Subscribe to Gizmag's RSS feed
Follow Gizmag on Twitter
Watches
Retsu watch changes the face of telling the time
By Darren Quick
21:38 August 9, 2009 PDT
Not so long ago anyone in the market for a new watch was faced with a relatively easy decision – analogue or digital? Those simpler times are but a distant memory with the release of more and more watches that set themselves apart with weird and (not always so) wonderful ways of telling the time. The latest to join the party is the Retsu watch from TokyoFlash, which uses a column of ten LED lights to indicate time instead of the traditional hands and numbers. Read More
The Eris spherical watch - planetary in name and nature
By Mick Webb
18:04 July 14, 2009 PDT
While time itself is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity in today’s hustle and bustle world, there is certainly no shortage of innovative timepieces to help us keep track of it. Inspired by the recently discovered dwarf planet Eris, this example does away with the conventional two dimensional approach to timekeeping, instead using a globe design featuring “floating” hands that glide around the “equator” of the watch. Read More
Patek Phillipe watch from Tiffany expected to fetch up to US$500,000
By Mike Hanlon
06:32 June 1, 2009 PDT
Bonhams' next auction of fine watches on June 10 will feature some celebrated timepieces, including a Patek Phillipe watch from Tiffany & Co, and another Patek Phillipe once owned by Isabel Perón, the former President of Argentina and the first non-royal female to lead a western country. While the Peron watch is expected to fetch between UKP 3,000 and UKP 4,000, the Tiffany Patek Phillip, an 18ct gold perpetual calendar chronograph with moon phases, is regarded as something quite special. Patek Philippe wristwatches retailed and signed by Tiffany & Co. are highly prized by collectors and may fetch as much as 100X that amount. Wanna get a close look at a watch worth as much as a house? Read More
Suunto's new heart rate monitors - laboratory on a wrist
By Darren Quick
18:41 May 14, 2009 PDT
Elite athletes know that training smarter is much better than training harder, and to do that you need to know exactly what's happening in your body. Suunto has introduced its new Triathlon collection heart rate monitors which measure the time interval between heartbeats and its variations to produce seven different body parameters as well as analyze these readings to provide the information needed to maximize their training efforts. Read More
Orbita Sparta Mini watchwinder - one for the ladies?
By Karen Sprey
01:09 April 27, 2009 PDT
As the name suggests, automatic or self-winding watches wind themselves using a moving weight mechanism inside the watch. All well and good if you are wearing your watch everyday, but if you happen to have a collection, you'll often find yourself faced with the fiddly task of manual winding and resetting features like perpetual calendars - a difficult job for large unwieldy fingers (men) and delicate fingernails (women) - which is where watchwinders come in. This one, the Sparta Mini from Orbita, is for the ladies. Read More
Meccaniche Veloci teams with Brembo to create world's first carbon fiber wristwatch
By Mick Webb
16:24 April 16, 2009 PDT
For many years now the Formula 1 industry has championed the use of carbon fiber as a superior material for creating a competitive edge. With the current buzz surrounding the Moto GP and the Ducati carbon-framed Desmosedici GP9, it seems only timely that two other Italian companies should unveil the world's first carbon fiber encased wristwatch, the Quattro Valvole CCM. Read More
The watch of many faces
06:07 April 7, 2009 PDT
While we've seen our share of obscure and unusual watch designs, we're always on the lookout for the next innovation that might catch on in the world of wrist worn timepieces. This example may not prove to be the next Swatch, but the customizable OLED "UNI watch" concept by Takemura Ori definitely caught our eye. Read More
Garmin update Forerunner fitness watch range
By Jude Garvey
01:42 April 3, 2009 PDT
Garmin will release two updated Forerunner fitness watches this Summer, the 310XT and the 405CX. Both come equipped with the latest GPS technology and can be synced wirelessly to the user’s PC or Mac so workout data can be automatically downloaded. Performance information can be acquired by simply tapping the bezel, calorific consumption is calculated by the user's heart rate and the user can even challenge a virtual partner to a workout. Read More
The Blancpain 500 Fathoms watch
By Mike Hanlon
21:15 February 11, 2009 PST
Just a few weeks back, we wrote about an exhibition celebrating the Blancpain 50 fathoms watch, one of the most desirable technological boys' toys of the last half century. Now, on the eve of the Baselworld 2009 watch show, Blancpain has released details of the new 500 Fathoms watch. That's right, it's water-resistant to ten times the depth of the 50 fathoms and will now take you safely to 1000 metres depth and back. Quite appropriately, it comes equipped with a helium decompression valve which is vital when diving in a closed environment. Read More
Garmin FR60 Fitness Watch
By Mike Hanlon
22:02 February 1, 2009 PST
GPS specialist Garmin has announced a new fitness watch that offers new levels of functionality and convenience using wireless connectivity at the 2009 ISPO Winter trade show in Munich. While you exercise, the easy-to-use FR60 accurately tracks your time, calories burned, heart rate and other data from wirelessly linked fitness equipment, then once you’re within range of your computer, the information is wirelessly transferred and stored for later analysis. Read More
LG 3G Touch wristwatch video phone on sale this year
By Mike Hanlon
00:41 January 8, 2009 PST
January 8, 2009 The wristwatch video phone we’ve been waiting for nearly half a century thanks to the broadly syndicated Dick Tracy cartoon strips, is finally about to arrive. LG Electronicshas unveiled the world’s first Touch Watch Phone and it appears to be the hamburger with the lot – camera, Flash Interface, MP3 player, Voice Calling, Text messaging, 3.63cm (1.43-inch) touchscreen, voice recognition, text-to-speech, a 3G Video Telephony (VT) service and GSM Quadband Network capabilities. Shown in prototype form at last year’s CES, the phone (designated LG-GD910) will be available in Europe this year. Read More
The ABnote-LAKS Smart Transaction Watch
By Jack Martin
21:44 November 22, 2008 PST
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
By Emily Clark
01:32 October 27, 2008 PDT
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
By Emily Clark
23:29 October 22, 2008 PDT
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
02:14 October 17, 2008 PDT
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
02:49 October 14, 2008 PDT
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
By Emily Clark
00:14 September 4, 2008 PDT
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
By Kyle Sherer
04:14 August 22, 2008 PDT
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)
By Mike Hanlon
19:40 August 21, 2008 PDT
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
By Emily Clark
14:05 August 12, 2008 PDT
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
By Loz Blain
22:49 July 12, 2008 PDT
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
By Kyle Sherer
17:22 April 15, 2008 PDT
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
By Darren Quick
22:53 March 9, 2008 PDT
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
20:41 January 31, 2008 PST
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
By Darren Quick
16:40 October 28, 2007 PDT
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
Jonathan Cole
- November 6, 2009 @ 16:15 UTC
