Watches Gadget Review

What Time is It? Scratch That – I'll Just Check My Turntable Wristwatch

2012-07-15T10:48:00.005-07:00

Most watches featured on The Gadgeteer have all sorts of high-tech features or blinky lights. The Turntable Metal Wristwatch is just an analog watch, but it might be perfect for the aspiring DJ or the not-so-young person who remembers the days of vinyl records. The silvertone watch is water resistant to 3 ATM. The face measures 1.89″ x 1.57″, and it captures all the details of a old-school turntable – complete with strobe markings on the platter's edge. The black vinyl “album” serves as the watch face. The Turntable Metal Wristwatch is $79.99 at ThinkGeek.

Tokyoflash Japan's Newest Watch: Kisai Online

2012-07-15T10:48:00.001-07:00

Tokyoflash Japan is known for their unusual, artistic watches. Their newest, the Kisai Online, was inspired by a customer suggestion. The watch bezel and bracelet are stainless steel, and they are available with a black or natural finish. The LCD displays are available in natural, blue, or red. The Online has time, date, and alarm functions, and there's an animation function for the LCD display. Regular price for this watch is $169, but there are a few hours left to get the watch at the launch price of $149.

TriArch LED Watch

2012-07-05T08:16:00.004-07:00

Most wrist watches today are really trying to give people a different way of telling time. There are now wrist watches that offer an unusual way of giving you the time, which sometimes take some time to get accustomed after learning for years to tell time the usual way. One of them that some people would probably see is this unique TriArch LED Watch.

The TriArch LED Watch is unique in its own way of telling the time. The watch face features 26 LED lights arrange in arches in order to tell time. 12 LED's indicate the hour, 5 LED's tell the minutes in increments of tens and 9 LED's to indicate the single minutes. Two other LED's indicate whether the time is AM or PM. A push of a button would then indicate the date on the watch. The TriArch LED Watch comes with a black electroplated finish that further gives this unique watch its distinct character. This unique wrist watch is available at Hammacher Schlemmer for US$130.

Mobile Phone Watch For Kids

2012-07-05T08:15:00.002-07:00

Kids would like to have cool stuff that they can brag about with their friends. High tech gadgets would usually give them that chance to do so. But if you also have their safety in mind, you can also make use of such high tech gadgets to help you. One ideal product that works both ways is this Mobile Phone Watch for kids.

The Mobile Phone Watch would surely be something that kids would want to have. A mobile phone on a watch is not something common among kids and would be a cool device that they might want to show to friends. But more than that, the Mobile Phone Watch can also be considered as a safety device for kids. It allows them to have a means to contact parents in case of emergencies. Not only that, this unique watch also comes with a GPS tracker to allow parents to determine the location of their child at all times. The GPS tracker can even be reprogrammed to alert parents in case kids venture outside a designated area. The Mobile Phone Watch is available at Chinavasion for US$80.

Seiko releases limited edition Golgo 13 active matrix EPD Watch in Japan

2012-06-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Oyaji‘s most beloved manga character Golgo 13 is now the coolest spy on earth thanks to Seiko and its deadly gorgeous Limited Golgo 13 active Matrix EPD Watch! Available in two different version with the SBPA009 limited to only 500 units and the SBPA011 limited to t only 1000 units, these watch comes with five different time display, world time display of 32 cities and the gorgeous Seiko's active matrix EDP display. These two watch will be released in Japan starting July 7 and will be sold at 57,750 and 63,000 Yen

Tokyoflash Japan Announces the Kisai Uzumaki Watch

2012-06-19T07:29:00.004-07:00

Tokyoflash Japan has announced another entry in their line of limited edition watches. The Kisai Uzumaki is made of stainless steel and is available with a black or natural finish. The face has a swirling vortex design, covered with an acrylic crystal with concentric circles that add to the whirlpool illusion. The outer ring indicates the hour, while the inner ring indicates the minutes. The face is available in blue or green. The Uzumaki will sell for $129, but Tokyoflash Japan is offering a limited-time price of only $99 if purch

Shelby teams up with David Yurman for wristwatch line

2012-06-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

Say what you will, but in this business you're nobody until you have your own watch line. Ferrari has several, Bentley teams up with Breitling, Aston Martin partners with Jaeger-LeCoultre, Bugatti with Parmigiani Fleurier… the list goes on and on, and now includes one more: Carroll Shelby and David Yurman.

