With this new theme web site layout – it is now very easy to SEARCH for articles and/or references to much more data than before. The old site – once I’d Posted an article it was more or less buried and then forgotten, replaced by something new. Not now . . . . .
So with that in mind –
If you use the “SEARCH” function you’ll be amazed at the number of “finds” you will pick up. I tried it myself and was really pleasantly surprised.
For example typing in Casio returned some 140 articles, with each page showing around 10 Posts per view and it was actually a nice way to randomly spend a half hour or so reading through them. Typing in digital was no less impressive – just amazing what I’ve written over the years. You’ll should find some stuff you’ve probably not seen before that hopefully might grab your interest for a while.
In fact so impressed was I that I found quite a few things I didn’t realise or forgotten I ever knew – and I wrote them!
My next Post is more or less an opinion – asked of me by a young friend – about his first watch buy – did I like it? About Swatch SISTEM51 watches.
Ever had a watch that’s been kept in a drawer full of metal tools for years? Well I came across two recently and these were as bad as I’ve seen. The cases were scratched, crystal/glass almost opaque and the watches generally pretty filthy. Now I could maybe understand this if these were owned by a jobbing builder and were just the result of concrete dust, walls proximity and heavy manual work – it happens – but these two were my Brothers and he worked behind a desk!
But, being a follower of watch auctions, this is not even unusual – some of the watches are awful.
So, seeing these were so bad, I decided to have a go at making both watch cases looking a little better, or that’s the plan at any rate! Now I’m not overconfident on this, but surely I can improve these somehow, without damaging them further. I mean, Hey, it’s hardly rocket science is it? Mind you, I have seen the results of a few attempts by friends to do just that – and being honest – I couldn’t see much difference after they finished! Anyway, I’m going to take it slow and see if I can at least improve and maybe reduce/remove some of these scratches. My advice however, is try it out on some old watch that is due for the bin anyway – just to be on the safe side!
I should say now that as I’ve just found these, I have not a photographic record of before and after – yet. . . . But if I manage even a little success, I hope to Post images at some point in the future. And what if I don’t, I hear some of you say? – well you can draw your own conclusions! Ha!
Tacklife Rotary tool
Of course to manage anything you need to have some tools and although you can do some work without, it’s really fiddly just with fingers.
So, I checked around the Internet and found the Tacklife 3.7vcordless Rotary tool (so much easier to use without a cable getting in the way), so no cable and the tool is only around 6″ long, quite thin, light weight and really easy to use. I used to have a Dremel some years back, as it was all the rage when it came out – but I was never impressed that much and found it clumsy – the cable being too stiff and just got in the way – but this new tool is really neat.
This comes in it’s own little box with an assortment of bits and things that do most anything I want. I like the fact, it has two (2) changeable bit holders – their own one which is small and one that fits standard Dremel bits – so really useful when looking for tool bits. The tool seems powerful enough for purpose and has 3 speeds from 5,000 to 15,000 rpm and has enough bits for anything you might throw at it.
Being so keen to try it out, right out of the box, I just took one of the scratched watches in my left hand and the tool in my right and started using it. (how amateur is that?). Now OK, if I wanted to get serious then I’d probably either clamp the watch or the tool and be a bit more professional and as it happens, taken a bit more care!
Now to be ultra cautious, I’m starting by using a small buff plus a little of the included grinding/polishing compound, basically as it incorporates a fairly gentle abrasive and is about as non-invasive as you can get.
Simply select the speed setting for you and have a go on the scratched stainless surface of the watch case and you should start to see results. It only took me around a minute or so on each of the upper and side surfaces. I hadn’t even removed the watch strap (which, of course, you should do, as the polish compound won’t do it much good), but in my eagerness I thought I’ll just give it a few goes and see what happens. And in the event after a few minutes the improvement was actually obvious. After a few more tries I upped the speed a bit as I grew more confident, but whatever suits your hand skills.
Tacklife Rotary tool – neat, cordless and powerful enough
Now I know to remove deeper scratches on stainless steel it’s probably better to BE bold – but with care on the edges and corners of course – and can certainly give decent results.
