# Astron (wristwatch)

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Published: 2026-10-30T19:08:29.097Z

Updated: 2026-10-30T19:08:29.097Z

The Astron wristwatch, formally known as the Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ, was the world's first "quartz clock" wristwatch. It is now registered on the List of IEEE Milestones as a key advance in electrical engineering.

## Key facts

## Overview

The Astron wristwatch, formally known as the Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ, was the world's first "quartz clock" wristwatch. It is now registered on the List of IEEE Milestones as a key advance in electrical engineering.

## History

The Astron was unveiled in Tokyo on December 25, 1969, after ten years of research and development at Suwa Seikosha (currently named Seiko Epson), a manufacturing company of Seiko Group. Within one week 100 gold watches had been sold, at a retail price of 450,000 yen (US$1,250 (equivalent to $10,974 in 2025)) each (at the time, equivalent to the price of a medium-sized car). Essential elements included a XY-type quartz oscillator of 8192 Hz (8192 = 213), a hybrid integrated circuit, and a phase locked ultra-small stepping motor to turn its hands. According to Seiko, Astron was accurate to ±5 seconds per month or one minute per year, and its battery life was 1 year or longer.

## Anniversaries

In March 2010, at the Baselworld watch fair and trade show in Switzerland, Seiko previewed a limited edition new version of the watch and related designs of the original Astron watch, commemorating the fortieth anniversary in December 2009 of the debut of the Astron watch.

## Second generation

Seiko used the "Astron" trademark again as "Seiko Astron" when it released a satellite radio-wave solar-powered wristwatch using GPS satellites in 2012.

## 50th anniversary model

In 2019, Seiko released several limited edition Astron models to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the quartz Astron. Among them, the model produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces (3.8 million yen) mimics the original case design and has a rough engraving pattern by craftsmen belonging to Epson's "Micro Artist Workshop".

## Further reading

"Seiko Quartz 35 SQ: The Seiko 35 SQ Astron was the first quartz watch on the market", Smithsonian Institution website. Thompson, Joe, "1969: Seiko’s Breakout Year", WatchTime Magazine, December 20, 2009

## External links

"IEEE History Center: Electronic Quartz Wristwatch, 1969". IEEE. "Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ December 1969: The quartz watch that revolutionized horological history". Seiko Epson. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-07-22. "The Watch That Changed Horological History" (PDF). Seiko Epson. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2010. (alternate version Archived 2022-03-16 at the Wayback Machine)

## Sources

- Astron (wristwatch) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=9865334

Source: Wikipedia contributors — https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=9865334&oldid=1359056992

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Adaptation notice: Reformatted for XPay; the source may be abridged, restructured or translated. Consult the cited revision for the original.