Seiko's Spring Drive Spacewalk watch for earthbound and spacelings alike

One of the few dozen active-duty astronauts in the US space program? Inquire within about Seiko's Spring Drive Spacewalk watch, custom-designed for game god and soon-to-be ISS resident Richard Garriott. Not a member of NASA? Who cares, just how many watches do you own that could withstand direct exposure to the heatless vacuum that is space (should you ever find yourself in it)? Exactly. Only a hundred are being made though, so be ready to spring when Seiko tags this series with a price and puts it on sale.

[Via Watch Report]

[Kenneth Meunier @ Apr 5th 2008 8:51AM]

beautiful! beautiful!

[monkeydust @ Apr 5th 2008 9:06AM]

Wow, I didn't know Richard Garriott was heading to the ISS!

[Stem $ell @ Apr 5th 2008 9:09AM]

*Spring-driven* space watch--well, expectedly as Amish as the rest of the Shuttle's seventies tech!

[Chris Macdonald @ Apr 5th 2008 11:40AM]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/04/scientists-devise-software-that-can-interpret-attractiveness/

we'll just see about that, vera, won't we?

[Bobs @ Apr 5th 2008 2:04PM]

Vera, please dont break it, its only a prototype

[a ham sandwich @ Apr 5th 2008 9:09AM]

Why would an astronauts bare hand (er, wrist) ever be exposed to the "heatless vacuum that is space"?

[Rick @ Apr 5th 2008 9:18AM]

They wear the watch on the OUTSIDE of their spacesuit sleeve, otherwise they can't read it.

[gad get @ Apr 7th 2008 1:44AM]

No, no, no! The new generation of space suits comes equipped with transparency panels on the wrists for the astronauts' time-checking convenience!

[Daniel Rutter @ Apr 5th 2008 9:22AM]

If your wristwatch is seeing hard vacuum, its survival is indeed unlikely to be your number one priority at that moment.

And I don't know of any reason why a $5 quartz watch from the supermarket wouldn't be A-OK in microgravity and vacuum, anyway. If you freeze it cold enough then the battery will stop working, but lithium coin cells actually have about ten degrees C more operating temperature range than the Seiko watch - a bit less at the hot end, but considerably more at the cold end. And even a $5 quartz watch will keep much better time than any mechanical watch.

If men were allowed to wear ordinary jewellery, there'd be less of this nonsense around.

[Seoultrain @ Apr 5th 2008 3:34PM]

I'm not so sure about this, but the radiation may wreak havoc on unprotected electronics. Mechanical is the way to go.

[Mulder @ Apr 5th 2008 9:23AM]

Well I own one that could. The Omega Speedmaster Professional. The only watch that has been to the moon.

[monkeydust @ Apr 5th 2008 9:23AM]

You sir, are a genius. =)

[tekdroid @ Apr 5th 2008 9:24AM]

http://www.seikowatches.com/press/news_springdrive2005.asp

Mechanical watch technology amazes me. So if I understand this correctly, they created a watch, in 2005, with the seconds flowing smoothly around the dial, not "tick, tick", but a smooth, steady continual motion.

I had no idea.

I do prefer digital displays so it always amazes me they are still going with this. Analogue-display watches are still very popular.

Respect to the Seiko engineers, and here's hoping their next digital watch is encased in titanium or something :)

[happy_penguin @ Apr 5th 2008 12:59PM]

"So if I understand this correctly, they created a watch, in 2005, with the seconds flowing smoothly around the dial, not "tick, tick", but a smooth, steady continual motion."

There were actually watches which had smooth second hand operation at least as early as the 70's. They called it a "sweep second hand". I think the design of this drive from the internals standpoint is what's actually new.

[Esat @ Apr 5th 2008 9:32AM]

This will come in handy for my next vacation!

[Bad Beaver @ Apr 5th 2008 9:54AM]

So you strap this on outside of your space suit, and when you call mission control while out walking in space, glancing at it from within the mirrored dome of your helmet you'll break the silence of the void with something heralding the superiority of the human intellect and the true spirit of adventure, like say "Man, one look at my Seiko tells me to get my priorities straight"—awesome.

[Joshua @ Apr 5th 2008 10:06AM]

Wow, It's cool.

[Rick @ Apr 5th 2008 10:13AM]

"Heatless Vacuum" is a problem! First, the watch mechanism could freeze up in the cold. Second, as previously mentioned the battery could drop to too low voltage a in the cold. Third, escaping gases from inside the watch when the air-lock is de-pressured could cause the watch to go poof, you could blow the watch face out.

[nightstar @ Apr 5th 2008 10:48AM]

Interesting tech

But I still have a watch similar to this but from 1970 that was sealed with nitrogen inside and a thick quartz crystal that was basically super scratch resistance and just about unbreakable. Think it could go to about 300m. Was mechanical auto winder and had a stop watch speed calculator.

[Flashpoint @ Apr 5th 2008 10:51AM]

Wouldn't it make more sense to have an L.E.D or L.C.D heads up display inside the helmet?

Seems to me, the astronaut should have an HUD that displays all the suit functions and readouts.

[happy_penguin @ Apr 5th 2008 1:01PM]

Sometimes low tech is more reliable than high tech.

[dajimmers @ Apr 5th 2008 11:25AM]

I was just going to say that. Much more useful information besides the time, which is obviously just a "10-4" away anyway. I don't think they've made a HUD for a spacesuit yet, though...

