What Does 'Astral' Mean on a Vintage Smiths Watch?

If you have come across a vintage Smiths watch marked Astral, you may well have wondered what the name signifies. It is one of the most familiar names in vintage Smiths collecting, denoting one of the brand's principal ranges - and understanding it reveals a great deal about these genuinely English-made watches. Here is everything you need to know.

What Does Astral Mean?

On a vintage Smiths, the word Astral is a model range name - it denotes one of Smiths' principal lines of quality, English-made jewelled watches. Rather than describing a technical feature, Astral is the name of a range, and it was one of the most popular and widely produced of all Smiths lines during the brand's golden era of English watchmaking.

When you see Astral on a Smiths dial, you are looking at a genuine English-made Smiths from the period when Britain proudly produced its own watches, as we explore in our guide to whether Smiths watches were really made in England. It is a name that represents genuine British watchmaking heritage.

The Astral in the Smiths Range

To understand the Astral, it helps to know a little about how Smiths organised its watches. During its golden era, Smiths produced its genuine English-made jewelled watches under a few principal names, of which the two most celebrated are the De Luxe and the Astral.

The De Luxe was Smiths' premium line - the range that famously accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary to the summit of Everest in 1953, as we discuss in our guide to Smiths Everest watches. The Astral, meanwhile, was one of Smiths' most popular and widely produced quality ranges - a mainstay of the Smiths catalogue, offering genuine English-made watchmaking in handsome, wearable, everyday form.

Both were genuine English-made jewelled Smiths watches, quite distinct from the cheaper pin-lever watches Smiths also produced under other names. The Astral represents genuine quality English watchmaking, and its popularity means it is one of the most commonly found and accessible of all genuine vintage Smiths watches today.

Why Collectors Love the Vintage Smiths Astral

The Astral holds a genuine appeal for collectors of vintage English watches, for several reasons.

There is the heritage - the Astral is a genuinely English-made Smiths, carrying the proud British watchmaking heritage of the golden era. There is the quality - these were genuine jewelled watches, well made and dependable, many still running beautifully today. And there is the accessibility - as one of Smiths' most popular ranges, the Astral is among the most affordable ways into genuine English Smiths ownership, offering real British heritage at a wonderfully attainable price, as we discuss in our complete guide to vintage English watches.

For anyone seeking a genuine, accessible piece of English watchmaking history, the Smiths Astral is a wonderful choice.

A Genuine English Smiths From Our Collection

While our stock changes regularly, our collection celebrates exactly this era of genuine English Smiths watchmaking. The SMITHS De Luxe - Boxed Vintage 1960's Men's Manual Gold Dress Watch is a wonderful example of a genuine golden-era English Smiths, from the premium De Luxe range that sits alongside the Astral in the Smiths story - an elegant, boxed gold Smiths from the very period when Britain proudly made its own watches.

To see our current selection of genuine vintage Smiths watches, including any Astral models we may have in stock, browse our full collection below.

Check out our full vintage watch collection today! 

A Final Thought

So, when you see Astral on a vintage Smiths, you now know exactly what it means - one of the brand's principal and most popular ranges, denoting genuine English-made jewelled watches from the golden era of British watchmaking. Handsome, well made, accessible, and full of genuine British heritage, the vintage Smiths Astral is one of the most rewarding and attainable ways into collecting genuine English watches, and a lovely piece of a proud national story.

At AR Collectables, we have a genuine love for vintage Smiths and the proud British heritage they carry, and every piece in our collection is handpicked, cleaned, and tested. If you would like to know more, or are looking to buy a genuine vintage Smiths watch, just drop us a message - we would love to help. 🤝

Check out our full vintage watch collection today!