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.

G-Shock deployment

Very often a bone of contention are the straps and bracelets used on G-Shock models and some are easier than others to change. My old favorite the Casio DW5600-E is one such model and fortunately the PU strap/bracelet is one of the easier ones to manage.

The original strap is a buckle type and I’ve never really suited these divers style affairs as my wrist is relatively small and I much prefer the rubber deployment style – easier and quicker to get on and off and is flat on the wrist side, so always more comfortable. OK you do have to cut them to fit, but of little consequence as they’re not expensive, easily obtainable and not tied to any particular watch model or type.

So what did I do to get my silicon deployment strap fitted?

First off, the DW5600E is a favorite for a few reasons. One it is a neat size for a G-Shock as it’s 43.6mm across the center though the lug to lug is over 50mm and actually larger than it needs to be with the standard Casio strap fitted, owing to the under-strap molding that holds the strap out from the case. This in fact is another reason for the strap change, but more of that later.

1) Remove the G-Shock case cover - using recessed side screws. — 1) Remove the G-Shock case cover – using recessed side screws. (note 16mm spring bars)

So first thing is to get at the strap/case fitting and the spring bars (fortunately this model still uses the tried and tested spring bars between the lugs for the strap fixing). For access it’s much easier therefore to remove the outer G-Shock resin over-case and this is easy by simply unscrewing the 4 screws on the side of the case (not the false indents on the top of the case). These are recessed but easy to access. Once removed simply hook your finger nail under one side of this case cover to clear the push buttons and the case cover is removed completely as shown. Now we can get at the spring bars much more easily and remove the original strap.
Note that the spring bars/strap fittings are only 16mm but the case at the lugs is actually 25mm wide.

Now a standard 16mm strap whilst it would fit easily, would look silly being far too narrow on the watch, so I’m going to fit a 24mm wide silicon deployment strap, but cut down to 16mm at the ends. And this is very easy to do with a Stanley knife or similar as you’re basically just cutting off the corners of the strap end. Measuring my 16mm I cut perhaps 4mm back into the strap (any more you’ll get gaps showing where the strap meets the case) both side of the strap and fitted it to the case to see how it looked.

2) Cut corners off replacement deployment strap to 16mm and check fit to case. — 2) Corners cut off replacement deployment strap to 16mm and check fit to case (with G-Shock case cover removed) and note cut strap parts on bench.

This was fine and I slipped on the spring bars with a bit of WD40 as they are quite chunky and the strap hole at the end is relatively narrow and fitted the strap with spring bars to the case.

I then replaced the G-Shock case cover which also covered the strap ends, so it looked really neat. And here is where the dimension of the finished watch differ from the original. The top to bottom or lug to lug measurement is now under 50mm and the strap can flex down to fit smaller wrist than before and look great. It also has the benefit of allowing the watch to sit upright on a table as for this first image and not have to sit on it’s side.

New strap fitted - looks good. — New strap fitted – looks good.

As you see the 24mm wide deployment strap fits nicely to the case and looks as if it was made for it – which it was of course!

So that’s my favorite G-Shock re-strapped to suit me and it wasn’t difficult to manage at all – no conversion parts required and the total cost around £7 for the new deployment strap and around 20 minutes of my time with basic tools and a coffee after I checked the fit of the strap before refitting the G-Shock cover.

Strap now flexes direct from spring bars - fits small wrists. (note side recessed screws for G-Sock case cover removal). — Strap now flexes direct from spring bars – fits small wrists. (note side recessed screws for G-Shock case cover removal).

This watch will now fit smaller folks with a small wrist as the strap flexes around the actual spring bars and not held stiffly out from the case at right angles. This is a bug bear I have with other models with molded bracelets and strap as you cannot lay the watch down on it’s lug ends, upright, but rather you have to lay them on their sides. I can take this watch off my wrist, put it on the bedside cabinet upright and facing me and I can easily read the time.

Tools required - Bergeron spring bar tool, screwdriver, knife (Pliers not needed after all here). — Tools required – Bergeron spring bar tool, screwdriver, knife (Pliers not needed after all here).

As to other straps – you can very also easily fit a NATO strap and again make sure you get a 24mm wide one, then at the position of the spring bars, cut out small areas either side to fit the 16mm lug neatly. Just a pair of scissors and a spring bar tool required and that’s it – job done. The neat thing about the G-Shock case cover is that it extends slightly larger than the actual watch case, so hides any intolerance you may have done when fitting/cutting. In fact I fitted a fast wrap strap to a friends G-Shock a few months ago (he’s one of those rugged types that climbs things and treks everywhere) and his friends have been really, really envious when they see his particular G-Shock combo.

