Seiko Astron GPS Solar Watch

[Yappiez]

Paid retail price at vivo... not bothered a lot on the scratches cos I believe in function more over minor scratches... my daily watch is a red tissot motogp limited with rubber straps edition which is fairly scratch also. if not for the hassle of getting battery change, I might not even be hunting for a watch... feels very weird with a black watch all of a sudden

 

speaking of which, what would be a good reliable convenient place to have batteries change instead of going to service centers? I have 3 watches going flat on me in the same month thus triggering the solar hunt...hahaha

Edited October 7, 2014 by Yappiez

[Tjkbeluga]

Ive got a seiko sportura chronograph titanium, which I got more than 12 years ago. Not the kinetic series. Got it for 500 back then. Body pretty much scratched but the sapphire face is immaculate.

[Yappiez]

I must be nuts.. I am suddenly attracted to the 2012 limited edition of seiko astron... looks so nice in pic..

 

oh my goodness.

[Yappiez]

double post

Edited October 7, 2014 by Yappiez

[NightWind]

Yappiez you caught the Astron bug like me lol. The 2012 Limited Edition is SAST001 and this marked the launch of the Astron. Its in lovely black high intensity titanium with saphire crystal and ceramic bezel.

 

The older Astrons have unmarked bezel but newer ones have the city codes engraved on the ceramic bezel. Case size for older Astrons is 47mm so its a big watch which is also why its better to get the more expensive lighter & stronger titanium ones as not all Astrons are in titanium. BTW titanium (like Saphire Crystal and ceramic) is quite expensive so the price diff beween a stainless steel version and an all titanium version can be $500-$700/-

 

As you research more into this line you will appreciate how the designer combined the solar power and GPS technology. He brought it together all so beautifully. GPS acquisition takes alot of power. My Garmin running watch lasts only 8hrs when i turn the GPS on. The Astron does the GPS Sync once a day and the watch "learns" your habit by initiating a GPS Sync from the last successful sync. For me i leave the house daily at 8;05am and the watch does this sync every morn around this time. Infact i try to catch it at the traffic lights lol.

 

Astron also has TWO batteries to prolong longevity of the batteries. The watch waits for the first battery to be completely depleted, then switches over to the second battery whilst the first battery charges. As you know one reason batteries on mobile devices like phones and laptops lose their ability to retain a charge is due to repeated over charging. The watch stops charging when it is fully charged.

 

Use of titanium is preferred also because titanium has lower magnetic properties than stainless steel and helps improve accuracy. I researched this watch fer a year before buying and have to say that no other watch todate does what it does so beautifully. Its the little details that count.

 

This is not a perfect watch and my one grouse is that the lumbrite markings on the watch need improvement. You wont notice this unless you brought the watch within several inches of your naked eye so its a flaw i can live with. I think Seiko corrected this in the 2014 models..

Here is the youtube on the 1st Limited Edition Astron SAST001 for your viewing pleasure. BTW there are a least 2 other LE Astrons but thats another story for another day.

 

 

 

I must be nuts.. I am suddenly attracted to the 2012 limited edition of seiko astron... looks so nice in pic..

oh my goodness.

 

Edited October 7, 2014 by NightWind

[1fast1]

tried the seiko astron 2014 models at vivo over the weekend. 3k plus for the titanium model... nice! the weight of the astron titanium shocked me... I wasn't expected it to be so light! weird feeling... hahha

 

also check out the latest g shock mr-g which is super huge for my wrist.. ..

 

end up buying the casio edifice EQW-A1200DC, black watch at g-factory but now kind of regret... couldn't get used to the colour....

 

anyone wants a 1 day old watch at a nice discount, pm me!! make ur offer!!

 

Nice looking watch, but I've steered clear of the Waveceptor models because that function simply doesn't work here in Singapore (no reception, even from China). Got very occasional sporadic reports of guys who managed to get reception off and on in high rise places, but it's way too iffy for regular synchronisation.

 

Only when the GPS models came out (Astron, and this new G-shock - which has both GPS and waveceptor functions) did I really want one.

[NightWind]

Well, the downside to getting a waveceptor watch here in singapore is that you pay for a feature that cannot be used. In addition, the function maybe be an added drain on the power reserves of the watch unless you manually disable that feature.

 

I still favour the Astron over the hybrid Casio Gshock GPW1000 for this reason and would not want an Astron with a waveceptor function for the above reasons. To be honest here in singapore if you want auto sync to an atomic clock, the only way to go is a GPS route (i.e. Astron). It is aptly suited for places like Singapore and well, the Astron will work as long as you are outdoors, any place on the planet (Artic, Antartic, Sahara, etc).

 

The common problem with todays watches (and the limitations of current technology) is that they still need to rely on an Atomic clock source to update the time.

 

Perhaps in afew decades we will have a watch that will be able to independently access the electro-magnectic wave frequencies in an atom to get the time, without reliance on a Atomic Clock.

