Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk Watch Review
Wednesday - 15 February 2012
The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève is widely considered to be the “Oscars” of the luxury watchmaking world. Hundreds of pieces compete for awards in a handful of classes. Ten years since its inception, it continues to grow and evolve to this day.
Companies that take home awards from Switzerland trumpet their gains, and why not? In an industry as competitive as this, recognition can substantially improve a manufacturer’s position. Seiko’s had experience in this arena before, winning the 2006 prize for its first generation of E-Ink watches. So it comes as no surprise that Seiko of Japan is celebrating further success at the watch Oscars.
In the category of “Favourite Sports Watch,” Seiko’s 2010 Spring Drive Spacewalk piece was declared the winner. It’s touted as the only watch built with the purpose of being worn out on a spacewalk. The prospect of experiencing the vacuum of space is fairly low among the general population, but the watch’s express purpose is an interesting, and fun, differentiating factor.
The General Manger of the Public Relations & Advertising Department at Seiko delivered a short statement linking the piece to mankind’s continuing progress in space. To a certain degree, he’s right. The fact that a watch was designed for space could easily be perceived as some sort of indication of its growing importance and presence. Does it actually get us closer to the stars? At best, consider it another small step in the right direction. The Spring Drive technology is the space age bit; it is leading us further and further away from the batteries of the past.
Seiko’s Spring Drive Spacewalk was displayed for public viewing in late November, from the 26th to the 28th. It was presented, along with all of the other winners, at the Salon Belles Montres in Paris.
