Seiko Digital Quartz Watch ‘Rotocall’ Review

One thing I have learned about the watch industry is that there is always more to learn. I’ve written about dozens (if not 100+ at this point) Seiko watches and yet they always surprise me by reviving a heritage reference that I’ve never come across before. What’s more surprising is the fact that the new Seiko Digital Quartz Watch, based on the original 1980s ‘Astronaut’ A829-6029, is probably the coolest digital watch I’ve encountered all year.

In classic Seiko fashion, while the watch itself has a rather acerbic official name – Seiko Digital Quartz Watch – the community has a rather more attractive nickname for it, ‘Rotocall’, which was coined in the 80s. It’s a reference to the distinctive rotating bezel, which is octagonal in shape with a pronounced grip and which serves as the watch’s function selector. Simply grab the bezel and rotate it so that the function you wish to use is at the top and there you are. No tiny buttons to press in order to navigate an obscure user interface that you don’t remember how to use, it’s literally grab and go. (If it didn’t already have a nickname I would put forward ‘Seikoak’ in the Casioak tradition, for obvious reasons.)

It makes for an incredibly distinctive appearance and one that made the original ‘Astronaut’ A829-6029 a hit with, well, astronauts. According to Seiko’s figures, ‘Rotocall’ watches were worn by 160 astronauts on space expeditions throughout the 80s. Not only does the multi-functionality of the digital display give it improved utility compared to a mechanical watch but also the very Rotocall nature of the function selector made it easier to use while wearing space gear. For the modern recreation, the style and colours of the bezel have been recreated with almost perfect accuracy.

Indeed, the main difference I notice between the new collection and the vintage models is that the long lugs are brushed instead of polished, which has the effect of making the newer watch feel sharper and more utility focussed. The case itself measures 37mm, but the watch feels larger than that on the wrist as the bezel overhangs by a couple of millimetres on either side and it’s flanked by pushers at 4 and 8 o’clock that actually control some of the functions, such as the counter and stopwatch.

The complete list of functions includes time, time set, timer, counter, stopwatch, dual time, daily alarm and single alarm. You can read them clearly on the bezel where the stopwatch function is highlighted in a different colour text while the alarms are on a separately coloured sector altogether. There are three colour combinations to choose from: black/yellow, blue/grey, and black/red. The latter almost gives a classic Rolex coke impression, though it’s the yellow edition we got hands-on with.

Powering the Seiko Digital Quartz Watch is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a quartz movement, specifically the A824. As much as we love the idea of mechanical watches in space and the meeting between traditional engineering and hyper modern engineering, a quartz movement for an astronaut makes more practical sense. It’s more accurate, can support a wider range of functions and until we invent space travel that takes longer than the lifespan of a battery, even that shouldn’t be much of a drawback. The same goes for the most part down here on Earth too.

Priced at £480, it’s in a similar price range to the Casioak, which I briefly mentioned earlier and that’s the ‘Rotocall’s closest rival. Of the two though, I think I’d find myself leaning towards the Seiko due to how fun and easy to use the signature bezel is.

More details at Seiko.