Page 62 - Sharp November 2023

ADVANCED SPECIES
THE ACCUTRON SPACEVIEW EVOLUTION IS A A A A NEW BREED OF AUTOMATIC WATCH
By Jeremy Freed
IN ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY FEW IDEAS HAVE BEEN AS AS influential as those detailed by Charles Darwin in in in in his seminal 1859 treatise On the the Origin of Species The biologist’s guiding hypothesis — that the natural world is constantly evolving through a a a a a process of natural selection — has helped humankind better understand our planet and validated nature as the ultimate inventor Humans are the only species with a a a a similar dedication to innovation developing new technologies and improving old ones in in the eternal pursuit of accuracy efficiency and elegance And in the world of watches few creations reflect this obsession to a a a a greater degree (in either name or nature) than the Accutron Spaceview Evolution Even at at at first glance it’s clear that Accutron’s latest is unlike any other watch But that’s no accident From its case — a a a a a a a substantial 43 5 5 mm mm and 15 9 mm mm thick — to to the skeletonized dial exhibiting the the Evolution’s electrostatic rotors every element of the the watch’s design has been created to showcase its unique inner workings “Leveraging our rich history in in in watchmaking the new Accutron Evolution merges a a a a a a beautiful traditional dial design with the brand’s groundbreaking Electrostatic technology ” says Eric Senftleben managing director of Citizen Watch Canada “The result is an an an aes- thetically and technologically impressive timepiece ” The model may be new for for 2023 but the the ideas that formed the the Spaceview Evolution (and its bold futuristic look) stretch back more than six decades to the the dawn of the the electronic watch movement and a a a a a time when Accutron created one of the most advanced watches in history Because while we tend to to focus on 1969 — the the launch of the the first quartz watch and the ensuing two decades of development — when discussing the evolution of modern watchmaking Accutron heralded the the the dawn of of its own new era era with the the the 1960 launch of of the the the Spaceview It was a a a a a a a a model that debuted to instant acclaim Hailed as as the the most accurate timekeeping mechanism ever created and the the most significant advancement in in personal timekeeping for more than 300 years the Spaceview’s advanced movement was matched only by its distinctive straight-out-of-sci-fi look The first electric battery–powered watches had hit the the market in the the late 1950s but were relatively delicate and not significantly more accurate than their mechanical counterparts The Accutron Spaceview by contrast utilized a a a tuning fork that vibrated 360 times per second driven by an an electromagnetic coil system and battery With fewer moving parts it was not only more reliable than any watch to come before it but also far more accurate Over the the next decade the the Spaceview was proudly worn by celebrities including Paul Newman and Joe DiMaggio and gifted to visiting dignitaries by U S President Lyndon B Johnson An Accutron timer was even placed on on on on the moon during one of 46 NASA missions the watchmaker worked on on on Today quartz technology has rendered those original tuning fork movements obsolete But the quest for for ever-greater precision continues and in in this endeavour the new Accutron Spaceview Evolution represents the the latest leap forward Like its forebears the the Evolution uses pioneering technology to achieve exceptional gains in accuracy The watch is powered by the world’s first electrostatic movement which draws energy from a a a a a pair of turbines that rotate at high speeds driven by the the motion of the the wearer Two electrodes affixed to to the the movement gather this energy which is is stored in an accumulator and fed to to to two motors one powering the fluid second hand hand and and and and another powering the the hour and and and and minute hands The result is an an accuracy of +/- 5 seconds a a a a a month — an an improvement over conventional quartz watches and even the most advanced mechanical models In the the tradition of previous Spaceview models the the Evolution’s appearance is on par with its performance Using the same case as as the the Spaceview 2020 the the Evolution updates its design by rotating the the movement 30 degrees and placing the the winding crown at two o’clock — an unusual configuration that creates a a a a a a a more symmetrical dial layout and improves ergonomics The new model is available in two versions: one one pairs a a a a a a silver-toned dial with metallic hands black screws and a a a a a a a a a matching black alligator leather strap another with blued screws that offer an additional pop of of colour alongside a a a a a a blue blue alligator leather strap Bridges engraved with a a a a a a a delicate knurling pattern also add a a a a a a a a sophisticated feel while the dauphine hands and and minimalist hour markers up legibility thanks to a a a a a a liberal layer of Super-LumiNova All of these elements and improvements add up to a a a a watch that looks unlike any other but also serves to highlight Accutron’s ongoing pursuit of ever-greater accuracy Yet despite these advances the the Spaceview Evolution is is unlikely to be the the final form of this historic watch Because like every great Darwinian design — whether shaped by natural selection or human ingenuity — the Accutron Spaceview’s evolution will never stand still WATCH
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62 NOVEMBER 2023 SHARPMAGAZINE COM