Tissot – the Ultimate ABC ?

Having had a number of Compass and ABC models, both mechanical and digital, this month sets a milestone for me. This is because I’ve at last got myself a watch I’ve always wanted ever since it was announced last year. The solar version of the Tissot Expert “Touch” – and what I call the finished article at last from Tissot. Whilst the Expert Touch was around and OK, it always seemed a little bit “first generation” to me until this lovely piece of engineering appeared. And even though the watch diameter is slightly larger, it scores in every other department. And unlike the Casio models this manages some 26 functions including the ABC functions with just 3 pushers and no exterior sensors, so exterior wise is pretty sleek.

Tissot Solar T-Touch Expert showing standard view (optional calendar shown). Note - business week Number option available. — Tissot Solar T-Touch Expert on standard view (optional calendar shown). Best Compass watch?

How does it do all this? Well the secret lies in the sapphire “Active” crystal which has 7 areas of “touch” sensitivity from which most functions operate. Tissot in my opinion have managed a real step up in functionality and successfully managed to de-clutter the whole operating interface.

The Tissot Solar T-Touch Expert is well finished, comparatively sleek and rather attractive with its combination of mechanical and digital function that at first touch takes your breath away – or it did mine. They’ve moved on from the original T-Touch models and revised functionality. For instance they have removed the Temperature indication which I’ve always thought unnecessary as you have to take the watch off the wrist for 20 minutes before any sensible ambient temperature reading can be realized. So not just a solar version, but a serious rethink and redesign and I commend Tissot for taking this approach.

Outdoor wrist shot - no studio here, but as it is. — Outdoor wrist shot – no studio here, but as it is.

Dimensions are slightly larger at 45mm diameter (47mm including the crown) and it looks quite imposing as the bezel being relatively small in width, it seems to be all dial – and what a dial. Fortunately the watch is only 14mm depth and the lug to lug at 52mm means it can still fit most wrists, except perhaps the very smallest. My wrist is 170mm and it fits – just – and as it’s all Titanium, it’s so light you don’t even know your wearing it.

It’s the analogue display where this model scores – indeed it’s a masterpiece of understatement – it is uncluttered and deceptively simple. The broad hour and minute hands are luminous and have great contrast against the black dial background. The upper half of the dial has a black carbon-like texture which is not carbon fiber but the solar panel and the lower half is the digital display, which can show a considerable amount of data. The digits are quite large and in gold fluorescent against a black background and visible in all light situations.

Luminous hands and selectable backlight for digital display is excellent. — Luminous hands and selectable back light for digital display is excellent.

At night or in darkness there’s also an excellent light system and the digits easily read. This coupled with excellent luminous hands and markers means it’s very good indeed in the dark and without fanfare or fuss.

Without doubt the dial is a real surprise especially if you’re more used to the Casio style of display set up.

As said this is an “Active” or “touch” sensitive glass and using it is a delight, as the response is both positive and amazingly rapid. And there are basically 7 “Active” areas on the glass. 6 around the dial indicated by the large “shield” markers plus the text on the bezel edge and the 7th active point is at the center.
The 6 functions from the top and clockwise are Meteo (barometric pressure), Altimeter, Chrono, Compass, Alarms (2) and Timer.

To use any of these functions firstly you have to “activate” the touch glass – and this is simply done with a 1 sec touch on the crown @3 and acknowledged by a flashing T-Touch icon on the display. If you then touch any of the 6 areas, the selected function will indicate by the hands instantly moving to form a pointer. And here I have to say that actions speak louder than words – as there is so much to explain, I can see why videos are the preferred review – just seeing it done, says all.

Before going on however I should explain that the standard dial view is as follows – The Hour and Minute hands show the Analog Time (T1) and the digital display shows the Date, Month, Year with the Day on the right upper line of the digital display – as shown in image (2). This is the setting I use, though you can instead have the digital display show the Time (T1 or T2) including seconds.

If we start with the center touch functions – after you activate the glass ( 1 sec press on the crown for 1 sec). Touch the center (1) and the digital display changes and now reads the Time (T1) which will usually be your home time. If that’s all you do, then the time and the hands will read the same time. But if you touch the center again (2) (whilst the dial is active) then the display changes to T2 or the second time zone. This might be where you are traveling to and a useful travel function is that you can Swap the two times and the hands will instantly change to T2, rather than T1 – ideal for air travel. When you are on your way back you can swap them back again to your home time T1 analog and T2 on digital.

Touch the center again (3) and this calls up the Battery State indicator, touch again (4) and this selects a sub menu, which I’ll explain later. If you don’t touch anything for 20 seconds the dial will go inactive. Note the watch features a Perpetual Calendar and auto sets itself for the months. The upper and lower pushers are basically + and – controls when using the Stopwatch, setting times, alarms and timers and so on. On occasion the + pusher is used for other functions such as the Swap feature where the T1 is substituted for T2 etc. The Crown pusher is used firstly to Activate the glass and also cycle through various menus once selected and to validate settings. Sounds complicated but in use it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it.

Compass mode - Hands become True North pointer. The digital display indicates angle in degrees between the 12 o'clock and the True North pointer. Declination can be set in menu. — BEST COMPASS – Hands are True North pointer. Digital display is angle in degrees between 12 o’clock and True North pointer. Declination can be set in menu.