The collaboration was forged over the timepiece you see here, created to accompany the 950-horsepower Shelby 1000 unveiled at the New York Auto Show just last month. The David Yurman Limited Edition Shelby 1000 timepiece features a Swiss-made Valjoux 7753 automatic chronograph in a 43.5mm stainless steel and rubber case with tachymeter bezel and guilloche racing stripes on the galvanized steel dial.

It's affixed to the wrist by a rubber strap with snakeskin texture, and only 300 examples will be made: 150 in bare stainless steel and 150 with a black PVD coating. It's the first of many Shelby-branded wristwatches that the David Yurman brand will be making for Shelby.

Kisai Uzumaki Watch

2012-06-19T07:28:00.003-07:00

Timepieces nowadays that one wears on the wrist usually no longer just tell time. There are now more and more wrist watches out there that makes telling time somewhat a challenge. Just taking a quick look at the Kisai Uzumaki Watch and you'll easily get the meaning of it all.

The Uzumaki Watch is another interesting wristwatch design coming from Japanese watch maker Kisai. According to them, “Uzumaki” is the Japanese term for “whirlpool” and that is exactly how this watch tells the time. Wearers can tell the time by looking at the spiraling color display.

The Kisai Uzumaki Watch comes with a display composed of two colored swirls. The outside circle stands for the hour and the inner circle stands for the minutes. The sole hand found in the watch indicates the seconds. The watch is made of stainless steel with a custom made acrylic lens made out of concentric circles, imitating that whirlpool look as its name indicates. The Kisai Uzumaki Watch is available at Tokyo Flash at a regular price of US$129.

ArtyA Werewolf Watch Puts Silver Bullets on Your Wrist

2012-06-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

ArtyA wants you to be protected the next time you're in Transylvania or Forks Washington. Their Son of a Gun Werewolf watch has a real silver bullet incased inside it. According to ArtyA, the bullet was forged under the full moon… so you know it's going to work against Lon Chaney Jr. or Taylor Lautner. Bonus points to those of you that don't need to google that first person's name. If you want your own protection from the children of the night, head over to ArtyA's site and plunk down $8287.00. I think the price scares me more than the possibility of running into a werewolf.

The Mutewatch

2012-06-06T13:12:00.003-07:00

Wrist watches today may no longer be as essential as they were before. People now have other ways to tell time via their other essential devices such as smartphones, media players and even tablets. What may still make wrist watches relevant is that they are worn more as a fashion statement nowadays. That is the very reason why unique looking watches like the Mutewatch are becoming more and more appealing.

The Mutewatch is simple and yet offers more unique features in terms of design and function. For some it may look like just a unique looking bracelet since it ordinarily just has a blank screen where the time should have been displayed. But that is where the Mutewatch may appeal to the ordinary user.

In order to display the time, the user may need to touch the display screen for the time to appear. Another option is by flicking the wrist 90 degrees. And to go through the different watch modes, users need to swipe through the screen, somewhat similar to swiping on smartphones nowadays. The Mutewatch comes with alarm, timer and clock modes. It can also be charged via USB using an accompanying cable. Quite an interesting and unique wrist watch to have, the Mutewatch is now available at Watchismo for US$258.

The cookoo Watch

2012-06-06T13:11:00.010-07:00

With wrist watches not quite as appealing today if they merely function to tell time, many are being redesigned to keep in pace with rapidly developing technology. One of the aspects that makers are concentrating on is by trying to improve digital interconnectivity with other portable devices. This is certainly what the cookoo Watch is aiming for.

