Seiko’s New Super Watch Outshines G-Shock’s Fan-Favorite Integrated Sports Watch

Seiko’s answer to the CasiOak looks more refined and fit for daily wear.

Close-up of a titanium` wristwatch with a brushed finish. The watch face is gray with vertical stripes and features luminous rectangular hour markers and hands. There is a small subdial near the 10 o'clock position and a date window at the 3 o'clock position displaying the number 6. The words "GPS" and "SOLAR" are printed on the watch face. The watch has a metal link bracelet and a crown with two push buttons on the right side. The background is solid green.

Published September 12, 2025

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The great irony of Seiko’s status as the king of affordable automatic watches is that, a few decades ago, the company nearly destroyed the mechanical watch industry.

Seiko’s Astron, which debuted in 1969, was the first commercially available quartz watch, and the technology was so disruptive that it nearly ended mechanical watchmaking.

Seiko Astron GPS Solar watch with a titanium bracelet and case. The dial is silver with horizontal textured lines, luminous hour markers, and hands. It features a date window at 3 o'clock and a small subdial near 8 o'clock. The bezel is brushed metal, and the watch has two pushers and a crown on the right side. The background is a futuristic, metallic, and well-lit environment. — The time-and-date Astron is the best-looking model in the collection.

Thanks to a new generation of enthusiasts’ appreciation for the craft, the watch industry has fully bounced back from the “Quartz Crisis.” Electronic and analog timekeeping now happily coexist.

Seiko may be a leader in making automatic movements affordable and advancing mechanical accuracy, but the brand that invented quartz watches has not abandoned that field.

The Astron line is still alive and well, showcasing the Japanese watchmaker’s most advanced timekeeping technology. Most references prioritized performance over looks, but the simplified time-and-date SSJ series blends unparalleled accuracy with beautiful design.

Seiko Astron GPS Solar watch with a titanium case and bracelet. The dial is silver with horizontal textured lines, featuring bold luminous hour markers and hands. There is a small subdial at the 9 o'clock position and a date window at 3 o'clock. The bezel is brushed metal with a rugged design, and the watch has prominent pushers and a crown on the right side. — The Astron SSJ037 has a super-hard-coated titanium case and integrated bracelet.

The new Astron SSJ037 is the most refined iteration yet. Its integrated titanium sports watch case and bracelet, with a super-hard coating for extreme durability, are complemented by a metallic geometric dial for a suave, modernist aesthetic.

Space age style

One of the few areas of watchmaking where Seiko does not excel is modern integrated sports watches.

The market is dominated by luxury brands like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, and one of the top affordable options comes from another Japanese titan of watchmaking, Casio.

Seiko Astron GPS Solar watch with a titanium case and bracelet. The dial is silver with horizontal textured lines, featuring luminous rectangular hour markers and hands. There is a small subdial at the 8 o'clock position with an airplane icon, and a date window at 3 o'clock. The bezel is brushed stainless steel with black accents. — The Astron SSJ037 dial polishes the overall appearance with simple, soothing geometry.

The Astron line has long taken design cues from this genre, but none have achieved the luxury-tier sophistication and refinement of the SSJ037. Bold colors and intricate textures of previous references have been replaced with a sleek monochromatic metallic motif.

Seiko explains that the SSL037 design was inspired by a futuristic spaceship. A simple geometric dial pattern with three sets of parallel bars arranged at acute angles to resemble an aperture-style door elevates the watch’s overall appearance.

The beveled applied indices and obelisk hour and minute hands feature creamy off-white LumiBrite inlays, adding a hint of a vintage vibe.

Seiko’s most accurate watch*

The Astron collection showcases Seiko’s most advanced tech, but the SSJ series keeps things simple with a time-and-date dial distinguished by astounding accuracy.

GPS signals regulate Astron watches up to twice a day, maintaining an accuracy of within one second every 100,000 years. Without the signal, it is accurate to within +/- 15 seconds per month, and a perpetual calendar regulates the date.

The pushers operate the subdial, which features a solar cell power reserve indicator, a GPS reception result and an airplane mode that disables the GPS signal. When fully charged, the battery can last for six months of active use or two years in power saver mode.

Seiko’s Astron line exists in an awkward price tier, significantly more expensive than Casio and Citizen, but still more affordable than luxury integrated sports watches. The SSJ037 is the first Astron to justify its $2,400 price by matching cutting-edge performance with aesthetic beauty.

Availability and price

The Seiko Astron SSJ037 will be available in October 2025 from Seiko for $2,400.

It is a limited edition of 1,500 pieces.

Seiko Astron GPS Solar watch with a titanium and bracelet. The dial is silver with horizontal textured lines, featuring luminous hour markers and hands. It has a date window at 3 o'clock and a small subdial near 8 o'clock. The bezel is brushed stainless steel, and the watch has two pushers and a crown on the right side.

Seiko Astron SSJ037

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Seiko caliber 3X62 solar-quartz
Water Resistance	100m

$2,400 at Seiko

About the Author: Brad Lanphear is an associate editor at Gear Patrol covering watches and style. Before joining the publication, he previously wrote for Heddels and Men’s Health. Now, he’s on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.