I suppose the Compass function is the most impressive as it actively uses the hands as a single North/South pointer, just like a conventional pivot compass, whilst the digital display indicates the direction @12. You can also set Azimuth as an option whilst in Compass mode.

Generally when you select a function via Touch, the Hands instantly form a pointer and point to that function text, so indicating your selection. Cleverly however and I love this, if it is pointing say at the Chrono or Alarm, after it initially points to your function it then quietly eases itself to a horizontal position, so as not to obscure the view of the display, which is really neat.

I’ll not go into the various functions as you can easily download the instructions to see how this watch works, but suffice to say it works flawlessly and is very impressive to say the least. I also would comment that it’s nice to have a model with all these what I call outdoor functions but without the outdoor look. Also not having to wear a large piece of plastic resin for once, but something more akin to a traditional watch is rather nice. It’s also very classy, elegant but with real presence as it is a substantial chunk of solid smooth Titanium. My version has a rubber strap with a very neat deployment clasp. Unlikely to change it as it is a rather bespoke Tissot fit, though knowing me, if it does break or go brittle in time I’m sure I’ll find a way . . . 😉
In the meantime it is a very comfortable strap indeed and I don’t foresee any issues at all.

As far as the Solar and battery aspect is concerned, apparently once charged it will manage to keep working just fine for up to a year in a low light environment. The Water Resistance is 10Bar or 100m, though it should be noted that the Touch functions will NOT operate if the glass is in contact with water. It is not a divers watch.

The watch case if I forgot to say is solid and all Titanium and the 3 x pushers are surface coated Ti also (not plastic). The watch is very solid yet light at 80gms (2.8oz) complete with strap and once on your wrist it’s virtually forgotten. The ABC features of the watch are really very good and there are options with every one of them, so is a very comprehensive and well thought out function set.

General notes on the functions –

T1 and T2 – this can show two separate times and normally used as Home Time and Dual Time zone and very useful when traveling. The analog hands usually show T1, though this can be swapped for T2 when traveling and the hands then will indicate T2.

Altimeter – once selected it displays for 10 hours continuously and options wise you can Preset your Altitude and there are Altitude difference readings with sequential readings every 2 seconds – Elapsed or Stopped Time, Total cumulative Altitude Gain, Mean Vertical speed of ascent in metres/min or feet/min, Total cumulative Altitude Loss, Mean Vertical speed of descent and Elapsed time or Stopped Time. As I say very comprehensive.

Meteo – or Barometric Pressure function the hands are superimposed to indicate the Weather Trend and the Relative and Absolute Barometric pressures are indicated.

Chrono function measures Lap Times which can be stored and recalled for Total Race Time statistics (max timing limit 99 days, 23 hours and 99 seconds) and Split Times can be recorded.

Alarms – There are 2 separate Alarm functions and used with the main time T1. An Alarm last 30 seconds without repeating. Alarms are stopped by pressing any control.

Timer – This is a countdown Timer with a range of up to 99 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds. There is also a Regatta setting which incorporates a 0 to 10 minute countdown for timing the run-up to the start of a regatta. When the countdown reaches 0, the watch switches to Chrono mode for the race.

If the watch if not being worn for a while there is a Standby Mode option where you simply select Eco – Switch OFF, the hands point to 12 and the display goes blank in 5 seconds which economises the battery. Again touch any control and the watch reverts to normal function.

My likes –

I like the fact that after a very short while it is very intuitive to operate and I can leave the instructions at home!
I like the clean lines, how it wears and how it fits the wrist.
I like the Eco function which can be set to automatic, thus saving battery life overnight, if no watch operations or movement detected.
I like the excellent night vision luminous hands and the digital back light – both are simple and effective.

Dislikes –

Not really a dislike, though perhaps my preference would be for a standard strap fitting, but hardly an issue.
Price maybe, though I’m not complaining as there’s truly not another Ana/Digi ABC model like it – period!

As I say it is easier to review the watch and it’s functions by seeing it in action, which is why video is perhaps the best way of illustrating the watch functions and I hope to make a small video, though with my poor video skills I hesitate . . . However I’ll give it a go and see what happens and hope to post it later in the month. Maybe . . . .

Other images –

Note the digital display on lower dial half is OFF. This is Eco mode which occurs if the controls are not operated for an hour between 22:00 and 05:00hrs. To switch display ON, touch any control. — Display is OFF. This is the Eco mode which activates if no operation or movement is detected in any hour period between 22:00 and 05:00hrs. To switch ON touch any control.

There is also a feature called Synch, where IF for any reason (strong magnetic influence or severe knocks) the hands are out of synch with the time or don’t align properly when superimposed as a pointer, this can be adjusted in the settings menu. In short Tissot seem to have thought of about everything.

So what do I think about my last purchase for 2014? Well OK it was pricey but I am very pleased with it. I unpacked it from it’s pack from Switzerland just the other day, noted the large user instruction booklet (17

Decent print size on instructions manual

languages and decent size print, by the way), took off the protective stickers, sorted out the strap to fit my wrist and strapped it on. A week later and it’s still on my wrist so that probably says it all.

However as to my video review, it may take some time as my video skills are just about non-existent and it may take a little time – if ever. It is an exciting watch this Solar T-Touch and I’m looking forward to some time with it and as to the instruction booklet. I note the pages are held loosely and have a tendency to too easily rip out (as you can see in the image they have perforations spine side) so I might just take out the English pages (40) and bind them separately.