 

Ok ok i am in sci-fi land now, so back to reality. lol

 

 

 

Nice looking watch, but I've steered clear of the Waveceptor models because that function simply doesn't work here in Singapore (no reception, even from China). Got very occasional sporadic reports of guys who managed to get reception off and on in high rise places, but it's way too iffy for regular synchronisation.

 

Only when the GPS models came out (Astron, and this new G-shock - which has both GPS and waveceptor functions) did I really want one.

 

Well, the downside to getting a waveceptor watch here in singapore is that you pay for a feature that cannot be used. In addition, the function maybe be an added drain on the power reserves of the watch unless you manually disable that feature.

 

I still favour the Astron over the hybrid Casio Gshock GPW1000 for this reason and would not want an Astron with a waveceptor function for the above reasons. To be honest here in singapore if you want auto sync to an atomic clock, the only way to go is a GPS route (i.e. Astron). It is aptly suited for places like Singapore and well, the Astron will work as long as you are outdoors, any place on the planet (Artic, Antartic, Sahara, etc).

 

The common problem with todays watches (and the limitations of current technology) is that they still need to rely on an Atomic clock source to update the time.

 

Perhaps in afew decades we will have a watch that will be able to independently directly access the electro-magnectic wave frequencies in an atom to get the time, without reliance on a Atomic Clock.

 

Ok ok i am in sci-fi land now, so back to reality. lol

 

 

 

 

[Ender]

Someone did a summary table of the available GPS watches. Then I saw the Garmin forerunner 610 in the table. I asked myself why am I pursuing the high accuracy of the GPS satellite timing when I already have the Garmin forerunner 210. I just need to sync up the rest of my watches to my Garmin (since I run regularly) once a while, and all of them will be in sync with the atomic clock. Could save some $$$ and get a PS4 couple with lots of games for my son after the exam.

 

I guess my search ends here.

 

Here's the summary table, the guy a watchuseek put up.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f9/gps-watches-summary-1091082.html

 

 

My next GPS watch I'm looking at will be the Gamrin Fenix 2. Much cheaper, less than $500..

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-trail/wrist-worn/fenix-2/prod159116.html

Edited October 8, 2014 by Ender

[NightWind]

Thanks Ender the summary table is very usefull. I have several running watches and yes, they have a GPS Sync function for time but they dont always work. My Timex Run Trainer suxs and when i do the time sync not only does it take a long time, but the time sync is back to US Time by default! I suspect that to do a full sync and determine the correct timezone the watch needs minimum 4 sattelites. If you stay within a designated timezone and just update time, only 1-2 sattelites is needed. And fewer satelites are needed for distance traiangulation, which is the main focus of running sports watches.

 

I hope the Garmin 610 does not suffer the same fate. So yes there is a cheaper alternative but do note that GPS sync takes a massive amount of energy and requires constant recharging with a PC. My Garmin and Timex deplete after 8hrs if i leave the GPS on (at least that is the specs on paper). This is ok as most of my runs are below 2hrs but i need to recharge the watch after that.

 

The other problem i have is that after a year of constant use, the ability of the battery to retain the charge reduces. My 18month old timex now lasts only about 5-6hrs.

 

I have none of these worries for the Astron as it manages GPS Sync automatically with a minimum amount of energy and recharges itself.

 

These running watches are also not in the same category as the Astron. The materials used for construction are different. Seldom will you see Sapphire Crystal, Ceramic Bezel and All titanium case and bracelet on running watches. So this also explains their cheaper pricing.

 

I am not trying to defend the Astron, just trying to put things back in perspective that it is in a different category.

 

 

Someone did a summary table of the available GPS watches. Then I saw the Garmin forerunner 610 in the table. I asked myself why am I pursuing the high accuracy of the GPS satellite timing when I already have the Garmin forerunner 210. I just need to sync up the rest of my watches to my Garmin (since I run regularly) once a while, and all of them will be in sync with the atomic clock. Could save some $$$ and get a PS4 couple with lots of games for my son after the exam.

 

I guess my search ends here.

 

Here's the summary table, the guy a watchuseek put up.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f9/gps-watches-summary-1091082.html

 

 

My next GPS watch I'm looking at will be the Gamrin Fenix 2. Much cheaper, less than $500..

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-trail/wrist-worn/fenix-2/prod159116.html

 

[Ender]

Here's what I will doing to get around it, so my other non-GPS watches will be in sync too. Since I'll be running at least once a week anyway, that means my Garmin watch will be in sync with the GPS satellite everyweek,. All I have to do is when I reach home, I just need to calibrate the rest of my non-gps watches with my garmin. Now I'll have all my watches in sync with the atomic clock.

 

Understand the running watches are not meant for daily watches, due to long sync time and battery life, and hence what I'm doing may not suit others.

 

Thanks Ender the summary table is very usefull. I have several running watches and yes, they have a GPS Sync function for time but they dont always work. My Timex Run Trainer suxs and when i do the time sync not only does it take a long time, but the time sync is back to US Time by default! I suspect that to do a full sync and determine the correct timezone the watch needs minimum 4 sattelites. If you stay within a designated timezone and just update time, only 1-2 sattelites is needed. And fewer satelites are needed for distance traiangulation, which is the main focus of running sports watches.