The cookoo Watch is more than just a typical wrist watch. According to its designer Peter Hauser, this unique wristwatch aims to connect you with your smartphone even while you have it in your pocket. This allows you to be alerted when you receive a text message, a call, email, and alerts from your social network accounts. The watch face comes with those typical icons that light up signifying alerts that your smartphone may be receiving. This way you need not take out your smartphone out of your pocket every time you need to check it if something comes up. The cookoo Watch can even alert you if your smartphone is running out of battery.

The cookoo Watch connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. It allows smartphone users to be alerted of information at a glance, eliminating the need to frequently take out the smartphone out of the pocket. The cookoo Watch is currently a design project at Kickstarter. Production will push through after it is able to come up with the target funds. A US$50 pledge will entitle one to a black cookoo Watch once production is underway. Retail of the cookoo Watch is expected to be around US$100 if ever it becomes available in the market.

Wall Switch Click Watch

2012-06-06T13:11:00.007-07:00

Looking at wristwatches today, you no longer see a device that is just designed to tell time. Well, it still is the main function being offered, but most wristwatches being introduced nowadays certainly do not lack in uniqueness in terms of design. It is usually the outrageous ones that get that attention most of the time. The new Wall Switch Click Watch certainly belongs to this category.

The Wall Switch Click Watch is unique in that it is designed to look like an over-sized rocker switch that is usually associated with those light switches at home. But this time, the Wall Switch Watch gives it a different twist. Flick the switch one way and the user gets the time displayed on the watch, switch it the other way and the date is displayed.

The Wall Switch Watch is quite simple to operate really with no other buttons to press or even visible on the watch. However, the addition of the wall switch function gives this watch that added level of uniqueness that is worth anyone's interest. The Wall Switch watch is designed by Click Watches and is available in different attractive colors at Watchismo for US$100.

WeWood Jupiter Watch

2012-06-06T13:11:00.003-07:00

People try to stand up for what they believe in. That also extends to the items and gadgets that they use. For those who are against destroying the environment or even against animal cruelty, they might find this unique WeWood Jupiter Watch fascinating.

The appeal of the WeWood Jupiter Watch comes from the fact that it is made out of wood. But before many of the environmentalists around here cry foul, let it be noted that the wood used in the wrist watch is sourced from those wood scraps coming from the flooring industry that would otherwise just be thrown away. In a sense, no tree is being cut specifically just to make this unique wooden watch. But the recycling waste angle may even please those who care a lot for the environment.

And since it is a watch made of 100 percent natural wood, this means that it does not use leather, something that animal lovers will appreciate. The watch comes with a wooden housing, bracelet and dial. The timepiece makes use of two Miyota time movements and is hypoallergenic, given that its parts are made of natural wood. And to please eco-friendly people even more, WeWood plants a tree for every wooden watch purchased. It is now available at ThinkGeek for US$135.

Seiko Limited Edition Golgo 13

2012-06-06T13:10:00.002-07:00

Wrist watches today need to be cool in terms of looks if ever people will give them some attention. And if it attention watches need, new technology can sometimes offer it. Couple it with one of the most popular manga characters and you get the new Seiko Limited Edition Golgo 13 wrist watch.

The Seiko Limited Edition Golgo 13 is an active matrix EPD watch. It is able to offer five different ways to display time. It also is able to display world time for 32 cities. And it comes with the signature manga character Golgo 13 in its unique time displays. The Seiko Limited Edition Golgo 13 Wrist Watch comes in two different limited edition versions. The SBPA009 will only be limited to 500 units while the SBPA011 will be available in only 1,000 units. They will be available on July 7 and will cost 57,750 Yen (US$725) for the SBPA011 and 63,000 Yen (US$791) for the SBPA009 model.

Swatch Gets Touchy Feely

2012-04-04T00:17:00.004-07:00

Why wear a certain touch screen mp3 player on your wrist when you can slap on a reliable Swatch? The Swatch Touch is a new line featuring, you guessed it, the ubiquitous touch screen! All physical buttons have been removed, giving the watch face a sleek new profile. The wearer just needs to now swipe the screen to access the alarm clock, timer, date, chronograph, and two time zones. Three on screen buttons allow for adjustments and settings to each screen, and holding the screen will activate the back light.

