Introducing: Accutron Revives The First Fully Electric Wristwatch With The New Spaceview 314
What We Know
It’s a rare occasion when a brand revives an old movement – even rarer when the technology was revolutionary 60 years ago and maybe a bit anachronistic in the modern environment. But watch people are anything if not nostalgic and there are plenty of fans of anachronisms, so there will be plenty of people that will be both wildly surprised and incredibly excited to hear that Accutron has revived the original “tuning fork” movement from the 1960s with the new and improved Accutron “Spaceview” 314.
The new Accutron “Spaceview” 314 will be available in a variety of case materials – yellow gold, titanium, and stainless steel, with a variety of chapter rings (or not) starting in the later part of 2025.
There are a variety of improvements and changes to the watch, but it should look very familiar to fans of the original 214 movement. Capacitors and wires have been cleaned and secured to the green movement plates. More bridges have been added and refined, and the base plate has been adorned with perlage and Geneva stripes on the caseback. The new bridge on the movement front is vertically brushed. The index wheel has been relocated from the rear to the dial side, and its diameter has been increased, resulting in a corresponding increase in the number of teeth to further smooth the already smooth movement of the sweep seconds.
The crown has been moved from the caseback to 4 o’clock. The new caseback, which now replaces the crown and battery hatch, is a conventional display caseback allowing a view of the movement. The indices are still printed on the underside of the crystal as well. But the concept remains the same. An electrical signal powers a vibrating tuning fork operating at 360 Hz, which regulates the watch without relying on a balance wheel. Although we don’t yet know the stated accuracy of the 2025 model, the vintage watch was accurate to within 2 seconds per day. The movement now features an added stop-second function, and the magnet material has been changed from Alnico to Samarium-Cobalt.
The release date hasn’t been shared yet (and the included images serve as a preview of the final design), but the Spaceview 314 is slated to be available in late Q3 or early Q4 of 2025. Accutron points out that this is not a limited edition, but rather limited in production due to the handwork that will go into each example. Pricing varies by case material, ranging from $5,990 in steel to $31,600 in solid gold. The full spec and price listing is included below.
What We Think
Today is an exciting day for a fan of the old Accutron tuning fork movement. The Accutron 214 is largely responsible for my being at Hodinkee – my story on bluegrass legend Tony Rice and his love of 214 was my first editorial story. The fact that Accutron seems to have taken a very historically-minded approach to reviving the movement is both very exciting and quite interesting.
For those of you who received our recent Hodinkee Magazine Vol. 14, you can read my story on the revival of the Zenith Caliber 135 to illustrate just how hard and expensive it is to revive a caliber. Accutron states that this rebirth took the better part of a decade to develop and bring to fruition. There are small improvements, and the caliber appears to have matured from something that, in the past, might have resembled a garage-built steampunk watch with capacitors and wires scattered around the dial.
I quite like the added touch of perlage and Geneva stripes on the 314 movement, but more than that, I just like that it looks overall improved from the vintage release. The movement of the crown from the caseback to the 4 o’clock position is my only design gripe. Still, it’s understandable they’d do that with the other changes, including a display caseback and removal of the battery hatch. The pricing, however, seems very strong and may be the big question for a lot of buyers. We’ll look at how it all comes together in person when we get to try the new Spaceview 314 later this year.
The Basics
Brand: Accutron
Model: Spaceview 314
Reference Number: 26A211, 26A212 (Stainless Steel), 26A213 (Titanium), 27A206 (18k yellow gold)
Diameter: 39mm
Thickness: 13.4mm (stainless steel), 13.25mm (titanium), 13.35mm (gold)
Case Material: 904L Stainless Steel, Grade 5 Titanium, or 18k Yellow Gold
Dial Color: Open dial with silver case ring (steel), champagne case ring (titanium), or without ring (Gold)
Indexes: Printed and lumed
Lume: SG-1000 N LumiNova
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Black or Saddle Italian leather (stainless steel); Blue Italian leather (titanium); Brown Italian Leather (Gold)
The Movement
Caliber: Caliber 314
Functions: Hours, minutes, sweep seconds
Winding: Battery-powered
Frequency: 360 Hz
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Each movement is 100% hand assembled
Pricing & Availability
Price: $5,990 (steel), $6,200 (titanium), and $31,500 (gold)
Availability: Releasing later in 2025
Limited Edition: No, but production is limited.
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
