorado). In contrast, the atomic Casios I have only work in Japan and the US (and unfortunately, Casio makes plenty that only work in Japan).Initially, the watches will be additions to the Seiko Brightz line, which I love. Features will include:Worldwide radio-controlled atomic time calibration (Japan, Germany, and the US).Solar powered. When fully charged, the battery will hold enough power to run continuously for 6 months, or 1.5 years using the power saving function.Manual receiving function (which means you can calibrate the watch without waiting for its scheduled calibration time which is the middle of the night).Receive results display function (which means the watch will let you know that it has successfully calibrated).World time in 24 time zones.Automatic hand adjustment. If the hands become misaligned (as hands sometimes do due to magnetism or shock), it will automatically realign them.Bright titanium case and bracelet.Water-resistant to 10 ATM (that’s 10 BAR, 100 meters, or 330 feet).Seiko plans to start making these watches available in Japan in September of this year, and then in Europe at some point in the future. Yes, the US is conspicuously missing from their plans, but don’t worry — once they’re available, I will most definitely get my hands on one (I already have a trip to Asia planned for November), and I’ll be sure to post a couple reliable sources.Update (9/3/2005): I’ve received a lot of email about this post (there seems to be a lot of excitement about this watch) along with the following corrections and additional information:I state above that the only atomic clocks are in Japan, Germany, and the US. Nick Collingridge wrote in to let me know there is an atomic clock in Rugby, England, as well. The Ruby atomic clock transmits a time signal about 1,500 kilometers (937.5 miles) which covers all of the British Isles. It’s not clear whether this watch will calibrate with the atomic clock in Rugby, however I have come across several other watches that do. Thanks, Nick!Daniel Webb wrote in to let me know that the Casio WVA-440 synchronizes fine with the time signals transmitted from both the UK and Germany. Thanks, Daniel! It does not look like these watches will calibrate in the US or in Japan, though.Dirk Schillmoeller wrote in to let me know that Seiko’s claim to be the first to offer a worldwide atomic watch is actually incorrect. It turns out Junghans already has at least two watches that calibrate in the US, Japan, and in Europe. Their site is entirely in German, but I was able to read enough to confirm that Dirk is correct. Very interesting! I will look into this further. Thanks, Dirk!By Christian Cantrell