Like most other Swatch watches, the Touch line comes in various bright colors (purple, pink, turquoise), as well as the standard unisex white, black, and camo. All colors feature the same functions and digital number design. They are available now and retail for $140.

Kisai Stencil LCD Watch

2012-04-04T00:17:00.001-07:00

Wrist watches nowadays are being worn more for their form than for their function. It is now primarily being used as a fashion statement of sorts, the cooler the watch looks, the better. And the people at Tokyo Flash know this with their many interesting versions for wrist watches like the Kisai Stencil LCD Watch.

The Kisai Stencil LCD Watch is one of those wrist watches that do not look like any typical wrist watch in terms of telling the time. Looking at it for the first time will make reading time on the watch a complicated matter, just like in the typical Tokyo Flash fashion. But once you get the hang of it, telling time on the Kisai Stencil LCD Watch is actually just simple.

The LCD display on the Kisai Stencil Watch has a choice of five different colors. And just like any other wrist watch, it also displays time, date and also has an alarm mode. The Kisai Stencil LCD Watch is available at Tokyo Flash for US$139.

Record Your Underwater Adventures with the Pyle Snorkeling Master Watch

2012-04-04T00:16:00.009-07:00

Pyle is introducing a new item in their sports gear line – the Snorkeling Master Watch. This watch is water-resistant to 10 atmospheres (330 feet), and it has a selectable sea or lake diving setting. It measures your dive depth (up to 328 feet) with a resolution of 0.1 feet and water temperature (range of 14°F to 140°F) with an accuracy of 1 degree, and it displays this data onscreen with the dive duration. It has an electro-luminescent backlight and a dive alarm that activates when emerging faster than 6m per minute. The Snorkeling Master also keeps a log of your 100 most recent dives with the time and date, dive duration, maximum dive depth, minimum water temperature, and dive site indication. The Snorkeling Master is available in green, black, or red for $215.99 or orange for $222.99.

Kisai Stencil LCD Watch from Tokyoflash Japan

2012-04-04T00:16:00.005-07:00

The Kisai Stencil LCD Watch was originally a concept submitted by Heather Sable, a math teacher and fan of Tokyoflash Japan watches from the USA. The Stencil shows time with the “negative space” on the LCD screen. The display is always on, and there's an electroluminescent backlight for night use. The Stencil displays the time and date and has an alarm mode. The case is stainless steel and measures 1.3″ X 1.85″ X 0.4″ thick. The leather watch band is available in either black or white and fits wrists between 4″ and 8.26″. The LCDs are available in either mirror or green, blue, pink, and red colors. The Stencil is even water-resistant to 3 atmospheres. The Kisai Stencil will sell for $139, but Tokyoflash Japan is having an introductory price of $99. The introductory price ends at February 23rd at 11:30am (Japan time). The above watches show 06:57 (left), 02:04 (middle), and 05:44 (right).

Memento Makes Pocket Watches Fashionable Again

2012-04-04T00:16:00.002-07:00

I love pocket watches. I used to carry one back before cellphones were a common pocket item. Although I haven't carried a pocket watch or worn a wrist watch in years, I still like to look at them. The Memento Pocket Watch caught my eye because the case is made of wood. You can choose from sandal wood or maple. Each shell will be different due to the unique grain in the wood. These watches are made in Hong Kong and can be ordered for $125 each.

Tudor Pelagos Dive Watch

2012-04-04T00:15:00.009-07:00

Dive watches become more than just attractive timepieces that people wear, they also have a more functional feature that divers actually need when going underwater. And it is for these features that such watches really get their value. One of the newest ones to come out, the Tudor Pelagos Dive Watch, even self-adjusts its strap for divers that may experience some compression when going underwater.