You then start from a new sheet or surface as it were and use finer grades of abrasion each time and then polishing compounds to get to that mirror scratch free finish you are seeking. BUT – I’m starting out here from scratch (excuse the pun). So softly softly . . .
I can also decide how far I want to go and maybe say – OK that’s a big improvement, I don’t need to do any more – OR once I’ve had a bit more experience I’ll go the whole way, but that’s a decision I’ll leave for now. OR, horror of horrors, say – Jeez this is worse than I thought – and well I never liked that watch anyway – and bin it!
But after just 2 minutes of Tacklife use as a first phase it’s improved the look already.
So, it seems obvious that with this kit and other abrasive compounds and surface bits, there is little that can’t be achieved with this simple set up and stainless watch cases should present no problems at all.
For Gold cases however before I started I’d definitely read up on it from someone who knows that they are doing. You certainly don’t want to remove too much Gold. Bad enough with solid Gold, but for Gold plate, then less is more, as they say, plus a bit of common sense.
Fortunately, I have very few watches that have a scratch problem, but the odd one that does find its way into my collections, I can fairly confidently look forward to at least improving these to my satisfaction enough that I’m happy to wear it.
This is not the first time I managed a case clean-up, as I did one well over a year ago from my Wife’s watch box (what does she do with them!) And this was long before I’d even thought of a Post like this and unfortunately, I didn’t think of photos at the time, so no photo was taken “before” I started. But I’m happy to report the watch looks pretty decent now and my Wife is happy enough to wear it – so I think it’s passed inspection!
But as always – watch this space.
Note – I hasten to say that I’ve no vested tie up or commercial connection to the rotary tool used – it just happened to be the one I picked at random on the Net, that seemed on description to maybe be ideal for my purpose. The fact that it worked out OK for me, was and is a bonus.
Been around for a while now, though this is the first time I’ve actually come across it – possibly as maybe I’m not in the right financial bracket – but anyway – it is a fact and not for the first time, that an old idea, such as disks instead of hands, comes to the fore, but more than often with little success. Perhaps another reason why it’s never taken my attention. – until now –
This time – Ressence have managed to turn this re-invention into a super modern concept that actually manages to excite an old guy like me. I mean, let’s face it, so many variations of portraying time can be either silly, overly complicated or darn right ludicrous.
The super cool Ressence Type 1 – Orbital Convex System – copywrite Ressence
Not so with this wonderful high quality model from Belgium – the Ressencetype 1 watch. The first time I saw it I was hooked – it is just amazing! It’s a true mobile display that works on every level for me. Clarity is superb and so easy to read, day or night, instant calendar information, Date, Day, am/pm, hours, seconds and all in a truly inspired case, with a setting system that is both innovative, efficient and seemingly easy to manage.
The Ressence Orbital Type 1
The featured one is the Type 1, which I assume is the simplest of them and there are 5 models in all, each with a different aspect and look, but with the same integral patented three-dimensional complication or ROC – the Ressence Orbital Convex system.
The image here just gives an impression of the look. CHECK OUT the following link –
It gives you an idea of how it moves and gives a glimpse into the amazing system that could be on your wrist – though unfortunately for me – way out of my price range.
And the Type 5 is just something else! Especially underwater! You can see it HERE – amazing!
But I can dream!
Note – the images/ link are property & Copywrite of Ressence and I show them simply as reference to something special – I’m in awe!
Another Smart watch but this time connects to the phone operating systems of Android, Windows, including iPhone. Smart use of monochrome LCD displays means longer battery life at around 30 days – with charge point at rear. Classic watch look in a decent steel case at a sensible size, conventional strap/bracelet fitting and with a good clear non touch screen face. Operated by use of the conventional watch pushers – looks good too. Does the smart basics and is more costs effective than many of the big mainstream boys – so this is good news.
Vector Luna Smart watch with classic dial layout
Supposed to be available soon at around $349 or thereabouts and there’s also a square version, the “Meridian”. I prefer the strap version on the Luna above and the fact you can change to a different color strap can really show the watch off to best advantage.
Definitely going in the right direction and good to see a non Apple product with such a sensible approach. Hopefully this is only the start.
