It looks the part!

I said I’d Post on some new watches just the other day, but didn’t really expect to feature another one of these!

This is the Infantry Chrono-Pilot and I have to admit it looks way above it’s price point. Does that make sense?
To clarify – it looks great! It really does and on the wrist is pretty awesome, which is surprising for a watch that measures across about 46 mm (without the crown) and pretty thick at 16 mm.
But Infantry have done it again and have fitted a very soft flexible silicon band to standardish 24 mm spring bars. The result – it fits very snuggly even to my average wrist and at the same time looks rather impressive.

Infantry Chrono-Pilot with soft Silicon buckle strap

On the dial, which is nicely arranged, there is a lower digital window showing the Time, Day and Month (selectable). Using the pushers you can also dial up Stopwatch and Alarm. The Day of the week is shown all the time on the small sub dial between 10 & 11 using digital segmented markers, with Sunday in red at the top, going round to Saturday at about 11 on the small dial.
The dial also features a standard analogue Hour hand, Minute hand and a running Seconds hand (in orange) AND I’m glad to report that Infantry have at last featured some luminosity, albeit just to the main Hour and Minute hands.

There is also another digital window opposite the 2, which has a mobile segmental style counter of sorts – I say of sorts as I have to discover exactly what it represents. The square segment markers don’t seem to run in any identifiable order, though I suspect they should count 10 seconds in sequence, but they don’t – maybe a glitch just on this particular watch. However, it makes no difference to me as I never use these anyway. Note this could be an inherent weakness of the module used. After all this is a brand new watch and something I have never, ever experienced on a Casio, Timex or Citizen model – unless long past it’s prime and very vintage. This digital display also shows AM/PM and Alarm ON/OFF and it might also have a Chime indication. Unfortunately it’s hard to know as these indications are almost unreadable, as they’re too small and lack contrast or clarity to be of much use – a design error perhaps that those mainstream Brands mentioned would simply not do.

However the main bits are fine – at a glance I can see the Time, both analogue and digital, the Day of the week and without pressing any buttons or pushers – so that’s good. The watch overall is pretty easy to see and read, the dial remarkably uncluttered, the outer 60 marked bezel clicks one way and is still a handy basic time indication, say for a parking meter (sometimes simple is good).

So after all that, what does it cost? Well it’s around £20 and if it goes as well as the old square Infantry model I got as a gift a couple of years ago, it’s not at all bad. It also has a decent build quality, nice materials and excellent finish.

If you ask me if it matches up to the likes of the Casio or Timex low price point models, then my answer is – I would say not. But let’s be clear – we are looking at a watch that costs no more than your average snack for two during your lunch break. . . . .

At the end of the day it is what it is and there’s no question that it really does look the part – and would I wear it?

Re-strapped using my favourite silicon deployment type – easier on the wrist.

Well I got it just the other day and it’s still on my wrist – so Yes is the answer. And if you ask – Did I change the strap for a silicon deployment type – you know me too well!

Ps – The segment issue – Do I bother to send it back to Amazon?- it is new and it has a Guarantee. If it was DOA then I certainly would, but as the main functions are just fine, £20 is not a problem – I’ll stand it. . . . . .

Issues with cheap! –

The issues with these very cheap watches is in the quality of the parts. The ensemble can look good, but the reality can be very different. Almost always the digital displays are poor. They lack clarity and contrast and and are just too faint. The movements are invariably cheap and often far smaller than the watch, often struggling to carry the weight of the hands. Light weight mechanics, light action crowns, slack and loose tolerance mechanics, screw backs that aren’t and snap backs that are too light and not tight enough, so water resistance is often non-existent. Luminous quality is another failing – they just aren’t good enough.
The trouble is that often, as I say, the entire ensemble actually looks great! Great in photos and great in Makers blurb – but in reality – you generally get what you pay for.

A cheap watch!

Day Date survivors?

One of the most popular watch styles is the Day Date and yet it is hardly ever marketed with any great fanfare. But it’s no accident that many of the very best Makers have Day Dates in their range as they know that to so many people, it is the perfect wrist assistant.