[Jaws @ Apr 5th 2008 11:32AM]

Just not enough people appreciating a nicely developed watch out there any more... too many people using their cell phones as their watch... :(
For me... mechanical watches are a mixture of art, and design... the intricate movement of all those springs and gears to get some semblance of accuracy of time is a phenomenal event to me (yes yes... they've been doing it since the early 1800's and such)... Digital watches are like a ramen noodle supper while in college... it fills the void, but thats about it... the mechanical watch is more like that nice ribeye steak meal... fills the void, and puts a bit smile on your face. :)
From a gadget standpoint... Seiko and Citizen both make some interesting movements (Eco-Drive, and Kinetic). I hope they keep at it. Why not a space watch? ;)

[LordZargon @ Apr 5th 2008 11:51AM]

One small problem:

Space-time moves slower than Earth-time. You'd come back to Earth and be a good few minutes, days, even months of out sync!

[futurepastnow @ Apr 5th 2008 11:57AM]

Lord British bought himself a ticket to space, eh? Excellent.

[Nipponese @ Apr 5th 2008 12:01PM]

However, your watch is driven by an escapement mechanism which is nowhere near as accurate as Seiko's quartz regulated spring drive. It also boasts a completely smooth movement of the second hand unlike mechanical watches as you can still see it ticking about 5 times a second. There's something very mesmerizing about watching a smooth sweeping movement of a second hand, the only thing close to this is Accutron's tuning fork mechanism which is also not as accurate and notoriously difficult to service.

[whatsdamattau @ Apr 5th 2008 12:02PM]

This watch is made of "high intensity titanium" (doesn't scratch as easily), has that cool spring drive movement (more up to date than a mechanical watch (sorry Speedmaster)), is air tight, and is ONLY 53mm in case diameter!

[Nipponese @ Apr 5th 2008 12:05PM]

Sorry, I meant this comment as a reply to nightstar. Weird, I thought I clicked reply to his comments. Oh, well.

[morcheeba @ Apr 5th 2008 1:08PM]

Nipponese - you probably did. Replies seem broken - I've had problems in the last 2 days with both Firefox and Safari.

[94 taurus owner @ Apr 5th 2008 1:15PM]

Nice.

[Reality Czech @ Apr 5th 2008 1:27PM]

`
In related news, a NASA spokesman announces the agency's alliance with Steam-Punk Designs and with Disney's 'It's A Small World' audiotronics division to bring the finest in minaturized retro-Clock-Work Orange (that would be burnt-umber) timepieces to astronauts everywhere (well, actually, just those in low-earth orbit) at $100,000 a pop... he goes on to hypothesize that when we finally confront Clarke's Monolith... "You just *know* those puppies are gonna run backwards!"

[TIMMAH! @ Apr 5th 2008 1:50PM]

It looks nice, but it's way to big. 53mm diameter! C'mon that like a clown watch! Flavor FLAAV!!!

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Apr 5th 2008 2:00PM]

Indeed sir, and it was designed in 1957 to boot. This Seiko watch is a fine looking piece as well, but I don't think it'll be a classic 50 years on.

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Apr 5th 2008 2:07PM]

Oh, and another thing. This Richard Garriot cat is just going to be a "spaceflight participant". He'll go up and lounge around in the ISS, without ever doing an EVA, or in any way exposing his watch "to the harsh environs of space".

[kyoseki @ Apr 5th 2008 7:24PM]

That's unfortunate, after Tabula Rasa I'd like to expose Richard Garriot to the harsh environs of space...

[Steve Jones @ Apr 5th 2008 2:56PM]

Did you ever consider they will of tested this in near zero vacuumed conditions (or similar)?

"It's better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt".

[Chris Aubeck @ Apr 5th 2008 8:43PM]

"will of"?

[brett @ Apr 5th 2008 9:21PM]

"near zero vacuumed conditions"

you mean like your apartment?

[Vale @ Jun 18th 2008 1:41PM]

'will of'?

'Vacuumed'?

Well, based on your spelling skills (or lack thereof) I'd have to say you should have paid more attention to your sig/tag line.

[Seoultrain @ Apr 5th 2008 3:33PM]

I'm not so sure about this, but the radiation may wreak havoc on unprotected electronics. Mechanical is the way to go.

[Seoultrain @ Apr 5th 2008 4:03PM]

Yep, I had a Fauxlex with a sweep second hand a while ago. Pretty high quality knock-off.

[Seoultrain @ Apr 5th 2008 4:03PM]

ugh can't believe I fell for it twice...

[Rick @ Apr 5th 2008 4:42PM]

But then Seiko couldn't sell the other ones to people with more money than brains.

[letstakeawalk @ Apr 5th 2008 5:25PM]

That's the one with Snoopy, right? I'm very jealous...

[Ayle @ Apr 5th 2008 6:41PM]

It is not supposed to be opened so I'll assume it is already filled with vacuum, so there is no gas that will expand or water that will freeze.

[Ayle @ Apr 5th 2008 6:43PM]

Wow the comments are in a total mess. Please engadget fix the comment system. I'm tired of having to use deduction to understand who's talking to who....

[ghut2334 @ Apr 5th 2008 8:31PM]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=snKmsPe78H8
I'm A Scatman!!! really good comment/rate

[Charles @ Apr 5th 2008 10:58PM]

The Omega Speedmaster Professional, the NASA-issued standard watch since the Gemini program, is a mechanical watch.

[MichaelD @ Apr 6th 2008 9:10AM]

@Flashpoint

Only if the HUD also shows health, energy, missiles remaining, and power-ups available, such as Screw Attack and Charge Beam.

[Chris @ Apr 6th 2008 10:49AM]

The history of it all is quite interesting, especially Bulova's attempts to replace the Speedmaster with an American made watch. When they couldn't build one good enough, they resorted to re-casing a Swiss movement, and that still failed humidity and acceleration tests:
http://www.secondtimeround.com/omega%20history.html