It’ll be easier on my wrists and biceps I’m sure! 😉

Update – see commentary 2nd Nov 2014 on side bar.

Quote –

“And this is what I truly like about the T-Touch. Display wise each function has total exclusivity on the dial when called up. There is nothing else is on the dial except your selected function. And this is a real plus and something that no other ABC watch model has. Perhaps this is why the watch is described on the back as a “Smart Watch” – because of this exclusive display of only selected information. I’m surprised this feature is not emphasized by Tissot as I am certain they have missed a trick here by not doing so, as it’s an aspect that only once you see it do you realize it’s true significance and in my opinion one of the features that really does blow the competition away. . . . .”

Certina class act

It’s a brand I’ve always had great admiration for and for more years than I care to remember. Certina have been one of the most consistent Swiss Watch Manufacturers since 1888 when they were founded in Grenchen in Switzerland. Having just last year in 2013 celebrated their 125 years, revised and altered their logo in line with today’s markets and now affiliated to the Swatch Group, I’ve picked two models which particularly caught my eye recently.

For Gents I’ve chosen the Certina DS Multi-8 Quartz Chronograph, which has a very neat and understated ana-digi design within a compact 42mm stainless steel case.

Beautifully made as you would expect from Certina, this model incorporates an anti-reflective Sapphire crystal with a digital Date display, which also shows Time Zone function, Timer and Alarm. Water Resistance is a strong 100m and as I said earlier all within a neat and solid 42mm Stainless case. I particularly like the push buttons which are nicely profiled and the watch comes with a high quality leather strap.
The simplicity of the numerals font and good legible face make this a very practical watch for me, uncluttered and good to wear in almost any situation. Price wise this is available here in the UK at around £560 and considering it’s set against the quality of the Certina brand, represents excellent value.

And the 2nd model I’ve chosen is actually for the Ladies – the Certina DS Quartz Podium (C025.210.16.428.00) which I think is delightful and practical. Not often do you see a Ladies watch with a Big Date aperture which particularly effective and clear, is balanced perfectly by the very elegant yet practical hour and minute hands. It also sports a fine centre seconds hand in black. The dial is white Mother of Pearl Roman figured and the minute chapter ring is colored, which compliments the complete ensemble. For me this is a really perfect set up and I love the look of it.

The clarity, as with the gents model above, is again quite outstanding and the beautifully finished Stainless Steel case shape is both unusual and stylish. In silver tone finish with a Sapphire Crystal and 10ATM (100m) Water Resistance, this model is also practical. Added elegance comes in the shape of the large milled crown with the Rose colored cabochon insert which matches the high quality leather strap and lends it an air of sophistication that I’m sure will appeal to the fairer sex.

Case wise this model is 32.5mm x 8.85mm which for the woman of today is a perfect size and more modern than the very small profile cases of yesterday. The leather strap is inclusive of a butterfly clasp and at around £260 in the UK is in my opinion extremely good value for a watch of this quality.

Both models come with the Certina 2 year Guarantee.

The problem is if my Wife sees this post – I KNOW she’ll want one! Now OK the Festive Season is just around the corner so maybe, just maybe I’ll smuggle one in to her Christmas stocking . . . . . .

Kids and Holidays?

This is what I call a kids and holidays watch – the Cannibal Compass CG146.03 from the Condor Group.

The Cannibal CG146.03 Compass model from Condor Group

Inexpensive at under £20 and looks the part, expedition style and with a strap compass built on – and it’s not so small that adults can’t use it at 37mm diameter. Has a modified expedition style velcro fast wrap strap (with compass fitted) which is perfectly adequate and all in all it doesn’t look too bad.

This is a quartz analog model instead of the usual cheap throwaway digital and it has a date window @3, center seconds hand in red and broad green infill Hour and Minute hands with matching numerals with 24hr markings too. Water Resistance is OK at 50m (5ATM) and with a standalone strap button compass with cardinal marks + big red North pointer. So if you’re up the creek without the proverbial, or lost (it happens to us older guys) then you can hopefully find an approximate heading that might just save your **s . . . . . 😉

The watch case is resin with a well marked bezel (non rotational) and a hand setting crown @3.

As I say, it’s just the thing for those Safari style holidays, where you may be somewhere that’s not the most secure, so a cheap watch like this maybe just the ticket. If it gets wet – OK, if it gets lost – OK, no sweat and hardly any loss either. Whether the button compass will manage the entire holiday is debatable as often these guys are pretty basic made. I’ve had various button strap compasses over the years from Suunto, Silva, The Army Store and goodness knows who else and some are just fine and others not so fine, but as these cost so little, one is about as good as the other and probably depends on that particular unit or maybe the day of the week it was assembled!

But all that aside, here you get a cheap watch, that looks the part, seems to work just fine, Asian quartz no doubt and as accurate as you need. If it works for the duration of the holiday, you’re in profit and if not, use the other one you gave to your boy!

It’s so good it’s a Sinn!

As the title says – it’s a Sinn to have a Divers watch this good. This description applies of course to the Sinn SU1 and one from my “private” selection.

This is from a selected range of models I have being held in a solid rosewood display box, and where basically my “never to be sold on” watches reside. It’s all too easy to sell on something you’ve maybe had for years for that new special model that you’ve just seen recently and have to have. Such as the Autodromo Stradale I’ve just featured in the last Post.
But my “private” box is sacrosanct! Indeed I have exactly 20 watches in this category, from dress, vintage, divers, military and antique – the true collectors bit shall we say and whilst not often too expensive, there is the odd exception and these ones could be viewed as investments too.