It sometimes amazes me the odd conversions people do to change straps and yes often they can be tricky to manage and yet I’ve found that the simplest ways are invariably the best. All too often a complicated solution can be looked at again and re-appraised in the light of simplicity. Could I do this simpler way, a better way and more often than not – a cheaper way?

Might be one of the other reasons I like this particular Casio DW5600E.
It’s really quite basic function set is absolutely fine for me, Time, Day, Date, Month, Year and 12hr or 24hr selectable time display, an Alarm (daily, by date or monthly with auto repeat) function with selectable dial light flash. It also sounds for a decent 20 seconds. A Stopwatch and Countdown function. I also like the fact that when using other functions, the Time is always indicated on the upper right portion of the dial – very useful. It’s got a 200m Water resistance and it’s as tough as old boots!

And now it’s got the strap I like on it – what could be better?

New strap fitting - neat and the right size width at 25mm. — New strap fitting – neat and the right size width at 25mm.

New strap fitted - job done. — New strap fitted – job done

Deployment means flat on the wrist - for a neat fit. — Deployment means flat on the wrist – for a neat fit.

Casio “beater”

One of the things that Casio are really good at is making a model that does enough to satisfy the average guy.

This model is the Casio DW9052-1V which features a similar function set to the older, but very excellent classic DW5600E, which is already one of my favorite models by Casio. Different modules used, but essentially they perform a similar role – the secret being – not too much and not too little.

And one of the VERY best features of this model is the size. It is NOT too big. The resin case is just 45mm across which is pretty neat for a G-Shock and the pushers are well shrouded yes, but a nice big size to get your fingers on. The digital display is a two window affair and basically show Day, Date and Month plus the time of course and on selection features functions such as – 1/100 Stopwatch/Chronograph to 60mins and a 1 second stopwatch to 24hrs. Countdown alarm with Auto-repeat, 12/24 hr selectable and an Auto Calender up to 2039. It’s powered by a CR2016 2yr battery and has a back light “illuminator” operated by the front pusher.

The bracelet idea is a little different fitting from the older models and wraps better around the wrist and the watch is also water resistant to 200m. No World Time or Dual Time so if you want to travel, then you’ll just have to adjust the time – and that’s easy. It also features a dial that’s not too fussy and for me this represents a useful and practical “daily beater” watch that will do you many years of great service.

You can pick it up here in the UK for around £50 which I think is very good value.

Note – The layout of this model I found to be very Timex like with the large and easier to push than usual for Casio pushers and the back light mounted on the front as Timex. Could be the reason I like this model and of course the sensible size for once. Pity about the bracelet/strap fitting which I would have preferred to be standard. But for the money this is a good all round model and well worth it.

Clearly Torgoen

When a group of watch makers and aviation enthusiasts get together, the result is Torgoen – a Swiss watch company that excels in the “pilot” watch design format rather well. In amongst the range of models they produce, the one that stands out for me is from their T30 range – the T30304.

I like this particular model as for me it is the clearest to read by virtue of the color combinations used on the dial face. Because the dial is quite busy with 5 main hands plus the small seconds hand making 6, it’s important to highlight only the parts that are meaningful. Note that the Brand name on the dial is muted as is the model series number. The main numerals @12, 3, 6 and 9 are also muted, but we know where they are by virtue of the highlighted indices markers. The main hands and relevant details are strongly highlighted by the use of orange Super Luminova luminous bright color, which stands out very clearly against the overall muted dark dial. Note too the Alarm pointer is black until the bright orange arrow tip, again to prevent distraction, unlike the T30301 which I find cluttered in comparison, owing to the 24hr and Alarm pointers being unnecessarily bright. On this model too the hour and minute hands are full infill and not skeletal which once again aids clarity.

Note how only data that "needs" to be read is highlighted. — Note how only data that “needs” to be read is highlighted.

The details of this model are common to the series and specification wise it’s pretty good.
45mm x 13mm IP 316L Stainless Steel case with screw back and a 100m Water Resistance. K1 super hardened mineral glass, seconds sub dial @2, Big Date window @6 and a Swiss ISA 8176/1990 movement as the power source.
A GMT center driven pointer and 12 hr Alarm pointer are the additional complications on the dial. A 24mm wide PU strap with IP stainless steel buckle and a 3yr Guarantee complete the specification.