The Tudor Pelagos Dive Watch is built for divers and designed for the tough conditions deep underwater. It also comes with a special mechanism on its clasp that allows it to tighten the deeper a diver goes underwater. This is to ensure that the dive watch still comfortably fits into the diver's wrist even after the body goes through forces deep underwater that causes the body to compress.

The Tudor Dive Watch has a touch casing and clasp that is made entirely of titanium. It also comes equipped with a helium valve that helps the watch to absorb variations of pressure. It also can withstand water pressure for up to 500 meters or 1640 feet. The titanium clad Tudor Pelagos is obviously not for any casual wrist watch wearer as it costs US$4,400 to own.

Amplicom TCL 200 Digital Alarm Clock with Wireless Vibrating Pad Review

2012-04-04T00:15:00.005-07:00



Once upon a time, a locomotive train ran through my son's bedroom and he didn't wake up. Well, maybe not. But if a train ever did run through his room he wouldn't wake up. Perhaps you have a family member who would fall into that category because they sleep so hard. We have tried a dozen different types of clocks, including those that speak to you to wake you up, in hopes of finding a clock that would actually wake him up every morning. Nothing has worked. He simply doesn't hear them, yet it wakes the whole house up. So it was with great anticipation that I agreed to review the TCL 200 Digital Alarm Clock with Wireless Vibrating Pad from Amplicom because of a few key features that might, just might, be able to wake the sleeping giant. Did the Amplicom work? Did my son finally make it to school on time? Let's find out! Features and Hardware Before I tell you the results of our tests, let me go over the features of the clock and show you some pictures. The clock comes with a power charger, a phone cord, a user guide (yes, can you believe it?), a wireless vibration pad (more on that soon) and a cable that connects from the vibration pad to the clock for charging. The clock also runs on batteries (door on the bottom of the clock) in the event that the power goes out. It has a bunch of buttons on the front and even more on the back, and I honestly had to read the user guide to figure out some of the functions. I guess you could consider that a pro or a con, but it's a pro for me because I like User Guides. For this clock you need to hold onto the manual because in 6 months when you need to figure out how to do something, you are gonna need it. On the back is where most of the action is, so let's talk about some of these buttons. At the bottom is where you plug in the power cord, the charging wire for the wireless vibration pad, and the phone cord. If you connect the clock to a phone jack in the wall then when the phone rings in the house the clock will act as an amplifier. This could be good, I suppose, for a person who was hard of hearing and needed to know when the phone was ringing. On the back you also get to adjust the dimmer setting, the snooze duration, the volume of the alarm, the pitch of the alarm, and which signal (out of 5) that you want for your alarm. The alarm signals range from just a constant beep to a series of beeps, to longer tones, etc. It really is a personal preference as to which one you choose. You also get to choose if you want the alarm to make a sound, just vibrate, or both. With one of the switches on the back you also get to decide if you want the display on the clock face to flash when the alarm goes off, to add to the probability that the person will get up. And a nice touch is that you can set 2 different alarms and each one can be set to go off every day of the week, just on the weekend, or just M-F. On top is the snooze button and on the right side is a really big knob that turns the alarm off and on. One of my biggest gripes with alarm clocks in general is that the on-off buttons are small, and on most clocks the labels on the buttons are hard to read. Not so on this clock. That on-off knob on the side is not only clearly labeled, it is probably the biggest on-off switch I have ever seen. On the front are indicator lights to tell you which of the 2 alarms are active and if the M-F setting is active. On the front you will also find the buttons for setting the time on the clock and setting the alarm settings that you prefer. Also, an interesting feature of the clock is that you can set the time to be announced in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. The 2 main reasons why I wanted to try this clock were the sound level and the vibration pad. The alarm volume on this clock can be adjusted up to 90 dB. How loud is that? Loud. I have read online that 90 dB is the equivalent of a police whistle, a lawnmower, a power drill, or a circular saw. Needless to say, this clock is loud. The vibration pad is round and semi-flat with a non-slip grip on top and bottom. The on-off switch is on the front and the battery indicator light is located right above the switch. It has an 800 mAh battery that is supposed to give you up to 80 hours of charge, and it charges by plugging it up to the back of the clock. The best way to use it is to slip it inside the pillow cover so that it doesn't fall off the bed. If you have the clock set to include vibration in the alarm and you have the vibration pad turned on, then when the alarm goes off the vibration pad will start vibrating. The vibration is similar to the vibration on your cellphone, only much stronger. Final Results So did my son make it to school on time? Oh yes. We had hoped that the vibration pad would do the trick to cause him to wake up. But the truth is that he didn't need the pad to wake him up. This clock is so loud that it wakes him up without needing the vibration pad. We finally found a clock loud enough to rouse him from his slumber. Thank you Amplicom. And even though I consider the price of this clock to be a little high for an alarm clock, it is a no brainer. If you need to get someone up in the morning, look no further than the Amplicom TCL 200.