But the Sinn U1 is just one of those watches that’s ” just right” and whether it’s the form of the whole, or the balance of the hands to dial markers, that wonderful seconds hand or the general “look” of the watch – it is a superb piece of design work.

High quality goes without saying, what with “submarine” bead blasted non magnetic steel case, double anti-reflection coated sapphire crystal and fabulous luminous dial indices and hands in low light/darkness. It is powered by the Sellita SW200-1 automatic 26 jewel hacking movement which is shock and magnetic resistant and with a 100bar (1000m) Water Resistance rating. 44mm x 14.3mm depth makes for a neat Divers watch compared to many. The waterproofed leather strap on this model has double thick lug protector ends and a very high quality deployment buckle system with divers extension.

Not much in the way of negatives with the U1 – with the exception perhaps of the Date window @3 is a little small even with decent contrast, but everything else for me is just right and I’ve said it before, it’s often about “balance” and this watch has it in spades.

Funnily enough another model I like and for basically the same reasons is the Momentum Format 4 and although perhaps not in the same league, it also has that balance between appearance and fitness for purpose that I find so attractive. But it’s the Sinn U1 that lives in my “selection” box.

At just over £1000 not a cheap model by any means, but it’s definitely one of those watches that once you own it – you keep it.

Autodromo Stradale

The most stylish and refreshingly “wow factor” model I’ve seen from this new Brand, which once again is inspired by the 1950’s Italian roadster racing cars and in this particular color combination is my favorite model.

Unlike the last model, the Monoposto which sported a Meca-Quartz hybrid design movement, this is a full mechanical automatic, the Miyota 9015, which I have always reckoned a very good movement indeed. It has useful features such as – seconds hacking, 24 jewels, quick date correction, second hand reset and good shock resistance. I also prefer the styling of this model, though I personally love every model that Officine Autodromo have produced so far. I understand the Brooklyn based Company was founded in 2010 and the first models launched in 2011 by designer (industrial) Bradley Price and there are some designers I reckon – and he is one of them.

Exhibition back view of the Miyota 9015 Automatic

The Stradale is a really stylish and beautifully finished model with Sapphire Crystal and is a neat size at 40mm diameter by only 10.8mm depth. The “floating” appearance of the K1 glass numerals disc gives the dial a subtle “depth” and clarity. And the slightly eccentric vintage position of the wire attached lugs being low on the case, give the watch a real stand out look on the wrist and coupled with the 18mm padded leather strap is just perfect.

Best described by simply seeing it’s picture.

It’s really nice to see a watch a million miles away from the macho, high tech look of the ubiquitous “military” style shock this and shock that, which seem to dominate the market today. I know as I have plenty of them! But this – is something rather special.

Wow! I think I MUST have one! (at around $750 (£550) – it’s a lovely thing) . . . . 😉

Addendum – One of the problems I tend to find, with a watch like this one – it’s so good, that I can guarantee you won’t find it anywhere, say in a couple of years time. So, if you want this one – my advice is – get it now!

September’s rotation

I often go through phases where I wear, in rotation, maybe three different watches over a one month period and on the 1st of the next month I select another three models and wear them, again in rotation. Perhaps in daytime or night or perhaps depending on what I’m doing at any particular time.
This month (September 14) I have this trio and basically as of now and the next few weeks I’m doing all sorts of outdoor things, so this selection reflects this. It’s also an excuse to Post some pictures of some of my watches, which otherwise will just be between me and – well me . . . .

An outdoor selection from Casio and Timex.

These three are coincidentally all digital, which is just the way it turned out and from left to right they are –

The Casio SE-1200WH is a neat, flat (just over 12mm) model with enough features on it to suit me. For once the buckle resin strap is flexible and comfortable and the model functions are pretty standard Casio fare. In saying that, this model has a 10 year battery life and World Time, plus a small digital dial at top left mimicking an analogue clock face with hours, minutes and seconds. Back lit with a VERY simple and effective light it is ideal for night use. I like the fact that the dial in normal view gives a lot of information – Time including seconds, the Day, the Month and the Date and it shows the world time/normal time selected on the little world map, just as a reminder of where you are! It’s neat, it’s light weight and it has never put a foot or wrong in the years I’ve owned it and if I remember it was very inexpensive too.
Note – the strap shown has 2 x keepers not one as standard which I added some time ago as a personal preference.

The Casio PRW-3000T is next up and one of my very favorite models from this maker. This one came direct from Japan as soon as it appeared, so impressed I was with it. For me it is a true improvement of many of the ones preceding it as it has taken advantage of the smaller v3 Sensor set and actually reduced the watch size as a result. So a full ABC watch at sensible dimensions and a joy to wear, plus being all Titanium (case and bracelet) is amazingly light weight and as many of you know Ti is also incredibly comfortable to wear as it very quickly adapts to your temperature. The bracelet is VERY high quality Ti and really well finished and the digital display could not be bettered in my opinion. Terrific function set as you would expect from this model and the normal dial view is as shown. The Day and Date (press top left pusher and it alternates to Month and Date) the time in h/m and seconds, am and pm indicator, the battery state at the foot, confirmation of the Radio signal (yes this is Radio Controlled AND Solar powered) . A 2nd push of the top left pusher shows the Barometric trend. So the top display area can show three different situations by selection – I like it as shown as at my age it’s nice to know what day it is! The back light illuminates the entire face and one of the best I’ve seen, so absolutely ideal for night use again.
Barometric Pressure, a full 3d Digital Compass (using Barometric pressure) and Altimeter, plus the usual chronograph, Timer and Alarms etc make this a very comprehensive model indeed, great for outdoors and very unobtrusive too.