As said, Torgoen have a nice range of different Series models, but for me this typifies their original concept best.
Clear and easy time reading day or night, clear date information, Alarm and GMT functions without clutter despite being a busy dial. It has good water resistance and has a basic strap arrangement without being of the molded variety – and that’s always a plus for me. It is also a sensible size, without being overly macho – another plus point for me.

So all in all a very nice watch and one that I may well decide hopefully to have myself before the year is out.

The Elegant Watch (7)

Something a little different today as I feature a watch for the Ladies. And not just any ordinary watch as this is the Christophe Claret Margot “he loves me, he loves me not” creation, which whilst perhaps a bit of fun is a serious feat of watch making nevertheless.

Christophe Claret Margot "He love me, he loves me not" — Christophe Claret Margot “He love me, he loves me not”

Based on the old concept of young love, where the petals of a daisy are plucked one by one in a bid to find out if her beau truly loves her after all, this amazing Christoph Claret complication is beautifully made, very attractive and charming too.

Using the pusher @2, a crystal clear sound is heard and the watch starts to hide one or perhaps two petals and each press of the pusher removes petals as it computes it’s decision and after a short time delivers it’s verdict on the retrograde disc windows at the foot of the Mother of Pearl dial. The gold tipped steel hour and minute hands glide over the 12 white, satin-lacquered titanium multi-layered petals that surround the central yellow sapphire pistil accentuates the 3 dimensional effect. 3 pears shaped diamonds feature at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock.

The chime (a feature of Christophe Claret) is visible via a case band window @8 where the ruby set hammer can be seen striking the cathedral gong above – an automaton feature I particularly like. The watch case is in Gold of course and has a curved profile which suits slim wrists and the crown is actually @12 but cleverly concealed behind the front decoration between the top lugs.

Even the rear of this watch features not only the intricate view of the mechanism but also continues the theme with a flower shaped carousel of 8 different colored triangular precious stones symbolizing sentiments of love – when the daisy movement stops, one of those will be associated with and opposite to the small heart @6.

To see the watch in action click the following link – It should load and video controls will be available – best viewed full screen.

http://bcove.me/alwolamo

The Unit – Nixon SS

Every so often a digital model gains my attention just because it looks good and it isn’t one of the top 3 – and so it is with this rather good looking Nixon Unit SS model.

I like the fact that it’s digital and has a fairly standard round case and a standard style fitted bracelet (not one of these molded custom jobs that’s tricky to replace when the model is no longer produced). It also has a “tough” look enhanced by the protected dial which uses sections of the case as dial areas, which is a neat idea and one that is not obscuring any data.

Using a Custom digital module with positive or negative display, it sports 12 or 24 hour time of day, calendar, temperature gauge (C or F), dual time, countdown timer, 1/100 sec chronograph with split functions, alarm, and light functions (backlight).

The Nixon Unit SS in Matt/Black Camo version.

The case is solid stainless steel with IP coating, hardened mineral crystal, solid stainless steel bezel (fixed), double gasket stainless steel pushers (4), stainless screw down back and screw pin lugs. It is a neat size at 44.5mm diameter and in this version a wide 24 mm solid custom stainless steel 3 link bracelet with solid stainless steel double locking clasp and micro adjustment. This model is 100m Water Resistance rated.

All in all this is a good looking watch without too much in the way of “macho” yet it has a military presentation all the same. It also comes in alternative colors and particularly like the Matt/Black/Camo version. I have to admit I have trouble deciding between the two, which I like the best.

Neat Nixon Unit SS bracelet with micro adjustment.

I suppose the display of Temperature is a bit superfluous in that you’d have to remove the watch for 20 minutes before it gave a sensible ambient measurement, which to me is reminiscent of the Citizen Retro models, where they were really showcasing the digital movement in the early days.

However that’s the only function that’s perhaps just for fun and I can live with that, because the rest of this model is well specified, solid, functional, clear digital displays and has a decent Water Resistance.

Certainly one that I’ll consider – just need to make up my mind – Black or Camo?

mmmmm . . . Black I think.

NOTE –
The price by the way is around £190 in Europe UK and I like the fact that they make a smaller version, which is almost identical in looks for Ladies, at 40mm diameter with a rubber strap. Also available in black plus a range of other colors, but alas no Camo. But for those with small wrists this is a great buy as it’s less than half price at £89.00 – now that’s what I call a deal!

Minimalist small Date . . .

