The world’s first quartz wristwatch marketed commercially. The remarkable accuracy of the Quartz-Astron (monthly error within ±5 seconds) changed the history of watches. Seiko’s proprietary tuning fork quartz resonator and open-type step motor are still the standard components of the quartz watches made today. When Seiko disclosed the patent, watchmakers all over the world began to produce quartz wristwatches of their own. In 2004, the Quartz-Astron won the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Corporate Innovation Recognition Award and an IEEE Milestone. In 2014, the watch was certified as a Mechanical Engineering Heritage by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME).

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