They tell you the Time, the Date and the Day, the three most pertinent and popular functions of the wristwatch. They also are available at very affordable prices. There are Solar, Kinetic and Quartz, Manual wind mechanicals of all sorts of shapes and sizes, but for me the old classic mechanical Automatic is still around, is in good supply and still fun to own. That feeling of cogs and wheels and springs and things – ticking along on your wrist – no electronics, no touch screen, no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi and no Internet – but self contained and still a true mechanical technical marvel.

It’s really difficult to beat – no battery, no light requirement and with mechanics that can easily with the movement of your wrist, outlast you. Mind you if you suddenly “snuff” it, your watch, after a decent interval, perhaps out of respect will also stop! But it only sleeps – waiting till the next live person comes along and suddenly it’s ticking away – recording time as it was made to do – something a bit science fiction about that and maybe even a bit surreal! In fact if you think about it – you are simply the custodian of the mechanical watch . . . .

Anyway I feature a few different models here – The first is one of my vintage ’70’ watches – the Tressa Crystal.

It never needs a battery, being a proper mechanical automatic movement and it shows the Time, the Date and the Day. Those three can be adjusted easily using the crown and a small pusher @4 – also it has a traditional geared analog hands display. Basically, strap it on and away she goes – it’s a set and forget watch and it’s very affordable.
Note – it may look as if it’s a bit like the first Citizen solar dial – but it’s not – though I wonder where Citizen got the idea from ?)

The next images, in no particular order or price range – just a few I’ve spotted here and there.- they feature Day and Date and are Automatic models and these can be from Dress styles to Divers and all have a common feature – very easy to use. And of course being automatic, they require nothing from you, except for you to wear them.

Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Auto Day date

A great feature of the Automatic (have I mentioned it?) is that it doesn’t have a battery, it doesn’t require a light source and setting Time Zones or Summer Times is not complicated (so many specialist or complication watches can make a real song and dance about it).
Here, it’s just a case of, crown out, move hands, crown in – job done. No instruction booklets or prodigious memory required for what can often be a hugely over-complicated push button sequences that do your head in!.

Maybe this is a more apt description of an ABC watch! Because it’s as simple as A, B, C!

And yes – there are complication watches as shown of course that can show the Time, Day and Date plus many other functions, but frankly I sometimes wonder if we need them complicated.

But that said there are a few today that overcome some of these annoying and silly instruction book requirements. Such as Radio Controlled and GPS models for example can, used correctly, show the correct Time and Zones and the latest models have tried really hard to reduce required command functions should changes be required.

But for me the mechanical Automatic is still on top in the practicality and no-brainer stakes, so easy to use and will last many lifetimes.

As an Undertaker, funeral guy (watch collector) acquaintance said to me once –

“Basically my friend as long as you are ticking, so will your watch and if not – call me or at least leave a note. Maybe I can do a deal!”

So the basic data provision of Time, Day and Date as an instant view really hasn’t changed much over the years. It is still one of the true prerequisites for any watch that somehow manages to sell year after year after year, with little change.

And in keeping with this theme, there are of course some modern digital watches that manage to display the same data and as a default view. These include digital and ana/digi models and some even manage an easy to remember pushbutton sequence to access more complicated functions. As long as you have a battery or access to light – if solar – which defeats things a bit I suppose.

These models appear in most price ranges, but for me I tend to look at the affordable ones first.

Two of the better affordable models are the Cssio LCW-M180D-1AER

Casio LCW-M180D-1AER Radio Control, Solar, Day and Date view model.

and the Casio Tough Solar Model WVA-470 Wave-Ceptor

Casio WVA-470 Wave Ceptor - default Day date view — Casio WVA-470 Wave Ceptor – default Day date view

Both are well specified models offering many functions such as Radio Control, Solar Power, Stopwatch, Alarms etc.

However a good feature for me is they both manage to show the Time in analog and the Day and Date in a digital display as the default view, so meeting those three “must have” indications. The former model is part of Casio’s Lineage series and as close as you’ll get to “get and forget” models today and represent great value and are relatively inexpensive.