I’ve always had a slight disappointment with the so called modern minimalist models that appear from time to time, such as from Skagen or other Ikea inspired Scandinavian brands. Invariably they are tricky to see with very slim hands, tiny dates and dial figures, often they are shiny and reflective too. In fact they have by their presence actually steered me towards overpopulated watches that have “in your face” overkill data faces and dials, which of course is almost as bad, though not quite, as at least you feel you’ve got something for your money.

So it’s nice to see this neat “minimalist” model appear from Greyhours. This model is called the “Essential” and is in two versions – either white or black. It’s an analog model sporting a date window and a Day sub-dial and whilst it’s in the minimalist category, it doesn’t look too minimal. In fact it looks really very smart and it’s well specified too and that IS a bonus.

The case is a coated DLC brushed 316 Stainless steel and 40mm diameter by just 9.10mm, so a good size and very slim on the wrist. The dial is black/grey matte surfaced with Hour, Minute, center Seconds with a Date window @3 and a Day sub-dial @9. Clever use of color used with the Hour and Minute hands sporting white infill and the Day and seconds hands is bright light blue, giving excellent contract and clarity.

To assist clarity still further this model has good quality Sapphire crystal with anti-reflection treatment on BOTH sides. The movement is an ISA Swiss Quartz Calibre 9232/1950, personalized by Greyhours. Water Resistance is 50m and complimented by a quality Italian Calf leather strap.

My only concern with this watch is the size of the Date window which is really quite small for me and a real pity as the dial being so clean it could so easily be larger and still look balanced and very much easier to read. Despite the white numerals and decent contrast, double digit dates really need more space.

However all that said, it is a very smart watch and one of the nicer minimal style models around at the moment and they so almost got everything right, except for that date window. In fact I reckon if they doubled the date window size, they’d probably double their sales!

Price wise here in the UK it’s around the £150 mark, which for the quality of finish, the Sapphire crystal with double-Anti-reflect and Swiss Quartz movement is probably about right, though more so if the Date was larger. It does however make for a very smart dress watch that’s that little bit different.

So for me a case of nearly but not quite – but that’s just my opinion . . . . . . and please don’t ask me what the date is!

G-Shock smoothie

I have to admit that as much as I like G-shock models, some of them are so knobbly and oversize that I find them uncomfortable and sharp to the fingers when trying to use the buttons. Some are worse than others and whilst I accept this is part of the G-shock system as an outer exterior protection layer, it’s often a little overdone in my opinion.

Casio Jason g-001 - a smoother G-Shock — Casio Jason g-001 – a smoother G-Shock

Which is why I was sad to see that the G-shock Jason g-001 reprise model seems to have vanished, or certainly in the color I would prefer (grey or black). For this model presented the G-shock philosophy in a much smoother bodied manner and with it’s wrist support strap system sat on almost any wrist and looked really cool.

It was a really chunky watch and with it’s smooth outer shell it certainly presented itself as a neater Casio than most G-Shocks even though dimensionally it was still quite substantial. I particularly liked the color way as shown in this image and note how the buttons are hidden in this view, tucked into the side recesses and without the large obtrusive shrouds of the usual shock models.

This model was pretty well specified too –

Black and gray resin shock resistant case with a similar color dial with the yellow digital display. 20 Bar Water Resistance. 1/100-second digital chronograph measures elapsed time, split time and two finishes, Countdown timer with auto-repeat timing and progress beeper functions.
World time feature displays current time in 48 cities (29 time zones), Home time zone, Alarm mode (3 multifunction alarms: daily, date, 1-month, monthly), 12/24-hour formats, Standard/Daylight Saving time, Full Auto-calendar to 2099, EL backlight.

Note the wrist "appendages" which assists wrist fit. — Note the wrist “appendages” which assists wrist fit.

Digital day-date-and-month display, Black resin strap with silver-tone mesh metal inserts and black plastic buckle, black back case appendages, Black resin selector buttons, Black resin/stainless steel screw-in caseback and a mineral crystal glass.

What’s also nice about it is the relatively simple dial set up without too many cluttered distractions to worry about and at the same time a pretty comprehensive function set and all contained in a well protected and above all SMOOTH case.

For me this was one of the best G-Shocks both as the original Jason and in the reprise model that appeared some years later. Difficult to fault too though some folks report the strap/case fitting can break. Not unexpected I would say as I’ve found with many resin/plastic straps, they get brittle over time and with repeated flexing, can and do break. But as with many of these faults they are often fixable without too much trouble.

