Watches
The ABnote-LAKS Smart Transaction Watch
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November 23, 2008 Approximately 1.1 billion watches are produced annually and around three billion credit cards are issued, which makes the LAKS Smart Transaction Watch look like a significant market opportunity given that it combines both. Laks is one of the most innovative producers of wrist-worn gadgetry in the world, with specialty watches that track the phases of the moon, play Mp3s and even monitor fertility cycles to aid women in getting pregnant, so the ingenuity of putting a smart card into a wristwatch to readily facilitate contactless payments was probably a no brainer for them. Perhaps one day we'll all be wearing these things, though our money is on the mobile phone being the logical long-term winner as the platform for contactless payments. Read More
Sony Ericsson's first collection of Bluetooth watches for women
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Have you ever missed a call while frantically searching for your mobile in the bottom of your handbag? Sony Ericsson has followed on from the MBW-150 Bluetooth watch range with the announcement of the MBW-200 series, the first from the company designed specifically for female consumers. Read More
Solar-powered G-Shock Rose Gold Series watches launched
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Casio has added to its well-known G-Shock collection with the introduction of its premium Rose Gold series. The new line of watches combine shock-resistance characteristics with self-adjusting atomic timekeeping technology and a mini solar panel for extended battery life. Read More
Golf watch forged from Seve Ballesteros' clubs
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Looking for a highly-credentialed lucky charm to help lift your game next time you step out on to the tee? This limited edition of 50 golfing watches created by Swiss watchmakers Jaermann & Stübi in conjunction with former World No. 1 golfing legend Seve Ballesteros just might be the answer. There's a good reason for the "limited edition" tag - each of the cases in the run has been forged from the irons used by Ballesteros in his five under par victory at the Chunichi Crown Open in Japan back in 1991. Read More
GrandCliff Double Retrograde Skyscrapers wristwatch
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Ultra-contemporary timepiece designs can sometimes let aesthetic considerations get in the way of actually being able to tell the time, but Swiss watchmaker Pierre DeRoche has struck a sophisticated balance with it's latest offering - the GrandCliff Double Retrograde Skyscrapers. Read More
Nooka adds to unconventional watch range
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Nooka watches combine unusual form and function in order to tell time, where dots and bars fill space as the minutes and hours pass. Three new Nooka models have just been released designed suit a range of tastes from chic to utilitarian. Read More
Wrist-worn GPS navigation 1920s style
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A 1920s-era wrist-mounted display that allowed the sophisticated gentleman to peruse his planned route; a 1930s “electro massager” rewarded the user with a “zappy ending” in the form of electrical shocks; and a pair of glasses equipped with two battery-powered lights alternately provided its wearer with illumination and set their head on fire. Outlandish contraption expert Maurice Collins is exhibiting these, and 50 similar items, at the British Library Business and Intellectual Property Centre. Read More
Three new outrageous Romaine Jerome creations (including a US$300,000 watch that doesn't tell the time)
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Romain Jerome offers unique watches that fascinate the technophile and fundamentally defy logic. The Day&Night watch, however, takes the cake for sheer outrageous “I-don’t-give-a-flying-toss” (but-really-I-do) elitism. It’s a limited edition of just nine watches costing US$300,000 apeice and all were snapped up immediately they went on sale. Here’s the kicker – the watches have no hands – they do not indicate the time in any way other than simply day and night – it’s the watch for people who are of such “independent means” that they do not care what the time is. Go figure! Read More
Suunto X10 GPS wristop computer
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Suunto has unveiled an upgrade to its X9i flagship outdoor GPS wristop computer. The more powerful X10 model features improved tracking, longer battery life and faster performance, including the ability to track better in difficult conditions such as heavy foliage. Read More
Caterpillar, SRAM and Brembo brands interpreted as watches
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July 10, 2008 Wrist watches long ago gave up any pretense of pure practicality, and for an accessory that's now primarily for style it's interesting to note how conservative their designs have remained. Design student Nicolas Lehotzky feels that there will soon be a shift in the market away from the more traditional look towards more creative watches - and he's put his money where his mouth is with three spectacularly bizarre prototype timepieces that he has built from the inside out to reflect the brand and product values of Caterpillar, Brembo and SRAM. Read More
