Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re looking for a watch with modern electronic features but a somewhat ‘antique’ design, the G8100A-5 G-Shock model from Casio appears to have been inspired by the recent ’steampunk’ trend. The bronze colored aluminum square face and perforated resin band make it look like a rare find featured on the Antiques Roadshow, but without the ridiculously over-estimated at-auction value. In fact at $99 it’s quite affordable, but still manages to pack in a lot of the features that the G-Shock brand is known for.

The watch features auto dual electroluminescent backlights with an ‘afterglow’ feature, world time with 29 time zones and auto daylight savings adjustments, 2 multi-function alarms plus a snooze alarm, a timer with a countdown range of 1 minute to 24 hours, a stopwatch accurate to 1/100th of a second, a visible flashing alert and is both shock and water resistant to 200 meters

[ Casio G-Shock G8100A-5 ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I like complex watches that are crammed full of functionality and features as much as the next gadget blogger, but I have to admit these simple Independent Retrograde Dualtime watches from Citizen have their own unique appeal. The watches come in either a polished stainless steel (the ITR21-5053) or IP gold and black (the ITR21-5051) finish and both feature an analog watch face with a digital typeface for the hours, as well as a unique L-shaped 24-hour clock at the bottom. They’re both available from Tokyoflash with the stainless steel model selling for about $242 while the IP gold and black is just a bit more at about $271.

[ Independent Retrograde Dualtime ITR21-5053 & ITR21-5051 ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There are a handful of watches that combine a digital LED display with an analog watch face which makes it easier for those of us who suck at telling time the ‘old-fashioned’ way, but this new Tough Movement system from Casio actually relies on an LED ‘under-the-hood’ to keep the positions of the analog hands accurate. The watch receives time calibration signals from six different bases located around the world, and at the 55 minute mark of every hour if the time indicated by the watch doesn’t match up with the time from the signals, the position of the hands is automatically corrected. The gears for the second, minute and hour hands are actually sandwiched between an LED and a phototransistor which also allows the watch to detect the positions of all three gears at once by shining a light through a series of holes that are just 300 mum in diameter.

The new Tough Movement also incorporates metal and plastic parts in order to reduce the weight and size of the watch while increasing rigidity and shock-resistance. As a result the thickness of a 3-hand analog model is reduced by 2.26mm to 4.11mm, while the more complex chronograph model is reduced by 0.55mm to 4.9mm. The new Tough Movement system will apparently be incorporated into Casio’s Oceanus and G-Shock series watches, and the first model to feature it (the GS-1200) will be available at the end of September in Japan for about $388.

[ Tech-On! - Casio Develops New Movement for G-Shock ] VIA [ Fareastgizmos ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve noticed that security’s gotten pretty tight at my local saloon, and because of it I haven’t even been able to sneak a Derringer past the sheriff at the front door. But I swore I’d avenge my father, and I think this rare english pocket watch will finally give me the chance to take down ‘Wild Bill’ McGraw! The watch looks like something that would turn up at the Antiques Roadshow, but the clock gears inside have been replaced with a 3mm gun. Obviously because of the unique conversion the hands on the watch don’t actually move, so as long as no one asks you the time, your secret will be safe. As for the gun, I assume its a one-shot kind of deal, and given how small the projectile is I imagine you have to be pretty close to your target for it to be effective. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

[ Rare English Patent Curiosa Railroad Pocket Watch Gun ] VIA [ TechTreak.com ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Since nearly every single portable gadget or electronic device from MP3 players to video games includes a clock of some sort, the only real reason someone would wear a watch these days is for style. And because of that, design student Nicolas Lehotzky believes that the watch market will soon be moving away from traditional designs towards models that focus on creativity over function. So in an effort to get things moving in that direction he created a small collection of unique watch prototypes including this Caterpillar design that caught my eye.

The watch takes the concept of the tank tread used on heavy Caterpillar construction machinery and incorporates it into both the watch band design and how the time is actually displayed. Instead of a traditional face, the watch features a fabric belt that is continually fed through the strap in a loop. The number that’s featured most prominently on the raised platform roughly indicates the current hour. In theory the belt could also feature a more complex number scheme to indicate half and quarter hours making it more accurate, but the simplicity of the current design is most definitely part of its appeal.