So I haven’t seen it around for a while and Casio have not re-issued it this year, which is a pity as I for one would buy it tomorrow. I still see some of the bright color varieties around, but they look too novelty for me . . .

Ah well maybe next year . . . .

Amazing, inventive & cheap?

It never fails to amaze me, the wonderfully inventive, military and sports style watches that appear each year from the Far East and mostly at incredibly cheap prices.

The fact that digital module prices are so low today means that with some plastics molding equipment, a bit of imagination and flair in design, almost anything is possible. Whether they’ll last of course is another matter entirely, though that said, the basic digital movement could well outlast you! Though any complications outwith the basics could well be another matter entirely.

But one thing is certain – they look amazing! and if you don’t take the hype to heart and don’t take them too seriously, probably a bit of fun too.

Take the INFANTRY Mens LCD Date Day Black Dial Combo Digital Quartz Watch for example. I mean it looks pretty good and has a fair bit of functionality with Day and Date, Alarm and Stopwatch displays. It cites multi-time zone, though doesn’t specify details). I do like the fact it doesn’t depend entirely on display,s as it features conventional analogue Hour, Minute and Seconds hands too. Another plus is that it takes a conventional fitting rubber strap (nothing molded here) and has a Japanese quartz movement. Mineral anti-scratch glass is quoted and there is also a dial light. Case dimensions are about normal for this type of watch at 47mm x 16mm, at 115gms weight, so quite large but without being totally silly.
Then there’s the price – here in the UK via Amazon it’s quoted currently at £14.99. Amazing!

Here’s another interesting non mainstream watch, this time from LAD WEATHER, the GPS Navigator model.

Seems to to pack a lot into a wrist worn piece and according to the advertising, this is just what it does. I have copied the data – as there’s too much for me to just note –

■Functions
・USB charge (With dedicated cable)
・100 meters waterproof
・GPS(Auto acquisition date and time/ Acquisition and recording of the root and the current position)
・PC connection
・Root confirmation in Google earth
・Measurement(Distance/ Lap time/ Average pace/ Movement time/ Heart rate/ Calories)
・Alarm
・Countdown timer
・Pacemaker
・Digital compass
・Continuous use time:about 12hours (GPS on)/ about 1year (GPS off)
・Charge:about 500 times
・Charge time:about 3hours

■Size
・Case size：about 47x47x20mm (height, width, depth)
・Band length：about 140～200mm
・Weight：about 62g

■Attachment
・Watch box
・Instruction Manual（English）
・CD-ROM
・USB cable
・Heart rate measurement sensor
・cleaning brush
・6-months warranty

This model comes in 6 different colors, some looking quite smart I have to say, though this is a big watch at 47mm x 47mm and a depth of 20mm and it’s at a higher cost too at some £92.00 UK priced. The advertising alludes to a retail of much higher at £350 and certainly for what this model apparently offers, that could well be right.

A little expensive for me just to try it for fun, unlike the first watch shown here, but I have heard variable comments about LAD watches, some good some not so. This model may have sensors from Germany, maybe assembled there too, though presumably the highest percentage of parts will be Asian I would guess – the origins and details are sketchy to say the least. They also have ABC models without GPS mode, which seem to fare pretty well against Suunto watches (and somewhat cheaper!) to such an extent I would not be surprised if the movement modules were from the same source. There is a comparison on You Tube which is quite interesting.
However the features appear pretty comprehensive and the addition of a GPS with track functions, brings it into the same ball park as the Garmin Forerunner, or perhaps even the Fenix. Then the price doesn’t look too bad after all – it all depends on how the watch performs and there’s only one way to find that out. Buy one!

But with anything out of the mainstream Brands it’s always worth taking each model as it comes, make decisions on the good and bad of each, consider the manufacturing quality and possible after sales/Warranties etc. should they go wrong. Do your homework, check You Tube, check comments, reviews and user experiences and make you own judgements. If really cheap like the first model shown here, then it’s often worth having a punt at it – you never know – and if a dud, then bin it and move one . . . . no worries.

At nearly £100 for this GPS model – I’d have to give it some serious thought – but for new ideas and some great and designs, there are lots of these guys around and they can be fun.

I’ve also seen if I’m not mistaken some Pyle models which are possibly the same generic watch, so it’s quite possible it could appear in another cosmetic guise and the price could well fluctuate considerably up or down – mostly down I would imagine.

I have to admit here I’m tempted, though it would have to easily readable – and you know what some digital displays can be like – but it might be worth taking the chance.