Accutron Spaceview DNA Watch Collection Review
Friday - 04 December 2020
When the quartz crises swopped over the Swiss watch industry during the 1960s and 70s it had a devastating effect on independent watchmakers. Many were financially crushed under the weight of mass-produced quartz movements, which saturated the market. The quartz offered improved accuracy and was a more affordable option compared to mechanical watches, causing them to fold up completely or, at the very least, sell off all their watch components to third parties and reduce staffing levels.
These weren’t the only sectors of the watch industry affected, however. Accutron watches, renowned globally for their tuning fork system offered remarkable accuracy at the time, but also suffered from the aftermath of the quartz crisis. Today, however, Accutron makes its mark within the industry once again, this time with a whole new timekeeping concept. The Accutron Spaceview DNA watch is powered by a proprietary electrostatic motor which comes encased inside a futuristic aesthetic and an innovative power-saving mode.
When the first Accutron Spaceview watch launched in the early 60’s it was powered by the innovative tuning fork mechanism. Interestingly, it featured an open-worked dial offering a clear view into the meticulously hand-assembled engine from within its case. But this design wasn’t originally intended for the consumer market. It was, in fact, a prototype sales sample initially designed to show dealers that these watches didn’t operate in the traditional mechanical way. The marketing exercise was a success and so the openwork dial became a defining feature of the Accutron Spaceview watch. Not so long ago, Accutron released a new iteration of the Spaceview but since the original tuning fork is no longer in operation, the brand’s highly skilled craftsmen had to reverse engineer the tuning fork and hand wrap each copper foil. Now Citizen and Bulova have released the Spaceview DNA watch with a whole new movement concept which retains plenty of the charm associated with the original tuning fork watch – it’s sweeping second hand and its movement exposed through the dial side to mention just two examples.
So how does the Spaceview DNA watch work? Well, the timepiece is powered by a proprietary electrostatic movement which performs differently to those powered by an electrostatic magnet. The motor sits within two electrodes and uses the direct repulsion and attraction of negative and positive electrical charges. Just as identical charges repel one another, when the rotor passes an electrode with an identical charge it pushed the rotor away and causes it to turn. One advantage of the electrostatic motor compared to an electromagnetic motor (which operates slightly differently), is that the electrostatic motor requires no coil wound rotor, resulting in a more compact construction that uses less energy.
Accutron’s ground-breaking electrostatic movement is powered by the same arm movements you see in an automatic watch and the system drives the second hand around the dial in a sweeping-like motion, echoing the behaviour and character of the original Accutron tuning fork mechanism. The hour and minute hands are propelled by a stepping motor – both systems of which are controlled by quartz timing. The original Spaceview by Accutron had a remarkable run during the 1960s since it offered consumers and novelty watch collectors something entirely refreshing to marvel at through the front lens of the watch. In the same way, the Accutron Spaceview DNA watch is paired with a somewhat futuristic design, while it’s sibling, the Spaceview 2020 watch is a little more traditionally designed. Accutron’s innovative electrostatic movement took around 10 years in the making and can offer an accuracy of around 5 seconds per month. Compared side by side with a standard quartz movement, the motor promises around 2 or 3 times greater accuracy.
Seeing the Accutron Spaceview DNA watch in person really brings the timepiece alive in a way that no media image could do. These models have a slightly bolder colour palette than the Spaceview 2020 models, which instead come executed in shades of green reminiscent of the original Spaceview of the 1960s. The DNA models feature a striking tonneau-shaped case and hooded lugs in four different designs. A stainless steel case with silver and grey finishes (ref: 2ES8A001) features a turbine design on the caseback and stamped Accutron logo. The green accents on the outer ring of the dial contrast with polished silver tone hands and an openwork dial. Also belonging to the collection is the steel and black combo with muted grey finishes (ref: 2ES8A003). A third iteration is a steel and rose gold timepiece with grey finishes (ref: 2ES8A002), while a Stainless steel case in combo grey and dark blue finish (ref: 2ES8A004) completes the collection with a slightly sportier aesthetic.
All three models measure a broad 45.1mm diameter and feature a turbine decorated caseback, a 50-meter water resistance, an openwork dial and hands finished in polished silver, matt black or rose gold colour respectively. All three are also finished on a supple black rubber strap and feature an innovative power-saving function. After 5 minutes of inactivity, the second hand will pause at the 12 o’clock location while the remaining hour and minute hands continue to power on, keeping accurate time. To cancel the power saving mode the gentleman need only swing his arm backwards and forward for a few seconds and the second hand will resume its sweeping performance.
To check our more details of the Spaceview DNA or Spaceview 2020 watches or to place an order, you can contact the Jura Watches sales team today via live chat, phone or email, or have a model reserved to view in person in a local store near to you.
