Galaxy Watch 6 Astro Edition takes to the stars with new astrolabe-inspired design

Samsung has unveiled a limited Astro Edition of the 47mm Galaxy Watch 6 Classic sporting a redesign inspired by an astrolabe.

Astrolabes, if you don’t know, are instruments people from ancient times used to figure out the position of stars at night. It was used back then for traveling and to figure out the time of day. 

Obviously, the Galaxy Watch 6 can already do things (it comes with Google Maps). Instead, the astrolabe inspiration shines through in the rotating Black Astro Bezel. It now features etchings of constellations and celestial bodies around the display. The new watch face appears to be a looping video of space, presumably the Milky Way. If you look closely at the sample videos, you will see objects moving across the screen. The second hand has a crescent moon at the tip. 

Altogether, the Astro Edition is a series of nice little flourishes.

(Image credit: Samsung)

There is more to the Astro Edition besides its redesign as Samsung did add two star-related features. On the left side of the new watch face are trackers to help amateur astronomers follow the phases of the sun and the moon. On the right side is a simple compass complication. They're not the most vital features for many users, but they’re nice inclusions nonetheless.

Limited availability

As nice as this smartwatch looks, you’re going to have a tough time getting your hands on one because it’s currently only available in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region. This includes countries like Egypt,  Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The reason why Samsung is choosing that specific area for the initial launch is because that part of the world contributed a lot to science – “particularly [towards] astronomy and mathematics.” Think of it as a thematic gift.

The announcement doesn’t reveal the price of this version of the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. However, checking out Samsung’s Levant (a subregion in the Middle East) website, we see the Astro Edition goes for 350 Jordanian Dirham, which is about $500 USD. Buying one gives users an extra Fabric Band, “Astro Edition collectibles” plus access to the company’s VIP promotion store.

Hopefully, this smartwatch does launch elsewhere, and we think Samsung actually has plans to do so. After all, this information comes from the tech giant’s global website; we reached out to Samsung asking if it plans on releasing the Astro Edition to other countries like the United States. This story will be updated if we hear back.

We should mention the original post states the Astro Edition is the “first of several limited-edition collections of watches”. In other words, more redesigns are on their way.

While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best smartwatches for 2023.