The Timex Expedition T49976 Shock is a real all rounder with an ideal display showing the Day of the week, Date and Month and Time in h/m and seconds, am/pm indicator plus a seconds running dial. Excellent Indiglo back light means it’s great at night and it’s easy to find, being the only pusher on the front of the case. Incidentally the pushers are large and textured and perhaps the best I’ve used, bar none, even shrouded as they effectively are. Super simple Mode and Adjust function changes as usual with Timex (superior in my opinion to Casio). The Chronograph features over large digits which are a delight to read and there is Timer plus a good few Alarms and all in this is a MOST practical watch. Water Resistant to 100m and battery powered. Fitted here is a Zuludiver black IP stainless steel fittings Camouflage Nato strap, which suits it perfectly (no complaints re. the Timex standard strap though, this is just my preference here). This Timex and the Casio SE-1200 are very similar in overall function and in practicality, which is why I like them I guess – not overdone and very affordable.

So this is my September trio and actually if I didn’t have collectors mania, I could manage fine with these and no others. But a pretty neat bunch for starters as I hope to feature my “rotation Trio” each month as a new Post topic. and OK these guys were featured not that long ago, but these are really what was to hand, so there we are.

My camouflage choice

Ben searching for a while for a practical and suitable Camouflage model recently and majoring on two specific brands, Casio and Timex. And I concentrated on these two as they are both into the Shock style of outdoor or military style watch and are of course competitors. And this is my choice . . .

My choice - Timex Expedition T49976 (with NATO) — My choice – Timex Expedition T49976 (with NATO)

And why?

In searching their different models it has to be said that Casio generates most of the buyer’s interest, as they seem to bring out new models like tomorrow was in danger of not appearing. And in contrast Timex on the other hand, have quietly gone about their business by introducing just a few variants here and there, usually with subtle and mostly cosmetic changes to their core function set. Indeed this is perhaps and arguably testament to the fact the Timex base module features functions that satisfy most of us. Changes are such that models and modules are simply and subtly altered just enough to add enough variety to attract more buyers, which it has to be said is the name of the game.

The Casio approach with so many product lines, such as G-Shock, Tough Solar, Pro-Trek, Master of G and others is quite the opposite. Modules seem to change quickly and race neck and neck with new case designs and whilst the former is becoming smaller, the latter is very much larger.

Casio DG 120CM-5 Camo Digital only - but is BIG — Casio DG 120CM-5 Camo Digital only – but is BIG

The module function sets are really marching on, with new features, more sensitive sensors, smaller, lighter, more powerful and so on and all very commendable of course, and yet for me still let down by an almost equal and opposite reaction – of overly large case designs, with more knobbly bits than my Mother’s current cake. The dimensions are at the very limits and beyond in my opinion, what with 17mm+ case depth on an already large diameter, what with the G-Shock case cover and over large controls, both of which making for a rather cumbersome wrist accessory. Light weight they may be, but in my opinion now becoming intrusive.

So back to Timex and their softly, softy approach – subtle improvements perhaps the name of the game, and a definite priority on actual function and practicality. Keeping the basics right with good solid features, Time, Date, Day, Month, Year, Alarm, Stopwatch, Timer, luminous hands if analog and back lit with their proprietary illumination system for night use. Water Resistance to 100m+ and all neatly contained in a tough case with compact dimensions that almost anyone can wear with comfort.

Note the in-display help texts - appears once the SET button is pressed. — Note the in-display help texts – appears once the SET button is pressed.

Plus another point is how intuitive the Timex module is – additional help appears IN the display when the SET pusher is pressed – it is so simple to set and alter all the module parameters.

Definitely what I call “get and forget until you need it” wrist wear. And in my opinion this is where they score against all the others, including Casio. They’ve cleverly managed to get the balance just right between what you want in a practical sense with functions that you might well use every day.

As for my camouflage search – the one that jumped out of the page first was the Casio all digital Camouflage GD 120CM-5 . . . . and it looks great, with a basic function set (+ world time) but the sting in the tail – it’s huge! There’s no other word for it and let’s be absolutely honest here – it is BIG. At 55mm lug to lug x 52.2mm across and 17.4mm depth . . . . what can I say? and no matter how good it may purport to be, this is a problem and not just for me and dare I say in danger of being almost “impractical” . . . ?

From “practical” to “impractical” perhaps prefixed by an abbreviation of the word “immense”?

So a little disappointed I decided to check out Timex for their Camouflage model and this one, the Timex Expedition T49976 turned up . . . . and it looks great, with a basic function set (we’ve heard this before) but – and here’s the difference, there is no but! Because size wise it’s just 48mm lug to lug x 44.8mm width x 15.4mm depth!

Timex Expedition T49976 in Camouflage and standard strap

Timex Expedition T499676 with easy to fit Zuludiver camouflage NATO — Timex Expedition T49976 with easy to fit Zuludiver camouflage NATO

This is positively neat in today’s practical models.