URWERK compressed-air powered wristwatch
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April 16, 2008 URWERK has released the world’s first watch that uses compressed air to regulate the winding system. The UR-202 features a 3-position selector switch that controls the level of air compression generated by its miniature twin turbines, which in turn control the rate of automatic winding. Read More
Zenith Defy Xtreme wrist watch
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March 10, 2008 Luxury Swiss watchmaker Zenith’s Defy Xtreme range features a multi-layered dial of Hesalite glass surrounded by a blackened titanium case that is waterproof at 1000 meters, a titanium bracelet with Kevlar inserts and high-temperature resistance, plus a position sensitive gyroscope cage Tourbillon designed to enhance accuracy. Read More
Cellwatch M500 wrist-watch phone
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February 1, 2008 The wrist watch phone is one of those inventions we thought we would all be wearing by now, but despite the appearance of numerous designs in recent years seeking to make the Dick Tracey style communications device a commercial reality, the idea is still a long way from reaching its potential. The latest example to cross the Gizmag desk, and one of the most impressively designed and specced units we've seen to date is the Cellwatch M500. Billed as the world's smallest mobile watch, the M500 incorporates a 1.5-inch (128x160) color OLED touchscreen, 128 MB Memory, 80 hours standby time, plus web-browsing, Bluetooth, MP3 and video playback capabilities. Read More
Seiko's Kinetic Direct Drive wristwatch
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October 29, 2007 Seiko has launched a new range of "Kinetic" watches which automatically generate electrical energy through the wearer’s wrist movement. Now entering their third decade, the latest Kinetic incarnation offers a second winding function called “Direct Drive” which gives the wearer the option of winding the crown to power the device. Read More
Suunto Core extreme sports wristop computer
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October 24, 2007 Outdoor sports instrument specialist Suunto has added the Suunto Core to its range of wristop computers. Billed as the “the ultimate instrument for any adrenaline-packed outdoor activity” the new ABC (altimeter, barometer, and compass) wristop includes a digital thermometer, altimeter, barometer, digital compass and a weather trend indicator incorporating a storm alarm that kicks-in when a rapid drop in air pressure is detected. Features new to the ABC line include a depth meter, sunrise and sunset timer, four language menu and the ability to automatically switch between altimeter and barometer depending on your level of activity. Read More
New speed-climbing record set on El Capitan
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October 17, 2007 It’s not exactly new technology, but the human body is still the most impressive piece of hardware on the planet - and when it attains spectacular new milestones like this one, we see it as worthy of our readers attention. Alexander and Thomas Huber have set a new speed-climbing record on the Nose of El Capitan – scaling the famous rock face in Yosemite National Park in a time of 2hr 45min 45sec. Read More
Reactor launches new action sports watch models
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October 11, 2007 Sports watch maker Reactor has announced a new range of watches aimed at the action sports enthusiast. Starting with the "Graviton", a water-sports watch featuring a pre-programmed database of tide information for 275 worldwide locations, the new watches adhere to six key attributes that Reactor calls the “DNA” of the brand: all cases and bracelets are solid 316L stainless steel; all watches have screw-in crowns with crown guards; the bracelet/case interface has a stainless steel screw bar attached with allen-head screws; Swiss Superluminova on markers and hands; a forged caseback; and secure folding clasps on all metal bracelets.
Formotion: billet bolt-on timepieces for motorcycles
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October 6, 2007 Tired of working out dodgy ways to attach a clock you can read while you’re riding your motorcycle? Formotion has released a range of great-looking and affordable bolt-on clocks and thermometers to fit to any bike. Read More
Mainnav pairs GPS and Bluetooth in a watch
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September 17, 2007 Mainnav has released the Innovator MW-705 BT GPS watch - a timepiece that teams inbuilt Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality with a Bluetooth transmitter and also manages to pack-in a heart rate monitor, speed and distance sensor, temperature sensor, pedometer as well as the standard countdown timer and alarm.
Rising to the challenge: true world time in a mechanical watch
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June 15, 2007 Despite what the average world time watch might tell you, there's actually 39 distinct time zones across the world, not 24, and they rarely follow straight geographic lines. This prompted the master watchmakers at Blancier to rise to the challenge of producing the world's first truly accurate mechanical world timer - and they've come up with a masterpiece. Read More