Always nice to see models appearing that are NOT from the big 4 or mainstream digital manufacturers, that maybe are fashion statements or watches to compliment their particular area of interest.
P01TIME from Playtime Japan.
The P01TIME is one such brand, launched by Japanese snowboarding company Playdesign. This model is from their 3rd collection and called Super Digital which has a IP coated 46mm diameter stainless steel case, mineral crystal, Water Resistance of 3ATM and nylon strap and available in a range of color combinations.
Various color combinations
No details I’m afraid, as I just spotted it and haven’t managed to access any real technical information on these, but they obviously appear to have the Time, Day, Date and possibly a Chronograph and or timer. Not so obviously they could have either a 2nd time zone or even a World Time feature as they are showing TKO in pace of the Day on the images shown here.
I particularly like the large digital Time display, which appears on first looks to have great clarity and I also just like the look of the watch – sort of military sporty and pretty rugged too. My color of choice is actually the plain version as shown on the larger image.
I also like the fact that many of these “fashion” or accessory models today are of much better quality than hitherto and not just “throwaway” items, but often serious timepieces in their own right.
However as to the P01TIME (3rd Collection) I somehow doubt we’ll ever see it here in the UK, though it appears well stocked by domestic Dealers in Japan. So if of interest, maybe a trip to Japan or a virtual Internet Dealer such as http://www.branc-store.com/?pid=64908558 is the only answer. Priced at 12,96YEN this is the equivalent of around £76 UK plus any mail/customs charges and IF they deliver to the UK.
However if you can get one – you could well have a model on your wrist that your friends won’t have! Is that cool or what!
This seems to be the big thing for 2014, certainly from the big 3 makers, Seiko, Citizen and Casio who have invested heavily in this GPS accurate world time idea. From older ideas back in 2011, they are now really starting to make models that are no longer experimental/gimmicky, but real contenders for “the watch” or certainly the most accurate watch for anytime, anyone and anywhere.
Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F100
My preference is for the Citizen as it’s the most uncluttered dial, the easiest to see and without doubt the best clarity of them all. It’s also light titanium cased and banded and for a model of this complication, very thin at 12.4mm depth. The diameter isn’t too bad either at 45.4mm, though folks with an average wrist size of 165mm might find it on the limits from lug to lug, but probably manageable.
It also scores over the competition as it has a remarkable signal pick up time of just 3 seconds and will indicate the correct time in any of the 40 times zones on the planet. It’s also very accurate with the new F100 calibre at +/- 5 seconds/month without a signal. Being Eco-Drive of course you can forget any battery issues and the light/power conversion is better than ever and the power reserve is pretty awesome at 7 years in the dark in a drawer!
The final plus for me – it’s at a price point that’s not totally unreachable at around £1300 UK or less and it’s expected sometime this summer.
And about time I’d say – Tissot at last updates it’s “Touch” series with this very stylish offering – the T Touch Expert Solar.
Tissot T Touch Expert Pro Solar.
As the title this is now solar powered and not just any old ordinary Solar, but able to power the watch for an astonishing 1 year with just 1 hour of sun applied to the face! The model is also fair bristling with functions, some 25 in all, from the ubiquitous compass, Altitude reader (they don’t call them altimeters anymore!), Timers and Weather Forecast/Predictors and goodness knows what else.
I can also forecast that the instruction booklet will be many, many pages and will have to be studied carefully if you’re going to get the best out of this machine. And of course not forgetting the “T touch sensitive screen dial that starts it all off. Case wise it’s titanium so it’s nice and light weight.
The dial for me is one of the best features of this new Tissot, as it’s the cleanest I’ve seen, not that they were too cluttered before, but here their designers have surpassed themselves and really come up with one of the best faces I’ve seen for a long time on any ana-digi model! In fact the entire watch, case and dial design is quite exceptional in my opinion, though I have no data on the dimensions as yet. I understand it is around 45mm diameter, so large but not excessively so and I note the back is very tidy in comparison to it’s predecessor, so it could well be thinner, which would be very good indeed.
Here is a video of the model in action – it shows pretty well and I for one am looking forward to this model – could bring my Birthday forward for this one!
