Today, we largely think of Seiko as a maker of analog mechanical watches. The brand that invented the quartz watch has almost entirely abandoned digital watches, ceding that territory to fellow Japanese watchmaker and rival Casio.
But back in the 1970s and ’80s, Seiko was the king of digital watches. Even James Bond wore a Seiko digital watch in those decades. Several of them, in fact. So did many real-life astronauts, who largely favored the brand’s innovative Rotocall model, which colloquially became known as the “Astronaut” due to its numerous trips to space.
Now, quite unexpectedly, Seiko has brought back the Rotocall in a modernized but still quite faithful guise, and it’s just as cool as it was four decades ago.
Casio, you are officially on notice.
Hello Roto
The Rotocall, Seiko references A829-A6019 and A829-A6029, debuted in 1982 when digital watches were still in their relative infancy and were throwing features at the wall to see what would stick. As such, the watch included a unique feature that, frankly, I wish would have stuck around.
On most digital watches, like those from Casio, you typically select your different functions by pressing a series of buttons. I’m something of a Luddite when it comes to watches, which is probably why I’ve never gotten on board the G-Shock train like most other enthusiasts — I simply don’t want to have to push a bunch of buttons to use my watch.