The Suunto Ambit

2012-04-04T00:15:00.001-07:00

Suunto has recently released a new high end outdoor/exploring/training watch….The Ambit. Similar in many ways to the Suunto Elementum Terra All-Black I reviewed last year. But with much more functionality for 50-60% the cost….

The Suunto Ambit Black (HR) package includes Suunto Ambit Black (available in white as well), Suunto ANT Comfort Belt, USB power cable, and Quick Guide.

SPECIALIZED OUTDOOR FUNCTIONS

Full-featured GPS with Waypoint navigation
Unique 3D compass
Accurate barometric altitude
Barometer
Temperature

ADVANCED TRAINING FUNCTIONS

Highly responsive pace and speed (FusedSpeed™) with accelerometer integrated GPS
Accurate vertical speed with barometric altimeter
Advanced heart rate monitoring with Peak Training Effect and Recovery Time
Online sports diary with planning & analysis tools in Movescount.com
Compatible with Suunto Bike and Cadence PODs

MOUNTAIN & EVERYDAY EXPLORATION

Robust BuiltToLast -casing
Enhanced battery lifetime
100 m / 328 ft water resistant (ISO 2281)
Upgradeable with new functionalities through Movescount.com

Seiko Astron, the World's First Solar GPS Watch

2012-04-04T00:14:00.006-07:00

In 1969, Seiko introduced the first quartz watch, and now they are introducing the world's first solar GPS watch. Using their own, patented, low-energy-consumption GPS receiver, the Astron is able to recognize all 39 time zones around the world to identify time zone and set the time and date data using the global network of GPS satellites. The Astron receives the time signal once a day, and it can connect to at least four GPS satellites on command to determine the time zone and the exact time. There are five models in the Astron line: three in “high-intensity titanium, which is stronger than stainless steel but has only 60% of its weight, and two in stainless steel. All have ceramic bezels, the same functions and high specifications, including a dual time sub-dial, in-flight mode indicator and sapphire crystal with Super-Clear Coating.” All have ceramic faces and all have the same functions, and they're solar-powered so you don't need to worry with batteries. The Astron will be available in Autumn 2012; no price information is available yet.

Jedi Training Ball Alarm Clock – Use the Force Luke

2012-04-04T00:14:00.003-07:00


Mmmm young Padawans, shoot sparks to wake you up in the morning this Wesco Star Wars Jedi Training Ball Alarm Clock will not. But Force push umm…. throw it you must for the alarm to turn off. Available for preorder (expected delivery April/May) from Frontline Hobbies Australia for $29.99AU (approx $32US ).

Track and Analyze Your Run with the runtastic GPS Watch

2012-04-04T00:13:00.008-07:00

The GPS Watch from runtastic records important parameters from your run: pace, laps, calories, distance, target HR zones, speed, duration, time, elevation and heart rate. After the run, connect the watch to your computer with the included USB cable to transfer your data to your profile at runtastic's website to analyze your metrics. The watch display is customizable, and it has a compass and navigation function. The battery lasts about 14 hours on a charge with GPS. The runtastic GPS Watch costs €149.99; unfortunately, runtastic seems to ship only in Europe.