Don’t know when it will be here and available here in the UK or the price, but here’s hoping it’s not too long or too much.
Further to my Post regarding “Smart” watches I see that Motorola are soon to be coming out with what I hope is a proper “watch” but with added smartphone technology. If appearances are to be believed it will look like a conventional watch and be a sensible size.
The new Moto 360 smart watch – coming soon!
Motorola apparently are saying they are committed to making it like a conventional watch, circular, very few if any buttons or pushers. It connects via Google Now assistant with email alerts, phone calls and when messages etc arrive – so this is definitely looking good.
Dial can show various displays as well as conventional time.
I can do no more than point you to their rather brief (at this stage) web site ( HERE )as a tester perhaps of things to come – soon and sometime this summer? I’m very interested in this as if they get the size right and a decent functionality without too much complication, then they may well have a winner.
———————————————-
I also note the Citizen one of our most well known mainstream makers is touting the Bluetooth smart watches TM84-0351V and TM84-0352V. Other Smart Watch new boys in this game watch out (sorry for the pun!)
Smart watches from Citizen!
No prices yet or availability for world sales, but definitely interesting and ones to watch for 2014 – 15?
Presently only available and connecting to certain Japanese domestic phones, it does bode well for the “smart” set in that one of the big 4 is now in the game.
As usual I’ve been checking out some of my favorite watch brands, to see what might interest me and the first brand I looked at was Fossil. Plenty to choose from perhaps but only one was of any interest, the rest doing nothing for me this time. My solitary choice is the Fossil Aeroflite 3 hand date watch.
Fossil – my choice from the current crop
Still a relatively large case as is the Fossil tendency at 44mm diameter, but as they also often manage, just 12mm in height, so I’ll forgive them, with a decent Water Resistance of 100m. Crown @4 and a 22mm wide strap. This is a new model and at a simple price of £105 is good value. Excellent finish stainless Steel and leather buckle strap give it an everyday watch appearance and I like the crown @4 just to be different and there is a small date window @3. The Hour and Minute hands are nice and broad, hopefully with some decent luminescence both to the hands and the large green tinted numerals (poor luminescence a failing of some Fossil models I’ve found). At least on this model the hands are broad with white painted infills so should have good clarity during the day. There is also a centre seconds hand in white.
One of a number of watch models appearing recently that are moving away from the “let’s make it look complicated” look to a more simplistic expression. A wysiwyg approach or “what you see is what you get” idea that if managed properly always strikes a chord with those of us who are looking for a watch that has got the basics right.
So a little disappointing to find only one Fossil model of interest to me, though there are obviously folks out there who’ll have different tastes and so on, but I’ll check in to Fossil every couple of months just to see what’s new. If one comes up that I like I’ll post it here.
Thought I’d try and find a Smart watch that at least looked like an actual watch. Not one of those devices trying to be a full blown tablet on the wrist, because I consider them in their infancy and experimental enough that I’ve no wish to spend my cash just to bolster their development costs. So for me, less is more so to speak and I am encouraged to find two models along the lines of what smart watch should mean, with the emphasis on “watch”. These are basically devices that will “pair” to your iPhone or Android device without overreaching their capabilities. Get these right and we’re on the right track.
First up is the Cogito Original – a smart watch that actually looks like a watch!
Cogito Original Smart Watch.
And as they say on their web site –
“COGITO ORIGINAL brings together the power of a connected watch with the sophistication of a precision-crafted timepiece” and “When linked with the smartphone or tablet app, COGITO allows users to cut through the digital noise by customizing settings based on their priorities and selecting which notifications will appear. On the watch face, users can see who is calling or messaging, and decide whether to answer or mute it and “COGITO frees users from continually checking their phones “.
Perhaps like me you’ve been looking at those odd “smart” wrist gadgets appearing here and there, such as Samsung and Sony, Pebble and a good few others and maybe like me you’ve not been that impressed. My dislike of these things is initially that they simply look like an oversize slab of square or rectangular glass strapped on top of the wrist, but which have no consideration of wrist shape or size.