 

I hope the Garmin 610 does not suffer the same fate. So yes there is a cheaper alternative but do note that GPS sync takes a massive amount of energy and requires constant recharging with a PC. My Garmin and Timex deplete after 8hrs if i leave the GPS on (at least that is the specs on paper). This is ok as most of my runs are below 2hrs but i need to recharge the watch after that.

 

The other problem i have is that after a year of constant use, the ability of the battery to retain the charge reduces. My 18month old timex now lasts only about 5-6hrs.

 

I have none of these worries for the Astron as it manages GPS Sync automatically with a minimum amount of energy and recharges itself.

 

These running watches are also not in the same category as the Astron. The materials used for construction are different. Seldom will you see Sapphire Crystal, Ceramic Bezel and All titanium case and bracelet on running watches. So this also explains their cheaper pricing.

 

I am not trying to defend the Astron, just trying to put things back in perspective that it is in a different category.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2014 by Ender

[NightWind]

ok bro i understand that. But i hate manual adjustments for the watches thats why i got the Astron.

 

Another easier alternative is to sync the watches with the time on your PC/Lap top. But make sure the PC/Laptop is synced to the internet server time as this should derive the time from an Atomic clock. There is an option in the PC to use internet server time. There maybe a slight error margin due to lag from the internet server time but this should only be 1-2 secs and should be tolerable.

 

It would be even better if your other watches can dock with the PC and do a auto sync with the PC/Laptop time. This is what i am doing when i recharge my running watch and it gets its time set to the PC/Laptop time.

 

I hope that helps bro.

 

BTW off topic what races are u doing? SCB?

 

Here's what I will doing to get around it, so my other non-GPS watches will be in sync too. Since I'll be running at least once a week anyway, that means my Garmin watch will be in sync with the GPS satellite everyweek,. All I have to do is when I reach home, I just need to calibrate the rest of my non-gps watches with my garmin. Now I'll have all my watches in sync with the atomic clock.

 

Understand the running watches are not meant for daily watches, due to long sync time and battery life, and hence what I'm doing may not suit others.

 

 

 

[Ender]

ok bro i understand that. But i hate manual adjustments for the watches thats why i got the Astron.

 

Another easier alternative is to sync the watches with the time on your PC/Lap top. But make sure the PC/Laptop is synced to the internet server time as this should derive the time from an Atomic clock. There is an option in the PC to use internet server time. There maybe a slight error margin due to lag from the internet server time but this should only be 1-2 secs and should be tolerable.

 

It would be even better if your other watches can dock with the PC and do a auto sync with the PC/Laptop time. This is what i am doing when i recharge my running watch and it gets its time set to the PC/Laptop time.

 

I hope that helps bro.

 

BTW off topic what races are u doing? SCB?

 

 

Actually I doing that currently with the time server. Windows 8 makes this much easier.And I also notice the sometimes there's a couple seconds off between my garmin and the time server. I assume the GPS would be more 'accurate' to the atomic clock.

 

Next race is the north face, this sat.. SCB, too ex to run..

[Yappiez]

wonderful information provided by all the pros. makes me regret even more... hahha

any takers for a 2 day old watch?

 

if only I have a bigger wrist I will have more options...

[NightWind]

Hey Yappiez i still think you should give your new acqusition a chance. No watch is perfect.

 

But if you really wana sell the watch you can try Sgwatchmall ; http://www.sgwatchmall.com/getSale.php?searchBrand=Omega

 

If u dont mind pre-owned watches you can also shop for watches here and they also allow trade-ins.

 

Good luck bro

 

 

wonderful information provided by all the pros. makes me regret even more... hahha
any takers for a 2 day old watch?

if only I have a bigger wrist I will have more options...

 

[NightWind]

Hi Ender an update for you

 

Casio Releases OCEANUS Watches That Receive Both of GPS Signals and Radio Wave Time-Calibration

 

http://www.casio-intl.com/asia-mea/en/news/2014/0912_OCW-G1000/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwv2r1sSItU

 

 

Its cheaper than the Astron and has same functions and comes in Titanium Black too. But somehow the Astrons still look nicer.

 

 

Someone did a summary table of the available GPS watches. Then I saw the Garmin forerunner 610 in the table. I asked myself why am I pursuing the high accuracy of the GPS satellite timing when I already have the Garmin forerunner 210. I just need to sync up the rest of my watches to my Garmin (since I run regularly) once a while, and all of them will be in sync with the atomic clock. Could save some $$$ and get a PS4 couple with lots of games for my son after the exam.

 

I guess my search ends here.

 

Here's the summary table, the guy a watchuseek put up.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f9/gps-watches-summary-1091082.html

 

 

My next GPS watch I'm looking at will be the Gamrin Fenix 2. Much cheaper, less than $500..

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-trail/wrist-worn/fenix-2/prod159116.html

 

http://www.casio-intl.com/asia-mea/en/news/2014/0912_OCW-G1000/