Monday, May 22, 2023

I keep one under my pillow

 

I literally do.
 
Surely, there are thousands of watches that would do the trick, but nothing beats Astron. Especially if you are a 'light sleeper'. You set your mental clock to 4:30, but you keep checking the time every 10 minutes from 3am onwards. The more important the reason to get up, the lighter the sleep. That's me. And probably every other person over the age of fifty five.
 
Having an Astron under the pillow is not just about time. Astron serves as a 'dummy for grown ups'. You slide your hand underneath your pillow, and you are comforted by the reassuring warmth of titanium, knowing that things will work as planned.
 
I rarely take my Astron out of the house and I do get upset when it gets moved or misplaced. My particular watch has no luminous markers at 3 and 6 o'clock which means I can easily tell the time at a glance, effortlessly. It is an older model with pencil thin markers but still, it glows 'radioactive green' like a Christmas tree.
 
You've heard it before: "Astron is the most accurate analogue watch in the world". Sure it is. But Astron is much more than that: it is definitive proof that humans have reached an important moment in technical development. We can harness the power of the sun, satellite communication and mechanical perfection to create a masterpiece like no other, available at a price anyone can afford. To combine all that in one is a remarkable achievement. An extraordinary watch by an extraordinary watchmaker, crafted for a sophisticated buyer.
 
Just before sunrise, this morning, I went to Dobroyd Head to 'play radios'. A rather strange game: a packet of digital signals is transmitted from earth towards a satellite, and the digipeater on the satellite bounces the signal back to earth. This tiny shoebox flies 6,000 km above the earth at a speed of 5km per second, providing a coverage radius of 12,000 kilometres. The trick is to calculate the azimuth and elevation while taking care of Doppler frequency shifts in both transmission and receiving. During this quick pass, I've made contacts with Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. A sophisticated game, played by sophisticated players.

And yes, this morning, as you would expect, I was wearing my Astron.
TEAL SSH127J
43.1mm case size. Black titanium case and bracelet. Solar GPS - dual time. Water resistance 100 metres. 

Boutique price: $3,600
BLUE SSH109J
42.7mm case size. Titanium case and bracelet. Solar GPS - dual time. Water resistance 100 metres. 

Boutique price: $3,750
SILVER SSH107J
42.7mm case size. Titanium case and bracelet. Solar GPS - dual time. Water resistance 100 metres. 

Boutique price: $3,750
PURPLE SUPERNOVA SSH123J
43.1mm case size. Black titanium case and bracelet. Solar GPS - dual time. Water resistance 100 metres. 

Limited edition 1,500 pieces worldwide.

Boutique price: $3,600
PEARL SSH117J
43.1mm case size. Titanium case and bracelet. Solar GPS - dual time. Water resistance 100 metres. 

Boutique price: $3,300
BLACK SSH067J
42.8mm case size. Titanium case and bracelet. Solar GPS - dual time. Water resistance 100 metres. 

Boutique price: $3,750
BLACK/STEEL SSH021J
41.4mm case size. Stainless steel case and bracelet. Solar GPS - dual time. Water resistance 100 metres. 

Boutique price: $2,950

No comments: