G-Shock Tough Solar GA-B2100

First time I’ve had a look at this particular G Shock model and whilst I do have another G Shock in my collection, my post comparison Casio/Timex – refers https://watchspace.co.uk/2013/02/14/a-digital-classic/) I’ve never found them to be quite right for me. However, this one may the one to make me change my mind.

This is the G Shock Bluetooth Tough Solar version GA-B2100 model.

At first glance to me it seems like many others in the range and the strap already has me concerned, as it might be a bespoke one, so, not easily changed for a standard strap should it become brittle or damaged.
I like the fact it has many of the usual G Shock features, such as Alarms, World Time and a Perpetual Calendar and so on AND that it has analog hour and minute hands, which I understand are Luminous, though the markers are not, which I think is a mistake – with no other reference points when looking at the hands in the dark, it is possible to misread the time. It’s as simple as that.

I like the neat digital window, which Casio are masters at and the fact that the hands can be moved out of the way if obscuring the digits you need to see. The other dial shows battery life and other selected functions of the watch (it is Solar, so with light applied under normal situations, then you can basically forget about battery life). Apparently it will still work even after being left in a dark drawer for around 18 months.

I also like the fact that there is no logo in a distracting colour on the dial (another way of mis-reading time at night) – there is a back light apparently, but I prefer to read a watch at night, at a glance without pressing buttons. It also has a feature of beeping every hour on the hour, but fortunately I understand this can be silenced.
Watch accuracy is the usual -/+ 15 secs a month, though if paired with your phone using Bluetooth, then it’s arguably similar to a Radio Controlled system, though I think many folks will prefer the Radio Receiver system – not every one carries a phone (yes indeed, would you believe! and I’m one of them!)

The glass is toughened mineral and the module and case are protected by Casio’s Carbon Core Guard structure. However, one of the gripes I have with some of these “protected” watches, is the level of protection guarding the buttons or pushers. Often these are protected too well and subsequently difficult to access or operate – I have also found that with other G Shocks. In fact I have always found the protection of the Timex Anti-shock tough watches to be just as good, in firstly protecting unintended operation of buttons, but managing to still allow easy to access the pushers.

I note the watch apparently is 48.5mm lug to lug and 45.4mm diameter (across) x 11.9mm depth. My personal concern are the first two measurement, This is a large watch, albeit a light one and for me, might just be on the big side. I also noted some folks have a concern that the resin case bezel is quite thin and can be adversely affected by the warmth of wearing on the wrist (something I’ve never heard of before) – vis a vis – apparently distorting slightly from the circular where it meets the glass. How this affects the 200m Water resistance or the collection of dust in any gap (bezel to glass) – I would have to see for myself, if this is an issue or not.

BUT – I hasten to add that I have not yet been able to get one in my hands yet, so my brief look is perhaps presumptive, but does illustrate my personal concerns, especially if purchasing one online and unseen in the hand as it were.
However at around £129 it is certainly not an expensive model, but that said, it’s not the first time I’ve bought online and found a watch too big – and that can be so disappointing.

So, I reserve judgement on this model until I get one close up and personal. So – as always Watch this Space.

Elgin Art Deco 1928

Another Ladies vintage watch in my collection is this nice 1928 Elgin Art Deco model in 14k Gold with a the original 15 jewel movement. The fact that this is working perfectly after nearly 100 years, is a testament to Swiss watch movements of the day.

I particularly like this model owing to the enamel decoration of the dial bezel/top face, which nicely highlights the figured Elgin marked dial. Not water resistant of course as this was a hinged snap back case and the crown arbor design was via a quite large case entry. The crown is also very easy to use, being quite large.

As was usual at this time, especially in Ladies more fashionable designs, the case has engraving all around the top and side of the case and the case back is perfectly plain.

Very similar to the Elgin ‘Parisienne’ range of models, in regards the use of enamel decoration, though in the case of this particular model, not sponsored by any particular fashion designer of the day. The Parisienne models of course were closely coupled to the famous French Fashion Houses of that period and I have the pleasure of owing quite a few, or my Wife does . . . .

I like the enamel designs, simply as they lift the usual engraved features to another level often by adding colour and texture. Some feature quite inspired cloisonné decoration on the face design, which for me adds even more interest and appeal.

Elgin produced great watches from 1864 and ceased trading in 1968, so over 100 years and this particular model is 94 years old today and, as I said at the start of this Post, an absolute testament to the inherent quality of mechanical watches – and I don’t see this one stopping any time soon!

The Cartier contradiction . .

Cartier and bargain are hardly words you would immediately associate together, indeed you might say they are a contradiction in terms – but in this instance you would be wrong!

Whilst I have a couple of old vintage Cartier models, there are two models that always interested me and still available today. Both models, that for myself and others who own them, are both conservative and understated and which do manage that trick of being Classic great buys, whether pristine and just out of the box, or pre-owned. They are, I suppose, models that always tend to sit just under the radar in the “must have” stakes and yet for me personally, out of all Cartier models, these models rate as the definitive Cartier Classics, and given the opportunity, they are a must have.

Maybe one of the reasons why one of my Cartier Tank Solos, is often overlooked, is because it’s quartz, with a stainless steel case and a quality leather strap on a slim deployment. And as Cartier sometimes do and my particular preference, there’s nothing added here, no gold, no diamonds, no frills – instead just a rather deceptively simple “tell the time” dress watch, that somehow, effortlessly, manages timeless elegance with a quiet and discrete Cartier quality.
Elegant in the extreme and dimensionally very sleek in a classic Tank “style” case, this is my compact one, measuring just 27.5 mm x 34 mm and a super sleek 5.6 mm depth, so very neat, compact and dual purpose, as it suits my wife too.
And both models feature the Tank profile that has a flat upper surface profile, which somehow accentuates the sleek look of these models, a subtle change, yes, but one I personally prefer over the rounded profile of some models.

You might also be forgiven for thinking this quartz Cartier is much more expensive than the fact. This is the surprise!
Because even at the retail price, it’s definitely a bargain. Pre-owned, you can get them for around half the retail, at around £1200 and for the date version add another 50% and you’re not far off.

I also have a XL (extra large) 31mm width x 41 lug to lug Ref. 3800 Solo model, which includes the Date and is an Automatic, not quartz and between the two, it’s probably my favourite, with no battery to change – so out of the drawer – a slight shake and we’re in business.

In fact I was so taken with these, that at long last, with a year between them, I firstly bought the quartz (my version is the later 8 year battery one), then the Automatic XL model in a burst of, ‘I’ve just got to have them’ – though in fairness one of them was a present.

Both watches were pre-owned, the condition basically as good as new – and on the wrist – they look really good!

So, elegant, slim and sleek, both absolutely, undisputedly, Classic Cartier – what could be better?

Heavenly De Bethune

I’ve included this amazing piece from De Bethune as it seems to fall pretty much into the sphere of Art and whilst it’s ostensibly for ladies, at 40mm diameter it suits me very well, especially if I was into astronomy! With hand-polished and blued titanium, the sparkling twinkle of the white gold and diamond stars, and the muted glow of the curved blued steel hands . . . . . this is no ordinary watch.

The round sphere of the moon is set with diamonds and sapphires galore (plus Sapphires too) so a bit above the daily beater class, but hey – sometimes you’ve just got to splash out! I love the fact that you can have the star-studded sky personalized on request according to a specific geographical place and even date!

The movement is automatic (self winding), twin barrel with a 6 day reserve, with a special triple shock absorbing system, 27 jewels and 28,800 vibrations per hour and a silicon/platinum balance wheel – just shouts a technically excellent and serious piece of kit and very impressive.

Do I like it? – YES!

Can I afford it?- eh . . . . NO!

Would my Wife like it? . . . .actually she said – NO!

You have no idea how that pleases me and the reason is she tells me, that she prefers numbers on her watches, otherwise how can you tell the time – she says . . .!

Isn’t that sweet!

😉

DeBethune, make some amazing watches and complications that to coin a well known phrase, simply reach “where no man has gone before” (sorry Star Treck) – but they are quite astonishing – and if you have to ask the price – maybe they’re not for you – or me!

Interesting finds (1)

Occasionally whilst trawling the Net, you come across watch making Brands that for whatever reason are quite unknown to you. Perhaps these are lesser manufacturers or models sold in other parts of the world and not so well known in your own Country.

Elysee Priamos 77015 Automatic Date watch

But noticed because for some reason their style, look or quality perhaps, says these are worth a further look.

Incidentally, this Post entitled “Interesting finds” I plan to be a recurring monthly feature, where I hope to Post a model/Brand that I think has merit and worth a mention.

The first is this rather nice traditional looking German model – the Elysee Priamos 77015, from yes, you’ve guessed it – Elysee.
And they have been around for a little while, founded in 1920 by Jaques Beaufort with the Elysee brand – though newly acquired in 1991, they now produce in Dusseldorf – ‘Made in Germany’ mid range quality watches, with quite a selection of models, both Gents and Ladies.

The featured model is a mechanical automatic (with Miyota movement), white dial with Power Reserve indication, small/medium seconds and an incorporated Date widow @3. Sapphire crystal, stainless steel case and a quality black leather deployment buckle strap.

Dimensions are a neat 11mm case depth and 41mm diameter and it’s water resistant to 50m.

It has the typical German traditional style, luminous hands and applied markers and overall, for my taste has a good look . However and especially for a Quartz model, being priced at around £300, it’s maybe a little high against its competition. It comes complete with a 2 year Warranty.

However, overall I was quite taken by the look of this one, partly because I like the German watch style, and I have quite similar ones in my collection, such as Bruno Sohnle, Junghans, Bauhaus, Nomos, Junkers and others – suffice to say I just find them to be fine watches and I like wearing them.

Note – on the pricing, I’ve found that most Germans models featuring Quartz movements, are very competitive and often under the £200 mark. And make no mistake, in general they are very good watches.
Upgrading to mechanical Automatics, if using Japanese movements, the price is up to twice that figure and for Swiss or in-house Automatics, maybe three times the price.

Now OK, that’s a rough and perhaps over simplification of pricing, but basically that’s my general experience. Of course there are exceptions depending on Brand name and so on. Though with the speed of change today, it may well be that watches for everyday wear will very much be at masses prices. Good for us, yes?

Feice Bauhaus – Budget or Bargain?

A name synonymous with the German art of structure, form and function, so persuasive that way back in 1919 to 1933 in Germany, the School of Fine Arts, espoused that form should follow function, without the unnecessary – in other words, a sort of minimalism. But importantly “without stifling design” – and that phrase so important in the world of truly Bauhaus described watches.

True Bauhaus – the Nomos Tangente Automatic Date watch

The Brand that for sometime now has one of the best of Bauhaus tradition is Nomos – specifically the Glashutte Tangente. And it’s well known as a high quality model that manages to command quite a price too. With it’s in-house mechanical Automatic movement, something of a rarity these days, it also manages to be of a nice size at 39mm diameter. Sapphire crystal, neatly cased in high polished steel, I show it here as the standard to which a new contender has to aspire.

Now the Bauhaus philosophy is quite well catered for in the watch business – rivals to Nomos such as – Stowa, Sternglas, Junghans, Junkers and Seagull come to mind and there are others such as Panzera, Nordgreen or Aristo and so on. Most are not as expensive, though the cheaper are often Quartz powered, which for me doesn’t quite gel with the ideal of Bauhaus – I feel the concepts of Form, Function and Structure without the unnecessary, seems to get lost in the static world of electronics – but maybe that’s just me.

Feice FM201 Bauhaus Automatic – more than a copy?

The Bauhaus concept for me is alive in a way that the solid state world just isn’t. Some, for example interpret the Bauhaus movement as a sort of Danish minimalist design, which (I have some myself) and I always end up personally disappointed, because they are so- minimal – and if I’m honest, a little bit barren, dare I say, like furniture – not that Danish furniture is uncomfortable, but I like to see the comfort too, with comfortable surroundings – but again, is that just me?

And this is where the Bauhaus concept is so interesting, by design and in the feelings it gives the wearer. There’s something both comfortable and comforting – and invariably mine end up on my wrist more than most.

I like them, specifically the automatics. Firstly, as they are alive and secondly, you simply wear them and they are part of you. No batteries, no winding and no fiddling around.

So, although I had heard of them, still a bit of a surprise when I came across the FIECE FM201 – in person, as it were. Bauhaus style, Automatic, with understated Date indication and owing to the derisory price I assumed Quartz. I mean – the Fiece is around £150 – and the Nomos near £2000! Now that! is a hell of a difference!

I can understand some of the price differential, as the Fiece sports a Chinese modified movement. Those clever Sea-Gull people at Tianjin in China managing the tricky business of combining mass market methods with increasingly decent movement quality – not easy.

So, as it often happens, it all comes down to Quality v Price.

Of course, much depends on your definition of quality. To some – if it ticks and keeps decent time – then that might be good enough. To others, it’s about “look” and finish and detail and what’s inside and so on – very subjective indeed. And in this particular instance we dare not forget that it’s all about the Bauhaus philosophy too – which is about Form and Function and Structure, and no unnecessary bits – Gets tricky doesn’t it?

My Junkers ‘100yr’ Bauhaus, with Miyota Auto 9132 calibre, 28,800 A/h – a favourite classic for me.

As to Sea-Gull movements, I used to have reservations, in the past, when their assembly procedures were not so good. In those days you might get a good one, or a not so good one, though ironically the movements were very good. I do remember they benefitted from a good clean and service, which instantly elevated them right up there with the Swiss ETA calibres.

However, changed days now and their movements are well respected indeed and have come a long way from the Citizen/Miyota origins – incidentally my own Junkers Bauhaus, shown here features a very good Miyota 9132, 28,800A/h Calibre.

Both Miyota and Sea-Gull have become synonymous with mass availability of excellent automatic movements and can really challenge the ubiquitous Swiss ETA2824-2 automatics.

I applaud them both, as Quality, Quantity and Price are a tricky balance to manage, so no mean feat.

BUT, that’s not the topic for here – suffice to say that “Made in China” doesn’t always mean cheap and cheerful. What it can show is that very decent watches are now widely available to everyone – and that’s a good thing.

But for Fiece, the idea of using the Bauhaus concept and promoting globally and espousing – Form, Function and a certain marketing seriousness, hasn’t hindered them in their mass market approach and by increasing quality is a real bonus. They have carefully followed others with this trend and with some success.

Their Bauhaus ‘homage’ models are attractive enough for me to check them out – and so, I bought the Fiece FM201, and it’s definitely better than expected.

My Feice FM201 Bauhaus 38mm on wrist – Budget or Bargain?

In comparison to the Nomos, the dial text/font clarity and detail is good, as is the Date aperture (though smaller than my Junkers). The hands maybe not quite as delicate, but also good and maybe overall, the dial isn’t quite as – shall I say – ‘fine’, but it’s still very good.

But as always, my observations are subjective. As to the movement – well OK Nomos is certainly highly regarded, but the Fiece FM201 Sea-Gull is pretty decent and with no internal traces of fingers or dust or skin flakes. It also has some evidence of oil (that’s good), so it appears the old Sea-Gull shortcomings of the past, may well be long gone.

Or have I just been lucky? No, I suspect today, they have definitely raised their game.

And as to how it looks on the wrist and for timekeeping – it looks pretty darned good – and it certainly does look ‘Bauhaus’.

So – Budget or bargain?

Well, I would have to say – bargain. It has the Bauhaus look, it’s nice to look at, it works well, suits the wrist and it wasn’t expensive – so what’s not to like!

Of course, there will be detractors who will accuse yet another Brand of producing another “homage” or even a “copy” (and let’s face it, there are many models out there that are close copies of others – right from the top down). Some are near fake category, but that’s taking it too far and such an accusation only valid if their offering was “made to deceive”.

Personally, I like some of those listed here and there are some good Bauhaus styles around. However, with each trying to have that “look”, the result shows that their options are somewhat limited in how they look in reality, so copy accusations are easy to assume, rightly or wrongly.

Me? I’m just a punter, a guy who likes to buy and wear pleasing watches and I like Bauhaus style. So, from my point of view it’s all academic. Selfishly, it simply means I have a greater choice of models and Brands to choose from and in a wide price range too – and it is just that – personal choice.

The Bauhaus concept has no doubt spawned an attractive range of similar styled watches (you either like ’em or you don’t) – and there are bargains to be had.

Addendum –

It should be noted that Tianjin Sea-Gull watches also make their own Bauhaus watch – which is shown here – and it is very well priced too – this is the Automatic D819.612 without date. Nice size at 39mm and 9mm depth with Sapphire crystal – slightly slimmer than the Feice but I like them both.

Latest – However – I do have another Bauhaus, not shown here, which I will feature in another Post quite soon, that for me, has a certain ‘something’ to it, that really appeals – so watch this space!

Sea-Gull Automatic Bauhaus Watch – D819.612

Minimalist

In these times of Covid-19, “lock-downs” and general restrictions on our daily lives, unfortunately it can cause people to become really down and depression is too easy to set in.

For me, to cheer myself up and others in the family, I thought maybe a little gift would not go amiss. This particular watch is just that AND it’s not expensive and can easily be found via Amazon, so can be posted to you directly without any issues at all.

This is the Shengke Creative watch, described as a ladies model, though at 40 mm diameter is a decent uni-sex size. Just 8.5 mm depth, it’s also very slim. Note the 20 mm Polyurethane buckle strap may be a little short for some larger wrists, but it’s very flexible and fits mine perfectly at 6.5 inches circumference. Of course, being a standard style of watch lug, it will be easy to replace with a longer or a leather strap if required.
It is described as minimalist, which is fair comment as there are no frills on this neat timepiece. The dial uses a plain black moving disc moving with a cut out segment for the fixed times disc in white contrast. The minute hand is bright and easily seen in yellow, so dial-wise as minimalist as you’d want. The watch is said to be 30 m water resistance, though as it has a snap back, I would doubt it but it certainly fits snug with that nice “snap” sound on closing.

The model comes in a few alternative colours, Black, White and Red.

Their web site shows quite a few variants, with minimalism and simplicity being the theme running through the range. And for the price – well this one cost me £23.00 which is definitely affordable. These are what I call fashion style watches, and in this particular case, very neat and easily readable too – which to my mind are just the thing for a gift to cheer someone up.

Now OK, these are not high quality movements and pretty standard fare Quartz, but let’s face it, these days most Quartz movements are darned good and if attached to simple mechanics, the technology having advanced so well now they are good time keepers none the less – and at the prices asked are amazing.

The overall watch does have an odd issue in that if you shake it hard, the minute hand, somewhat disconcertingly can move around, though once still, it seems to settle to it’s appointed spot. Doesn’t bother me as I don’t shake my watches unnecessarily anyway. Otherwise build quality is fine, the cases are an alloy construction and the finish is neat and smooth to the touch. So, considering the very low price – and used under normal wear conditions it’s actually great value.

Anyway, the one I picked (Yellow) certainly cheered me up a bit – cost very little and definitely lifted some of the Covid gloom – so that can’t be bad – can it?

Shengke watches can be seen at Amazon UK

Latest – 27th May 2021 – Watch is still going fine after 7 months – it’s reasonably accurate, neat to wear and quite a looker – getting good comments when I wear it – and if colour is your thing and you like a change now and then, having say three of them just about covers all situations. Also the strap whilst PU material is still looking good with no issues at all. I’ll probably update this review in another 6 or 7 months but I expect it to be no different.

So, being realistic, for the price of a quick snack lunch for 2 – It would be churlish to fault it!

Citizen Calibre 9000 Eco-Drive

This watch was one of a few passed on to me as the result of a friend passing. Sad way to get something I suppose, but he knew I was into watches, so here we are. Quite obvious that he rarely if ever wore it, as I know his daily beater was a relatively rare Heuer Camaro 7743, so the settings were all over the place and being a solar EcoDrive model and stuck in a drawer for years, I wondered if it would even work.

But not being worn it’s actually in pretty fair condition and is the Citizen Eco-Drive Minute Repeater Calibre 9000 model. This model had quite a few complications, so interesting to see how I get on with it. Although not a collector, like me, he was like me, in that I do have a few complicated watches and within a very short time scale, lose interest in them – basically too old for novelties and the eyesight not as good anyway, so busy dials don’t do it for me anymore.

Citizen Minute Repeater, Eco Drive, Calibre 9000

And that’s the problem with these multi-feature watches. Unless it’s your daily beater, you soon forget how it works, the instructions are long gone and so is the inclination to wear it.

Fortunately, the instructions for most Citizen Watches are online somewhere and whilst my benefactor wasn’t into computers and no booklet was with it, I duly downloaded one, because it certainly seemed tricky.

Now, whether I wear it myself is open to question, but who knows – if I can get it up and running, I might well give it a try. However, it’s one of those busy dial watches, not my preference these days – though in saying that, I do have a lovely old Citizen Skyhawk AT EcoDrive with probably the BEST busy dial ever which is also one of the easiest watches to read.

But I see it has got nice large hour and minute hands, good lume, so maybe the basics are enough for me – I note too it has a pointer Date indication, so I’ll just have to see how I get on.

Very fortunate I did get the instructions, because I had to do a full reset on the various hands and sub-dial indications, before it even considered letting me set or adjust anything. But, after a bit of fiddling around, I got there in the end.

Citizen EcoDrive Calibre 9000 – on the wrist – looking good.

Powered it up in the light and hey presto it works pretty well I have to admit. I even got another leather strap for it as the one on it was both the wrong size and obviously from a very much older watch at some point.

A fair sized watch at 45mm including the crown, though it’s general shape allows it to sit on the wrist very neatly indeed, with nicely curving lugs and a very smooth case finish.

In it’s day this was a very complicated watch, though I’m unsure of the date as it also has a set of chimes for all sorts of things, Alarms, the Minute Repeater function and so on, though not much use for me as my Wife says I never hear them – and as I have a few Chimers around the place it annoys her no end – Ha! One of life’s little pleasures!

So a complicated Citizen Eco from a good few years ago and I have to say, I rather like it, so I will wear it now and again, but for me, a little busier than I like at the end of the day and probably wasted on me – but I was left it, so for now I keep it and remember the man who left it for me.

Sad to think it’s been nearly 25 years since we talked and over 50 years since we were together – but it brings back memories of better times and that’s a comfort.

Note – This Post revised and added to in 2021.

Is it just me?

I often trawl through the weird and wonderful watches that appear from time to time, where the old analog idea of hour and minute hand is sort of forgotten about.
And we have the sometimes preposterous methods for showing, telling or indicating the passage of time, which at first glance (and you’ll need a few glances I can tell you), it is nigh impossible to read the time.
You also get some rather ingenious ways too, but mostly the common denominator is the fact – it’s haystack time! and you’ve got to find the needle! The needle being the time!

To the young it may be fashionable and I’m sure a topic of conversation (do the young actually converse face to face any more?), a talking point, as all your friends gather round to see if they can make out what time it is. However to my old peepers, I would be better squinting at a kaleidoscope via an illegal substance overdose!

Now what time is it?

Xeric Trappist Monk Moonphase – and tells the time I think.

(1) Apparently the Trappist Monk here tells you the time with the window @6 showing the Hours and the planets or stars somehow showing the Minutes. I haven’t managed to see it myself yet, but I’m sure if I had time, I might figure it out. Love the colors and the sky design and all that – but . . . .
Seems ironic for me that the watch dial is really large and OK it looks intriguing, but the time telling bits are so small in comparison, it ends up with such a small set of indicators, you certainly can’t just glance at this to get the time. If you can get it at all!

(2) The next guy is the Last Laugh Tattoo by Mr Jones,

which though colorful and has lots of symbolism tattoo stuff, to me seems to be an exercise in how to hide, not show, the time.

Once you have your glasses on you can just make out the Hours on the top set of teeth and the Minutes on the lower set.
But again we have the repeating theme of a large dial area with only a tiny fraction used as the time indicator, so really good eyesight required for this one.

Always remember here, before designers get carried away, that the prerequisite for a watch is first and foremost – to tell the time. So to my mind these first two have not really managed to meet the brief.

Now I’m all for trying to indicate time in a different way, just for a change if nothing else, but making the time indicators either too small or hidden in some way doesn’t seem the right way to go about it.

(3) Next is the Xeric Soloscope, which is a tricky one and it also requires very good eyesight indeed to read. On this model and on the face of it, the Hours should be relatively easy to spot, being circled by that single hand BUT it’s only actually effective when directly over the Hour numeral as shown here (7). When it’s between Hours, say 15 minutes past the hour – Ah, then it’s very tricky indeed! Because the circle itself partly obscures the very thin index you’re trying to see and there’s no numeral to see. Each line of the index denotes 5 minutes by the way.

So basically this is an overly fancy single hand watch – and I’ve had them before, bought for the novelty, but which unfortunately I’ve always found in practice soon wears off – and I’ve sold every one of them on to some other novelty seeker.
I suppose if you’re OK with a vague approximation of the time, when someone asks – you’re answer is “Oh it’s after 7 sometime” – which maybe sounds OK, but if the inquirer is catching a plane – not so clever.

(4) Now this one is a little different. Not easy to see at first, but none of them are, but this one has purpose, as it caters for the visually impaired, so seeing it, is somewhat irrelevant.

This is the Eone Bradley Classic Black Mesh with it’s inside, outside “silver balls” that you can feel with your fingers. The outer one on the edge of the case, indicates the Hour and the inner one, the Minutes (assuming a 12 hour clock dial). The dial is matte black and has raised markers and an strongly embossed diamond at 12, so it has a Braille touch style, which really does assist those with impaired vision. Obviously there is no glass/crystal here as the fingers can feel the raised numeral markers and the ball on the dial.

So this is a model that has genuine purpose in reading time in a different and very useful manner.

(5) OK this is the last one is probably the best one for me, because it’s relatively readable and is an older idea seen on quite a few vintage watches.

This is the
Klokers Klok 01-D1 Yellow Matte Black Leather – which is an update of the old disc watch, where Hour, Minute and Seconds discs move round a large dial and pass underneath a vertical fixed pointer which highlights the time.

Just read down vertically from the top – this one looks to me to be about 10.20 and almost 30 seconds, so can give quite an accurate time. Mind you to pick out the seconds it really has to be read. Personally I’d prefer the numbers to be in a heavier font with more contrast – but that might just be me.

A quick glance, however, should give you the 10:20 bit, which is probably accurate enough for most of us.

Also this watch is a “mobile” – which is evident as the discs rotate, but unlike hands, these rotate anti-clockwise, which is a bit odd when first seen. Also each disc rotates at a different speed!

So, OK, I accept it can be a little tricky at first to get your head round these odd movements, but once on board you suddenly get the picture. It’s also a decent full dial size at 44 mm diameter, which helps.

Personally this one has an attraction for me. And maybe I like it because it shows time actually passing, which can be quite fascinating. And this is because, as I said, the disks constantly revolve and at different speeds – as I say – fascinating.

Disc watches truly involve you in the process of time itself, and if you like mobiles it’s very much cheaper than a Tourbillon!

The only downside I’ve found with the odd disc watch I’ve owned is their timekeeping. The discs have to revolve smoothly and without touching an adjacent disk and depending on the quality of manufacture, play is sometimes unavoidable, so accuracy can suffer a little.
But if it’s a quartz model it has at least a good basis to start with, the mechanics are minimal and should still be accurate enough for most of us – just check it every fortnight, if the mechanics are not quite to the same standard.

So there we are, just a selection of unconventional watch dials, guaranteed to confuse the elderly 😉

Of course I jest. These are unusual watches and inject a bit of interest and sometimes humor into what can be a tedious procession of clocks and watches that can be quite boring at times.

And as I haven’t had a disc watch for many years, I could be tempted by the Klok – just for fun.

And it’s also sobering that if you can see time actually moving – you’re still here!

Edgemere by Martenero

Sometimes once in a while you come across a watch model that says something new. Not often I know and increasingly difficult to find today in my experience, but the Martenero brand of New York has managed this feat nicely.

Available in 4 colour combinations this is a nice bright’ clean looking watch. Inspired they say from the Nautical theme of a marine chronometer (and who am I to say otherwise) it certainly has a look that I like.

Alternative colorway in Blue/White with red tipped minute hand.

The watch case is made from good quality 316L Stainless Steel and overall has such clean lines it looks great on the wrist. The case is also Water Resistant to 50M and features a decent Screw Down crown of the right proportions.

A sub seconds dial between 4 and 5 adds a nice balance to the layout and is very clear to read.

Power wise this is driven by a Miyota mechanical Automatic Calibre 8245 with 21,600 Beats/Hr, a 40 hour Power reserve and internally fitted with 21 jewels. This is a really good quality modern Auto and a perfect match for the watch style.

The side profile is neat with Screw Down crown.

I also like the fact it is a sensible sized watch at 40 mm diameter, just 11.8 mm thick, with a 20 mm strap, which is really nice to see.

The Sapphire crystal covers a rather stylish dial layout with a raised hour ring and the textured interior gives good clarity and depth to the overall layout.

The hands give great contrast and the different colored hand tips is quite novel.

Clean stainless back with compass layout – super simple.

Cost is around the $500 mark and interestingly they ship this watch Post Free (don’t forget that destination customs will apply, but that’s the buyer’s concern). I quite like this approach – it’s simple and you know exactly where you are with it.

Another alternative color – gives you lots of buying choice – and they all look good.

So as I say, at last a neat, new clean looking model from the USA that manages to catch my eye at last. So many models today seem to be blah, blah – more of the same. The Martenero I’m pleased to say is not one of them – it is fresh and rather exciting. From a Brand that appeared as recently as 2014 I think they have a winner in the Edgemere AND it has a 2 year Warranty.

They have a few other styles/models and you can see these on their web site at – https://martenero.com/collections, though for me the Edgemere has the edge (sorry!) and is a model that I might well decide to get myself.

I like it a lot – what more can I say . . . . . .