And this seems to sum up the difference between the brands, indeed if you sit them down together in a row, it looks like adults and juniors! Casio adult and Timex junior.

There's compact and there's big - Timex v Casio — There’s compact and there’s big – Timex v Casio (Casio shown is 52mm x 16mm)

There’s also the factor of cost versus wear-ability, as my Timex models are certainly cheaper and yet I wear them much more often than almost any of my Casios with one exception – the Casio 5600 which is and Casio won’t like me saying this, more Timex like! This is really ironic, as this was a pioneer in Casio models, shock protected, neat appearance, great function set and I believe the smallest G-Shock model with compact (yes I said compact) dimensions at just 40mm x 12mm!

So what happened? And I wonder where this is all leading – Casio seems to have bred an uncontrollable monster, with more tech, more functionality, resulting in bigger, bigger and even bigger. And by comparison their Timex competitor (and not only Timex) are gliding along very nicely, with equally great looking models, combi and digital and with good practical functions – and here’s a positive but – but with sensible dimensions for everyone.

Further images –

One of the best Timex straps as standard, looks great.

Neat choice, watch and NATO (my strap preference & easy to fit)

Indiglo back light - great for night or low light situations. — Indiglo back light – great for night or low light situations.

A point about NATO strap versus the standard Timex strap. Whilst the Timex one is excellent and comfortable, for looks I personally prefer the NATO ( Zuludiver ). It’s super simple to fit to the standard spring-bars (none of your molded strap/case affairs) and because it’s not held away from the case, as with the Timex one (it has short “hold off” stays under the strap) it means the watch fits the smaller wrist so much better. A small point but one that I personally think is important. The Timex with a lug to lug of just 48mm compared to the Casio of 55mm is pretty good anyway, but effectively even better with the NATO strap.

A point about the exterior case “Shock” protection on my camouflage Timex is where the case is the usual hard black resin, the entire bezel material is NOT the same material. Whatever it’s made of, resin or rubber, it is much softer than the case material. Indeed you can push your finger nail into it and it deforms like rubber then comes back. It is very, very effective and as it’s raised slightly above the glass gives very good protection.

Note 1 – The Zuludiver NATO strap is one of the longer straps available at just over 30cms so will conversely fit the bigger wrist too – and it has one of the better camouflage patterns color wise that I’ve seen in a while.

Note 2 – The Timex Expedition T49976 has the following features –

100m Water resistance
Digital Display with Day, Det, Month, Time in Hours, Minutes and seconds displayed at one glance plus am/pm indicator
Sub-dial with running 10 seconds duration
3 Alarms – Daily, Weekday and Weekend
Chronograph
Timer
Indiglo back light with optional night mode/any button ON/cancels after 8 hrs.
(this is the best Indiglo back light I’ve seen on any Timex to date)
CR2016 battery.

Combo nights (2)

Well I’ve trawled long enough and I’ve decided on my pick for a Combo model for this month. But with serious reservations it has to be said.

To remind myself of the basic requirements I was looking for – were –
* It must be shock resistant and case tough *It must be Water Resistant to 100m+ * Readable in the dark and a non-shiny case (military style?) * Intuitive digital function set (without constant referral to instructions) * Uncluttered (dial or case).

A fairly simple set of basics, yet tricky to actually get and as a result I’ve had to discard a surprising number of models. Some looked good but in reality were less than satisfactory. Common issues are faint digital displays, cluttered dials, no use in the dark, reflective dial components, sub-dial mania + unnecessary dial data, bezel overkill, too many controls, less than ideal bracelet or strap fittings – to name just a few.
Many of the “faults” seem to be “fashion design” I have to say majoring on looks rather than function or practicality.

So after all the searching around for a suitable combo model I’ve landed with the Casio GA-1000-1AER Pro-Trek.

A lot bigger than I first thought – the case may have a diameter of 45mm but with the G-Shock moulding including pushers is ends up at a very large a 52mm+ across. It is also 16mm thick, so sits very proud on the wrist. However, not heavy at 85gms, which is good considering this is a steel and resin case. But not for wearing (if you could that is) under a shirt cuff as it IS very high and does not have a smooth top surface either.

Where it scores is that it meets one of my most important criteria – it has a really good “all night” light. The analogue solid filled hands have a bright green luminous coating with an excellent afterglow along with the minute dot markers, so reading the time is very easy – against a surprisingly dark dial background. There is also a Neon Illuminator light system which uses UV light to highlight the 12, 3, and 9 numerals in green plus the dot markers in a striking neon blue, at the same time highlighting the tip of the seconds hand in bright green. It’s really quite spectacular though as the analogue hands luminous afterglow is so good I don’t really need it. The luminous quality of the analogue hands lasts all night easily with little loss. Overall I am very pleased with it’s “in the dark” clarity.

Good standard of luminous analog hands and markers — Excellent luminous analog hands and markers

Just a “quick glance” is required to read the time as the analogue hands stand out clearly without the dial background intruding. Owing to clever accenting and emphasis of the hands, numerals and markers and muting of the dial background, it is a surprisingly good dial set up.