[ Nicolas Lehotzky Caterpillar Watch VIA Gizmag ]

By Luke Anderson

I rarely find myself wearing a watch these days. This is mostly because I have at least two other devices on my person that can tell me the time. I’ve considered buying a new watch, but I haven’t found one that I really feel like wearing. However, this Icon Watch may be exactly what I’ve been looking for.

Granted, this watch doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary, it just simply tells you the hour and minute. It does have that retro 8-bit look to it, which I’m totally digging. It actually reminds me a lot of the little watch from MacOS. $75 will get you one geeky watch that I can bet your friends will envy.

[ MoMA ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Citizen has a line of watches known as the Eco-Drive series that are constantly recharged by light which means you never have to wind them or replace the battery. The XKD Solar Powered Watch pictured here does pretty much the same thing, except that while the Eco-Drive watches manage to cleverly hide the solar cell as part of the watch face, the XKD looks like someone has salvaged the cells from an old solar powered calculator and simply slapped them onto a basic digital watch. So if you’re sick and tired of having to replace the battery on your watch every 7 or 8 years, and don’t care what it looks like, then you’ll be happy to hear that the XKD model can be picked up from Gadget4all.com for just $17.

[ Solar Powered Watch ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When it comes to watches designed for serious outdoor activities, it’s hard to find a digital model that’s better suited than Suunto’s distinct lineup. Their new Lumi model is no different, except that it seems specifically designed for the ladies. It features a built-in barometer which it uses for daily weather forecasts and serious storm warnings as well as a digital compass, altimeter and sunrise and sunset times for over 400 locations around the world. It also includes a calendar function which will actually display a countdown to or from a specific day you need to remember, and other standard watch features like the time, daily alarms and a stopwatch.

And I guess because it’s designed for women, the Lumi also comes in your choice of different strap colors and styles “to suit your mood” as the Sunnto website puts it. Seriously though, is that what really makes a watch suited for women? Based on what strap style you choose, the Suunto Lumi appears to range in price from about $228 up to $241 according to Amazon.com.

[ Suunto Lumi ] VIA [ Tech Digest ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re already a fan of Tokyoflash’s unique collection of obscure and hard to read watches, then you’ll no doubt like these two new additions from Nekura. But if you’re the type who can’t understand why anyone would strap anything so ugly looking to their wrist, these aren’t going to change your mind. Both watches feature full color LEDs embedded beneath the LCD display which can be switched between blue, green, cyan, red, pink and yellow or even be set to cycle through the various colors. They also each have a custom engraved, self-adjusting stainless steel wristband finished with a ‘neatly designed’ clasp.

As for telling time, the display on the Scramble (left) has twelve blocks to indicate the hours in a clockwise direction, eleven blocks in the center to represent the movement of time in groups of 5 minutes, and 4 smaller blocks on top to indicate single minutes. The Progression (right) is actually a bit easier to decipher. It has 12 blocks arranged in a circle to indicate the hours in a clockwise direction, with minutes being displayed as actual digits in the middle of the circle.

Both the Nekura Progression and the Nekura Scramble are available on the Tokyoflash website right now, for $123.29 each.

[ Nekura Progression & Scramble Watches ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Well here’s a real pick me up. I can’t think of a better way to put a smile on your face than by wearing a watch that continually reminds you how much time you have left on Earth. The concept ‘watch’ was created by Timex and is actually more like a patch you wear on your skin that processes biometric information about your key health factors including fitness, stress, nutrition, sleep and even your environment. All of that data is then factored in as the Index Watch makes an educated guess as to how much time you’ve got left. On the plus side, it would serve as a fantastic motivational tool when it comes to diet and exercise if you could see the days and months being added to your life every time you got up off the couch. Not to mention seeing the days disappear with every Twinkie.

[ Timex Life Index Watch ] VIA [ Gearfuse ]