Some manage phone applications, others simply link to your phone, assuming you can get a signal of course. Though why you need to link from your wrist to your pocket (where your phone is stashed) I find perhaps debatable as a must have.
I just don’t see the point when you can simply take out your phone or whatever and use it directly (mind you I only use an old cell phone for emergencies – so maybe I’m in the stone age here). And personally being a pessimist, maybe I feel it’s technology for technologies sake, rather than practicality, BUT who am I to stand in the way of progress!
Now apart from the size and shape issue, there is the rubbish battery life to consider. Their problem of course is that we’re all so used to watches, that is wristwatches that don’t require a battery charge ever, mechanical or solar quartz. Even standard quartz models have a battery life of 2 to 10 years these days and yet this so called Smart technology can only manage 1 day or at best 1 week? before having to charge the battery! I’d have to say that “smart” is not the word I’d use.
This means you to have a charger of some kind with you if on a trip for example and find a power supply too . . . .? And if for some reason you’re unable to manage that, maybe lose it for example (easy to do if traveling) then you are literally stuck. No smart anything and let’s hope no one asks you for the time!
Cogito Original – a proper “smart”watch at last?
COGITO ORIGINAL appears to incorporate the power of a “connected” watch and a decent timepiece. It links to your the smartphone or tablet app and allows you to customize settings based on your priorities and then decide which notifications will appear on the watch face, see who’s calling or texting and decide your response.
It also features a tap-to-act function, which means a faster response plus it uses Bluetooth 4.0 low energy technology, which means no battery charging as the cell will last well over a year without a charge and when necessary can be replaced easily by the user.
It comes with a SR626SW standard button-cell battery plus a CR2032 Battery and a Quick Start Guide + with alternative colour and material choices available, this 100m Water Resistance smart watch, can be as individual as you like and used in most situations, even in the pool.
Well that’s what Cogito says and it certainly sounds very promising and it appears to me, to be much more in keeping with my idea of a useful “smart watch” at this stage in our technology. It looks like a watch, it tells the time like a watch, it talks to your phone and it’s got a watch battery life . . . . it sounds good to me!
So far I like what I see and I note it’s going to be available around the end of this month at $179.99 on pre-order – so if you’re into this smart technology stuff – could be well worth a look!
———————————————-
My second find is the Cookoo Life smart watch, that again is in keeping with a proper wristwatch, rather than an odd box stuck on your wrist, trying to be something more than it is
The Cookoo Life – a smart watch that thinks it’s a watch
The COOKOO Life comes in a whole pile of colors and the core functionality of linking via Bluetooth 4 to your iPhone or Android seems to be excellent. And it also tells you the time all the time, as it has permanent analogue hour, minute and seconds hands.
Once linked or “paired” to your device it keeps you in control of any alerts and notifications you receive on your phone, either by Icon, Beep or even Vibration.
Cookoo color options are many
Phone features are notified to you, such as Incoming Calls, Missed Calls, Facebook messages, Calendar reminders, Email and SMS, Low Battery on your iPad warning and Out of range alarm. You can even take photographs with your device/phone remotely and play music. I particularly like the “find your phone” feature, just press a button to sound an alert for locating it.
Again this watch has a decent Water Resistance, a CR2032 button-cell battery and a easy change battery hatch on the rear so you can replace it if required sometime after a year. I also like the fact that both these models can update functionality by using different Apps which are often free downloads to your phone device.
The Cookoo Life – looks like a wrist watch, acts like a wristwatch, but smart as well.
OK and let’s be honest here, this is a completely different world for me, being the sort of guy who loves vintage timepieces and traditional watches, but I have to admit to being quite impressed by both these smart watches first and foremost as they both look and act like a proper watch. Plus the added “new age” functions that for modern people are probably more relevant and useful than the old traditional features and watch complications. Though Timers and stopwatches can still be managed, these are normal rather than added function sets here. Perhaps Altimeters and Compasses are better left to individual devices at the moment.
But it looks like Time’s not stopping for anyone and although it might be going that little bit fast for me – I’m hanging on best I can . . . . . . . if I’m “smart” and have the time. 😉
Watch space 
You must be logged in to post a comment.