This model is an excellent “travellers” watch too, as not just content with having a 48 City & 31 Time Zones World Time function, from a practical aspect it has two neat features.
First, different time zones are as usual represented by City initials but often folks are confused as to where they refer to – fear not as once selected, the City is spelled fully by first scrolling and then finishing on the initials of the City. And Secondly it features a Home City swap function. By pressing two buttons instantly the analogue hands will move to the time of the selected digital World Time City time zone. In other words your Home City and City to which you are traveling can be swapped from the Digital display to the main analogue time display. This is very handy when approaching your next time zone destination on a plane.

Initial set up –

When you first get the watch often the Home City or City time Zone is set to Japan, but it’s very easy to set your own Home Time. You can tell if your Home City code is not your own (well the time will be wrong – yes?) by reading the lower display, which has a small indicator showing the time of the set Home City. For example if your Home City was London and 1oclock, the small curved indicator will have a tiny edge marker pointing to the same time.

So to set your own Home Time zone –

Once you are in the normal time display – press and hold button A (top left) until ADJ appears with SET flashing on the lower display, then use the top right (west) or bottom left (east) to scroll through the City Codes. Once you get to your City Code – press the lower left button (D) – this will show DST in the lower screen – you can toggle this ON and OFF using the lower right pusher (E) – when happy with that simply press the upper Left pusher (A) and that’s it. The analogue hands will immediately move to your new time setting.

Casio GW-1000-AER with Digital Compass — Casio GA-1000-1AER with Digital Compass

Another good point about this module is the ease of doing almost anything. The main Adjust selector pusher is top left (A) and in normal time mode pressing this and holding it will move into ADJ (adjust mode) – and will flash SET in the lower display, then pushing the lower left Mode button (D) repeatedly you can cycle through the various functions – and most on or off settings are toggled by use of (E) lower right pusher. It does become intuitive after a bit.

In the background of the dial, between 10 & 11 we have a selector indicator like a small aeroplane pointer, which basically is a current function reminder. It is again quite low key and does not distract from your reading of the dial.

The big surprise function of this model however is the inclusion of a Digital Compass, operated by a direct push of the large and well protected centre left pusher. On selecting, the seconds hand becomes a NORTH pointer and upper digital display shows your general direction (for example ENE or East North East) of the 12 position on the dial and the lower display shows that heading in degrees. To cancel simply press the lower left (D) and you return to normal time. This model also features a bearing memory function using the lower display, but it’s a little too involved to explain in this Post.

Big watch but manages to fit a smallish wrist! — Big watch and struggles to fit a small or even a medium wrist!

Additionally there is a Stopwatch, Timer, 4 Alarms plus Snooze, Time Signal and a Thermometer, which you can optionally use or otherwise. This model features an Automatic Calendar. The illumination back light system can also be set to Auto coming on when the wrist is tilted towards the wearer, though I would not recommend this as this model is NOT solar but battery only, so not clever to constantly operate the light when not really needed.

Conclusion –
A great specification and easy to use – But it is FAR TOO BIG big and thick and a considerable lump on any wrist and for me, that’s a no no. I would also contend it may well be a serious consideration for may buyers.

However soon I’m treating myself to maybe the ultimate Combo model and it’s not Casio. In September (I have a pre-order in) the Tissot Expert Solar T-Touch will be available and it could well dent Casio sales. The night clarity is outstanding both analogue AND digital and digitally it does everything a Casio can do, having an ABC function set AND looks more like a conventional watch. I’m so certain that this is the one for me, the above Casio will not appear in my collection after all.

In fact, my display boxes could be reduced by a few as I’m sure the Tissot is going to be a winner!

Combo nights (1)

My last Post featured the fashion watch Infantry but got me thinking. One of my passions today is the combo watch, that is one with both analog and digital displays and I also like the concept of the “military” watch and whilst maybe not the official Mil Spec, I like to get as many of the same attributes I can. What I’m NOT looking for here is a “fashion” watch, but one with serious features and functions that work as they are supposed to.

The finding of a serious military combo watch however is surprisingly difficult as so many models fall short in some manner. Such as back lights that don’t illuminate the dial data effectively, or luminous hands that are not, or over cluttered dial configurations, or even lack of intuitiveness requiring an instruction booklet with you at all times! Now the watch can be simple or complicated but it has to have the basics right, such as good Water Resistance, shock resistance, solid case preferably matte and non-shiny, good night legibility and a sensible function set.

Now funnily enough it’s quite easy to find a digital only model that fits the requirements and one of the better ones (and there are quite a few I have to say) is the Casio 120CM-5 and @$130 easily manages the brief – as do many of it’s variants.

Casio120CM-5 Camo Digital only — Casio 120CM-5 Camo Digital only

So when looking for my ideal “Mil Spec” style “military combo” model, whilst I could list the requirements, it’s actually easier to check out what’s available and then judge them accordingly as OK or not OK and say why . . .

I checked out quite few Casio models and was surprised when it came to combo watches that this was much more difficult than first thought. Often the models had non luminous analog hands and many were skeleton and often not easily seen against considerable background dial clutter, what with all the various indicators on the dial face. Needless to say none of those interested me at all and each for one or other of these reasons failed to meet my requirements

One feature that really annoyed me was the apparent lack of decent illumination for night use. Without luminous hands Casio have attempted to light the entire face with a light at the edge of the dial, which was only partially successful if, at all – lighting analog hands from the side just doesn’t work too well. But in providing such a dial light the digital display was left in darkness without a dedicated back light. Now OK that doesn’t bother me too much as at night I basically want to see the time, not fiddle around with digital settings and so on.
However this is a poor do – conventional watches with luminous hands, if decent quality, are fine for night use, whereas many of these modern analog/digital models don’t feature luminous hands at all – and I don’t understand why not. Surely specifying luminous hands eliminates the need for a dial light and by having it allows for the usual relatively simple Casio digital back light (as the Casio 120CM-5 watch shown here). Surely this makes sense?

