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Seiko Astron GPS Solar 41mm Mens Watch Blue
Ref. SSJ013J1
Sits in Seiko’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Seiko watches we list, which start at £110.
Price range £110 to £3,550 across 173 Seiko watches in stock.The Astron line traces its bloodline directly to 1969, when Seiko introduced the world's first quartz watch. This model revives that lineage with the 3X62 calibre, a GPS solar movement developed in-house in Japan that does something the original could only hint at: it syncs automatically to GPS satellites when crossing time zones, correcting itself to local time with a single button press. Without a satellite fix it holds to ±15 seconds per month, which for most wearers means it is effectively never wrong. The dial's pressed grid pattern — what Seiko calls the crystal box design — references the geometry of quartz crystals, so the surface reads differently depending on the angle of light. The faceted polygonal bezel and the sharp lines of the integrated bracelet are part of the same architectural intent, the case and bracelet reading as a single unbroken structure rather than two components assembled together. At 12.0mm thick it sits considerably flatter than the specification list of features would lead you to expect, and at 110 grams the titanium construction means it disappears on the wrist in a way that steel at this size simply does not. The clasp carries a micro-adjustment mechanism to account for wrist swelling across a day, which on an integrated bracelet — where link-by-link sizing is the only other option — is a practical detail that earns its place.
- Reference
- SSJ013J1
- Brand
- Seiko
- Collection
- Astron
- Case size
- 41.2mm
- Case thickness
- 12mm
- Lug width
- 14mm
- Case material
- Titanium
- Case shape
- Octagonal
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Solar
- Calibre
- 3X62
- Functions
- Date, Power reserve indicator
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Titanium bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- LumiBrite
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 48.5mm
Learn more about Seiko
Kintaro Hattori opened a watch and clock shop in Tokyo in 1881, aged twenty-one, and began manufacturing under the name Seikosha — roughly, house of exquisite workmanship — in 1892. The Seiko name appeared on watches from 1924.
The company's significance is that it broke the Swiss monopoly twice. First on precision: Seiko was appointed official timekeeper of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and built the quartz chronometers and printing timers to do it, and in the 1960s its movements placed highly at the Neuchâtel and Geneva observatory trials against the best Swiss houses.
Then on technology. On Christmas Day 1969 Seiko released the Astron, the world's first quartz wristwatch, accurate to five seconds a month where mechanical watches managed that per day. The consequences for Switzerland were catastrophic — employment in the Swiss industry fell by roughly two-thirds over the following decade. Seiko deliberately did not enforce its quartz patents, allowing the technology to spread.
The same year it produced the 6139, among the first automatic chronographs, and it has since introduced Kinetic, Spring Drive — a hybrid regulating a mechanical mainspring electronically, giving a perfectly gliding seconds hand — and its own dive and field lines.
Seiko remains fully vertically integrated, making its own hairsprings, quartz crystals, and even the Zaratsu-polished cases, at price points from under a hundred pounds upward.
- 1881
- Kintaro Hattori opens his Tokyo shop.
- 1924
- The first watches carry the Seiko name.
- 1964
- Official timekeeper of the Tokyo Olympics.
- 1969
- The Astron becomes the first quartz wristwatch.
- 1999
- Spring Drive enters production.
Also in 3 collections
This watch appears in Blue Dial Watches (696), Solar & Kinetic Watches (165) and Titanium Watches (152).
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 48.5mm lug-to-lug keeps the 41.2mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Seiko's more premium watches
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It charges from light, and the cell behind that is designed to last a decade or more.
What size strap does it take?
14mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 48.5mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £1,960. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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