Diver Day Date Quartz - simple and effective. — Diver Day Date Quartz – simple and effective.

There are also a few Diver’s watches around featuring the Day and Date window plus Diver capabilities that offer extreme good value for money and well worth a look.

Once again though it is no surprise that today Casio models feature quite prominently especially in the quest for watches that people “want” to wear. Models that offer the basics properly (so important) and now of course coupled with a higher technological level that hitherto was just not possible.

Take the Casio LCW Lineage series for example – these manage not only to give the wearer the essentials – of Time, Day and Date as the default view, but also “get & forget” features such as Radio Control and Solar Power. And Casio with these analog and digital hybrids offer in addition highly effective intuitive ease of use. I also like the fact they have “come of age” in comparison to the older Casio WVA-470 and don’t advertise on the dial the advanced technology within – they are nicely understated and rather refined in my view.

I have the WVA-470 myself and I like it a lot, but the newer LCW-M180 is much more elegant and in fact a real class act (I’m tempted again just writing this!).

So as to the question of Day and Date watches, I have to admit the Casio LCW (my review soon) is probably the successor to the older mechanical Day date Automatics and a worthy one at that. Though that said, don’t write off the Automatics just yet, I have a feeling they will be around for a long time yet.

Who knows they may be the true survivors – but only Time will tell . . . . . . .

Now you see it, now you don’t!

The title says it all really. One of the troubles with the digital age is that the images of these new watches on screen and on-line are in fact enhanced artistic license images and NOT often the reality.

And this phenomenon isn’t just a Gents prerogative either – it also affects those modern women and ladies who have embraced the larger masculine style of watch today. You buy the super watch you saw on-line and when you get it, you can’t make out the time. It has no contrast or the light is shining at it in the wrong direction and so on.

So it’s nice to spot a watch for the Ladies – and the men as it happens, the only difference basically is the color set up from Calvin Klein, that appears to me to maybe overcome the clarity issue. I say maybe as I too have only seen them on-line, but at least the retailer I spotted shows a video. So maybe a more accurate representation and possibly worth a look.

The Calvin Klein Future Alarm model as it’s called for ladies has a nice color way and isn’t very large by todays standards, but actually a nice size for anyone with sensible wrists. It measures 38 mm diameter and is only 9 mm depth, so neat on the wrist, ladies or gent. The Ladies version has a white rubber strap and rather stylish colored LCD with blue numerals, which appear to have really decent contrast. The watch has two pushers on the right side a Date feature and an Alarm. It also has a nice smooth case set up with a decent 30m Water Resistance.

It comes with the Calvin Klein 2 yr Warranty and costs around £160, which is reasonably affordable today. The colour combination I think works for ladies and IF the contrast and legibility is as I would hope, then this is a pretty good buy.

The Gents model is only different in the colour and is slightly thicker at 10 mm, so it is said, but the same otherwise.
The Gents version also has the usual macho dark dial job, though in this case I might prefer the Ladies one – as I have a feeling the color set up just might be better clarity wise, though would I dare wear it?

Come to think of it – I probably would! Unisex is Unisex – right?

Oops! My son has just cried out, “You can’t be serious Dad, you can’t!” “You got to be kidding me – Yikes!”

You see that’s the trouble with this new generation – they have no sense of humour! 😉

GPS Golf Bushnell

Decided to upgrade and renew my old Garmin GPS Golf watch as I felt like a change. Not that there was anything wrong with my old Garmin, but just because I fancied a change and perhaps take advantage of any improvements in technology gained over the last few years. I didn’t get another Garmin as the replacement models seemed a little expensive for my needs. I mean I don’t need a swing improvement meter (to check my back swing against my downswing) and all that stuff as I’m playing golf, not standing about wasting time checking my wrist all the time. A bit like the Professional Golfers these days who spend far, far too much time discussing with their caddies the wind characteristics, or which club to hit (what ever happened to “feel”?), deciding what spin to impart, blah, blah and blah! Then as a result playing a rather mediocre shot as a result more often than not.