But it doesn’t appear so as almost all current models feature rather poor dial and digital lighting and few luminous anything – indeed judging my comments on many video reviews it’s a bone of contention, though tacitly accepted whereas I won’t accept it at all. And this is a shame as I’ve discounted most combo Pro-Treks and the majority of G-Shocks for not only that issue but a few other basic reasons as well, such as lack of clarity either owing to dial clutter and/or poor night use, or for being too large. Two downsides it has to be said with many G-Shock case covers is that some models are too big for my wrist and the control buttons difficult both to find and operate amongst what I see as over-protective shrouds.

So, did I find anything that does suit me and meet my basic needs – and here I look at alternatives to Casio first.

Leaving the G-Shock style for a moment this Divers model from St Moritz – the Momentum Format 4 is actually a very good combo and though not military in any sense, it certainly features many of the required elements and does them very well.

St Moritz Momentum Format 4 Combo Divers model

Good broad luminous analog hands and numerals, an excellent clear pair of digital displays and a decent function set too, such as World Time, Chronograph and Alarms etc. It also has a very tough construction stainless satin finished case with screw down crown and 200m Water Resistance. For night use this combination of lume plus excellent digital back lighting is not far short of perfect and is well worthy of consideration in my view.

Another Brand to consider obviously is Timex and this model, which I’ve owned for some time now is the Timex Expedition T49967. It has a decent analog dial with luminous hour/minute hands and a digital display, shock proof resin case construction, 200m Water Resistance, non-reflective body and what I’d call a sensible function set of Chronograph, Time and Alarm, which is fine for most of us and in my opinion a really underrated model and at around £60+ mark is still currently great value.
As for night use, it uses the patented Timex “Indiglo” back light system. This is a light source behind the dial and everything is read in silhouette and within the digital display the black digital numerals intriguingly stand out light against a dark background, which is the opposite to what shows in daytime. It also has a standard strap fitting which I replaced with silicon deployment strap. I can confirm I’ve been very, very pleased with this Timex ever since I bought it as it’s a get and forget type of watch, good value and I’d recommend it to anyone.

There are some other models around that I’m also interested in, one of which has to be the new Tissot “Touch” Solar which could well be in a class of it’s own (watch out Casio – it’s ABC, neater, smaller, light and at night it’s brilliant). Not available till September though, so in the meantime I’ll feature another combo model, which I’ll review possibly in my next Post. And this is a Casio again and currently has to be one of my favorites. And with so many variants of G-Shock, Solar Tough and Pro-Trek it’s sometimes overlooked, though has an interesting function set – and at night it isn’t too shabby . . .

Watch this space . . .

Relative values

I was checking the other day for a new Casio ana-digi combo watch and found this upmarket model, the Casio MTG-1500-1AER.

MTG series 1500B from Casio - but is it value for money? — MTG series 1500B from Casio – but is it value for money?

The specification and function set was more or less what I was looking for and is one of the few Casio analog and digital models with full hands as opposed to skeleton style. I’ve always found the skeleton hands to be much harder to see in both daylight and night, especially on Casio, as the luminosity, apart from their Divers range, whilst OK, is not the best.
So decent filled hands are what I was looking for, which will at least maximise the luminous effect and the digital window is large enough to be visible. I was also glad to see this had a positive display as the negative displays always have clarity issues.

My Casio Solar Tough WVA470 - similar specification. — My Casio Solar Tough WVA470 – similar specification. (stock image)

So all seemed pretty good, until I compared it to my older model Casio Tough Solar WVA-470, I realized in regards value for money, this newer MTG model might fall short.

The MTG shown here is over £500 here in the UK which I think personally is pretty steep for a Casio G-Shock in this style, especially in comparison to my own Tough Solar Casio which cost UNDER £100. I’m really struggling to justify the large price differential.

My own Casio WVA470 on my wrist as I post.

My older WVA model has almost the same functions, 2 receiver Radio Control (as opposed to 6), Solar, 1/100 sec Chronograph, 3 Alarms, battery indicator and with decent analog hands, a center seconds hand and a good digital display.

Function indicators on the WVA model are small digital indicators within the display, which are neat and take up very little dial space.
The bracelet is also all stainless steel without the resin inserts of the MTG model and very comfortable too. It also doesn’t have or need in my opinion, the bold instructions on the bezel or any of the overdone lettering and doesn’t suffer from any kind of dial clutter.

AND it’s a neater size at just 42mm width and only 12mm depth and as regards toughness – well the Tough Solar models have always been pretty decent in that respect.

So a little disappointed by the price of the newer MTG model, as the advantages(which may be debatable) don’t seem to justify the large price increase, to me at any rate. Far from upgrading my Casio models now, I’m looking at just what you are really getting for the money, especially in the light of the much higher prices being asked for this range. Which is of concern as Casio and G-Shock models have to me always represented real value for money, so it’s a shock (excuse the pun) to find a range from Casio that might, value wise, fall short of my expectations.