 | |
| Type | Quartz |
|---|---|
| Display | Analogue |
| Introduced | December 25, 1969 |
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.
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) each (at the time, equivalent to the price of a medium-sized car). [1] 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. [2]
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. [3]
Seiko used the "Astron" trademark again as "Seiko Astron" when it released a satellite radio-wave solar-powered wristwatch using GPS satellites in 2012. [4]
In 2019, Seiko released several limited edition Astron models to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the quartz Astron. [5] [6] 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". [6]
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet, including metal bands, leather straps, or any other kind of bracelet. A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket, often attached to a chain.
Orient is a Japanese watch manufacturer founded in 1950. Established as an independent company in 1950, it became a functional subsidiary of Epson in 2009 before being fully integrated into the company in 2017.
Seiko Group Corporation, commonly known as Seiko, is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced the world's first commercial quartz wristwatch in 1969.
Seiko Epson Corporation, commonly known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano, Japan, the company has numerous subsidiaries worldwide and manufactures inkjet, dot matrix, thermal and laser printers for consumer, business and industrial use, scanners, laptop and desktop computers, video projectors, watches, point of sale systems, robots and industrial automation equipment, semiconductor devices, crystal oscillators, sensing systems and other associated electronic components.
The history of watches began in 16th-century Europe, where watches evolved from portable spring-driven clocks, which first appeared in the 15th century.
Seiko Group is a Japanese corporate group consisting of three core companies Seiko Group Corp. (Seiko), Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) and Seiko Epson Corp (Epson). The three companies are linked by a common thread of timepiece technology. Epson has established its own brand image and rarely uses 'Seiko'. On January 26, 2009, Seiko Holdings and Seiko Instruments announced that the two companies will be merged on October 1, 2009, through a share swap. Seiko Instruments became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings on October 1, 2009. On May 10, 2022, Seiko Holdings Corporation announced that it would rename Seiko Group Corporation as of October 1, 2022.
The quartz crisis was the upheaval in the watchmaking industry caused by the advent of quartz watches in the 1970s and early 1980s, that largely replaced mechanical watches around the world. It caused a significant decline of the Swiss watchmaking industry, which chose to remain focused on traditional mechanical watches, while the majority of the world's watch production shifted to Japanese companies such as Seiko, Citizen, and Casio which embraced the new electronic technology.
In horology, the term electric watch is used for the first generation electrically-powered wristwatches which were first publicly displayed by both Elgin National Watch Company and Lip on March 19, 1952, with working laboratory examples in Chicago and Paris. The Hamilton Watch Company would be the first to produce and retail an electric watch beginning in 1957, before the commercial introduction of the quartz wristwatch in 1969 by Seiko with the Astron. Their timekeeping element was either a traditional balance wheel or a tuning fork, driven electromagnetically by a solenoid powered by a battery. The hands were driven mechanically through a wheel train. They were superseded by quartz watches, which had greater accuracy and durability due to their lower parts count. Recent automatic quartz watches, which combine mechanical technology with quartz timekeeping, are not included in this classification.
Quartz clocks and quartz watches are timepieces that use an electronic oscillator regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. This crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, so that quartz clocks and watches are at least an order of magnitude more accurate than mechanical clocks. Generally, some form of digital logic counts the cycles of this signal and provides a numerical time display, usually in units of hours, minutes, and seconds.
Peace is a Japanese brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Japan Tobacco. The brand is produced exclusively in Japan.
T-ara's Best of Best 2009-2012: Korean ver. is the first greatest hits album by South Korean girl group T-ara. It was released on October 10, 2012 by EMI Music Japan to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the group's Japanese debut. The album contains all of T-ara's singles from Absolute First Album (2009) up to Funky Town (2012), including their 2010 FIFA World Cup digital single "We Are the One". A limited ultra-deluxe edition of the album, which includes a 72-page photobook and 120-minute documentary of T-ara's "Free Time in Europe" trip, was released on October 17, 2012.
The Omega Electroquartz was introduced in 1969 as the first production Swiss quartz watch. It was the collaboration of 20 Swiss watch companies and the movement was utilised by Rolex, Patek Phillipe and Omega amongst others. The Beta 21 movement used in the Electroquartz was accurate to 5 seconds per month, far better than any automatic or manual wind movement of the day.
Misia Candle Night 2017 was a concert tour by Japanese singer Misia and the sixth installment of the Misia Candle Night concert series. The tour spanned four shows across two locations. The first two shows were held in May 2017, at the Sengan-en in Kagoshima to commemorate its World Heritage Site declaration. The second leg of the tour began and ended with two shows at Kawaguchiko Stellar Theater in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi in August 2017.
30th Anniversary Final Project "The Singles" Day 1・Day 2 Live 2018 Complete Version is a live video by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka. Recorded live at the Hitomi Memorial Hall in Setagaya, Tokyo on May 27 to 28, 2018, the video was released on May 22, 2019 by Warner Music Japan on Blu-ray and DVD formats, each offered with an optional photobook. In addition, RecoChoku offered limited edition releases of the video containing four CDs and an original poster. The video features Moritaka performing her 2012 compilation album The Singles in its entirety as the final stage of her 30th anniversary celebration.
The year 2021 in Japanese music.
Kansha!!!!! - Thank You for 20 Years New and Best is the fourth greatest hits album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on November 6, 2019, through EMI Records and Universal Music Group. Released in two physical configurations, disc one contains three new songs and six re-recorded gospel tracks of her previous hit singles while disc two contains material previously not available outside of Asia. The album served as Ai's first international compilation release.
Virgin Flight '86: Miho Nakayama First Concert is the first live video album by Japanese entertainer Miho Nakayama. Released through King Records on July 21, 1986, the video was recorded at Nakayama's debut concert at the Nakano Sunplaza on April 5, 1986.
All Time Best is the 17th compilation album by Japanese entertainer Miho Nakayama. Released through King Records on December 23, 2020 to commemorate Nakayama's 35th anniversary, the three-disc album compiles all 39 of her past singles plus one song from her 2019 album Neuf Neuf. A limited edition release features a bonus Blu-ray disc that includes an HD remaster of Virgin Flight '86: Miho Nakayama First Concert.
Two-Mix 25th Anniversary All Time Best is the sixth compilation album by J-pop duo Two-Mix, released by King Records on February 10, 2021.
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