Basically all I like is the distance I have left to the hole, the distance to the odd hazard between me and the green, so I can lay-up or fly over that bunker or stream and so on. It’s also a fact that amateur golfers are more often short on approach shots to the green, usually as they tend to over-estimate the distance they hit each club.
The GPS watch solves that as you can measure each shot’s distance and find out just how far you actually do hit each club. Not surprisingly many golfers who used to boast 270 yards off the tee with the driver, end up with a serious reality check, as the GPS measures their drive at around the 200 yard mark!

Oh yes!

I used to play of a very low handicap myself and my drive here in the UK was around the 260 yards mark, which was pretty good considering the equipment at that time (1960 – 1986), was actually about UK Pro standard. Today being a very senior golfer with today’s new equipment I can sometimes manage a drive over 220 yards, but mostly around the 200 yards and my new GPS Bushnell Neo Ion watch confirms it as such.

The Bushnell on the wrist, chunky but very comfortable.

The watch is not the smallest around though it’s quite an acceptable size at just a shade under 45 mm diameter with a clear good contrast rectangular digital display. Quite chunky though at 15.5 mm thick it does however sit very well on the wrist owing to the very flexible silicon strap and buckle set up, which incidentally is VERY comfortable. I got the Charcoal color version with the Orange under/charcoal strap. The watch is also very light at a fraction under 50 gms, so you hardly know it’s there. It is VERY easy to use even though it has 5 push buttons to play with. Lower left is the Menu button which gives you scroll options such as Pedometer, Odometer, Stopwatch,Timer, Alarm,Battery and Settings. The right hand 3 buttons are upper right – move up, lower – move down and the center button is the Select function button.

Flat back with recessed charge terminals allows easy connector fit for charging.

To start a golf round push the upper left and select Play Golf on the display – it will then seek a signal (about 3 minutes or so depending on location) and it finds the courses near you. Select the one you are on – it will then load the course data and you are good to go.

The Bushnell also has a tricky feature that I find rather useful called Tee time. You select the day and the time (within 7 days) of your next game. 7 Minutes prior to your Tee Off time, it switches itself to Golf Mode, seeks the signal, sets your course and basically as you step on to the tee, it displays the correct course and the 1st hole yardage is there ready for you. If it’s a shotgun start competition, the GPS function will track your position on the course, indicate the hole you are on with the data you need. It works very well and is a really nice feature and far more useful than some swing analysis function that I simply don’t need.

Very flexible silicon strap with orange underside. This is the Charcoal color version. — Very flexible silicon strap with contrasting orange underside. This is the Charcoal color version.

The hazard indication of each hole I suppose could be better served with the symbol idea of the Tom Tom watches, as the Bushnell simply describes the hazards as abbreviations, which whilst you’ll soon get to know them, took me a few guesses to get right the first few times I tried it. The yardages to and over the hazards is however as accurate as any and very useful, especially as now with your GPS watch you will now how far you hit the ball any of your clubs! (assuming you DO hit the ball of course!). Oh yes I forgot to mention you can, with a simple push of a button, measure your shot distance.

Main menu gives scroll options - the right upper and lower buttons control the scroll. — Main menu gives scroll options – the right upper and lower buttons control the scroll.

The watch manages around 3 rounds of golf and if not playing golf/using the GPS function it will act as a watch for around a year which is rather better than most others.. It is easily charged with it’s supplied charge cable (USB ended) and connects to the watch with a clip on back plate, which fits over the back and connects to the terminals on the watch back.

This fitting is not as fiddly as either the Garmin or the Tom Tom and simple to use. It only takes a few hours and the watch is charged ready to go.
I have to say I’m pretty pleased with it so far, certainly in use and practicality. Also the price is more affordable in comparison to most of the opposition I’ve seen. It’s also nicely unobtrusive and understated on the wrist and though hardly noticeable it does the job very well.

So is it a good buy?

Yes – for me it has been – I like it, it works well, I can easily see it and it’s simple and easy to use.

And has my golf improved? Well that’s more tricky to answer, though I’m now certain my drives are 200 yards not 260 yards and the fact I know how far I hit my new irons is a bit of a revelation – so I’m optimistic that the golf will improve – in fact I’m sure it will and surely that’s got to be good!