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Seiko Spring Drive SpaceWalk Limited Edition - SPS005

First presented at Baselworld 2008, this remarkable watch was first used in October 2008 when the private space adventurer, Richard Garriott, took it into space on his mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It had been built expressly for his space flight and was designed to withstand the extreme temperatures, pressures and radiation conditions involved in an Extra-vehicular Activity (EVA), or spacewalk. It performed flawlessly throughout Richard’s 12-day flight in space. Subsequently, in December 2008, two Spring Drive Spacewalk watches were worn by a Russian cosmonaut throughout a 5-hour-38-minute EVA. During the EVA, both the time of day and chronograph functions worked perfectly, even when worn on the outside of the space suit. On their return to Earth, the watches were studied, assessed and tested at Seiko Epson’s facility, and their perfect performance during the EVA was independently verified.

It had always been Richard Garriott’s aim that the watch would help generate awareness of, and interest in, the future potential of space exploration. For this reason, one of the two watches Richard had taken into space was sold at a much-publicized auction in New York in September 2009 for US$45,600, a remarkable premium over the reserve price. SEIKO ‘s proceeds were donated to the two charities that Richard supports: the Nature Conservancy and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education.

Now a commemorative limited edition of this remarkable watch is available to the public. Just 100 pieces are being produced. The first ones were released in February 2010. This new watch has the exact same specifications as the watch which went into space with one adaptation: a screw-in crown is used. To ensure ease of manual winding, the crown on the original was not a screw-in; however, the perfect functioning of the watch, both inside and outside the ISS, revealed that the self-winding mechanism worked flawlessly in space, so a screw-in crown is now used in the commemorative edition to enhance the overall security of the case. The watch has a ballistic nylon strap. An additional elastic nylon strap, which is exactly the same as the one used in space, is included in the special presentation box. The serial number is engraved on the case back.

The watch is presented on a ballistic nylon strap.

Also provided is an elastic strap, which is the same as the one used in space.

Specifications:

* Caliber: Spring Drive Chronograph 5R86
* Case: High-intensity Titanium
* Diameter: 53.0mm (12-6h) , 48.7mm (3-9h)
* Thickness: 15.2mm
* Weight: 92.5g
* Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
* Water resistance: 10 Bar
* Bracelet: ballistic nylon strap

Caliber 5R86 :
* Hour, minute and second hands with calendar
* GMT hand
* Power reserve indicator
* 50 jewels
* Movement Diameter : 30.0mm
* Thickness : 7.6 mm
* 416 parts
* Power reserve : 72 hours with/without chronograph function in use
* Chronograph to 12 hours

SEIKO SPRING DRIVE AUTHORIZED DEALER

AVAILABLE NOW

CALL 1-800-486-3996

Spring Drive Spacewalk

SEIKO Spring Drive Spacewalk is designed and built for space.

In October 2008, Richard Garriott, the renowned video game designer and adventurer, will become the sixth private space explorer. Richard will conduct his space mission aboard the International Space Station, and during his flight, he intends to conduct a spacewalk, which would make him the first private individual to do so. As steps out into free space, he will be wearing a SEIKO Spring Drive Spacewalk.

Why SEIKO Spring Drive?

The first decision to be made was on the type of movement to be used. Without special treatment, battery-operated instruments are not appropriate for a spacewalk for safety reasons. Thus, quartz movements were not considered. The choice was therefore between mechanical and Spring Drive. The choice was decided by the need for safety and accuracy. As the watch will be exposed to a range of temperature from minus 20 degrees Celsius to plus 70, accuracy at extreme temperatures was the critical factor, and no mechanical watch can retain its accuracy in these conditions, because of the inherent instability in these conditions of the traditional escapement which regulates the time in all mechanical watches. Instead of a traditional regulator, Spring Drive has a Tri-synchro Regulator, an entirely new regulator that uses and generates mechanical, electrical and electromagnetic power! , and is less affected by temperature variations. Thus, Spring Drive was selected as the perfect mechanism for the task.

Space and SEIKO

With its glide motion hands, Seiko Spring Drive is the only watch to reflect the true nature of time. The totally uninterrupted motion of the hands is in perfect harmony with the eternal, precise and continuous motion of all the planets and stars in the universe. Thus, there can be nothing more appropriate for a watch in space than Seiko Spring Drive. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this thrilling project by creating a watch for a spacewalk. We are also grateful for his permission to spread the message of the great future possibilities of space travel by making this special watch available to the world.

The second generation in space

Richard Garriott is not only a remarkable entrepreneur and adventurer but he is also the son of a NASA astronaut. Richard's father, Owen Garriott, made two space flights, aboard Skylab in 1973 and aboard STS-9/Spacelab-1 in 1983. In total, Owen spent 70 days in space and he carried SEIKO watches on both of these flights and wore one continuously during his Spacelab mission. His trust in SEIKO was inherited by his son, and so it was natural that Richard should contact SEIKO as soon as his mission was arranged. Richard and SEIKO will be the first “second-generation” space partnership.

Richard Garriott Biography

Born in 1961, in Cambridge, England, Richard is one of the leading designers of video and on-line games. He created his first game, Akalabeth in 1980 but his major success was the Ultima series, which is still popular today in its MMOG form. His latest game, Tabula Rosa, has just been released. In addition to his work in the gaming industry, Richard is a serial adventurer. He has trekked across Antarctica in search of meteorites, tracked mountain gorillas in Rwanda, and led a research mission to investigate the hydrothermal vents deep on the Atlantic Ocean sea floor. Richard now lives in Austin, Texas, where he supports a variety of cultural and environmental charities, including a Shakespeare Festival which takes place in a replica of the Globe Theatre that is on his Britannia Manor estate.

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