Sunday 30 November 2014

Person's P290 LCD watch

Today's watch is one which has all the model number and information which would suggest that it was from a main brand, but I can't find anything about it.

The watch is by a brand, or part of a line called Person's. It is a slim LCD watch with an offset head and a 4 digit inverse LCD watch. The LCD is in the centre of a mirrored section of face and is actually difficult to see without good light. It is a simple watch module, and only has time, date, and seconds views.

The watch head is in a one piece rubbery plastic strap which has the name Person's in raised letters below the face. On the back of the watch is a model number which is P290-A42438, and it is assembled in China. There is also another number, 97 10, but I don't know what this is.

On the cardboard label, there is also another number which I guess is the catalogue number, and is AA95-8681T.

I've tried to search for the watch, the model numbers, and the brand, but have not found anything so far. Because of that, I haven't concluded on the date, but the number on the back of 97 10 could mean October 1997?

Saturday 29 November 2014

DKNY NY-6001

I'm off to a dance festival tonight, and I got today's watch off one of the DJs who is playing.

The watch is by the New York based fashion house DKNY. The DKNY brand was started in 1989 by designer Donna Karan as a younger more affordable line compared to her main Donna Karan New York brand. The brand specialises in ready-to-wear fashion goods and accessories for men and women. As part of the brands collection, they have produced many different watch designs over the years.

This model is the NY-6001 and is a ladies/unisex watch with a quartz movement. It is an ana-digi model in big-tic style, meaning that the digital display on the face is to cover the seconds. It has two vertical digits so the tens of seconds are above the centre and the seconds are below. The time is shown on a two hand dial design with a separate movement to the digital display. I mentioned the big-tic style for a reason, as although that is a Fossil watch design, it seems to be the same movement inside here as the Fossil watches (and it even says Fossil on the circuit board).

I'm not sure when the watch came out, but it's not for sale anymore. The original sale price was $75.

Friday 28 November 2014

Deep DT009 LED watch

It's back to my strange fashion watches with this model from Deep.

This Deep model is back to following the usual numbering (unlike the last model). It is called the DT009, so is one of the lower numbers I've come across.

The watch is a gold coloured design with a large dark screen covering most of the front. Pressing the button reveals the lights for the time display. The time is shown in small LED squares, which looks like a dot matrix style, but the LEDs are only in the pattern 18:88. There are no special modes for the watch, with only a time and display possible. The two buttons on the right show the time (top) or date (bottom) and there is an inset button on the left to start setting (based on which mode is showing at the time).

Again, I don't know when the Deep watches were released, but I'm still guessing the 2000s.

Thursday 27 November 2014

Telva TI-136 TD2 Chronograph

When buying groups of watches, you need to try to recognise things by the photo. Doing this, you realise that there are a lot of watches which look similar at a glance.

Today's watch is another Telva (or テルバ) and has a passing resemblance to one of the G-Shock designs, but actually brings something a little special looking to the design.

The Telva line appear to be a low price range of watches with many different fashion watch designs. You seem to get a lot for your money though, as I've seen this model sell for around ¥1000 new, and it has a good build quality.

The watch is a model TI-136 and seems to have the name TD2 Chronograph, and it is a quartz LCD watch. It has a 6 digit LCD display with digits in different colours - blue for hours, green for minutes, and red for seconds. Above the time are three circular windows with segments in red LCD which show am/pm (left), alarm status (middle), and day of the week (right). The watch has 3 options, time, alarm, and stopwatch. The mode button switches between alarm and stopwatch (and activates settings mode), and the bottom right button shows the alarm setting.

The watch has a clear plastic case with shiny silver trim, and a completely clear strap. This gives the watch a really nice look, making it seem very shiny and luxurious when it catches the light.

The back has the Telva Digital logo, and also says this is a Crepha X design. Crepha are the manufacturer and started in 1989 with the mottos "Smile is extreme energy" and "Share the happiness".

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Module - Crown rotated bezel watch

Today, I'm with one of the mystery fashion watches from my collection.

This is my third watch from a range called Module. The range has released a wide variety of different designs, as you can see in my posts, and seems to share some common designs with a few other mystery fashion watches (-more of this will be revealed as I post the watches in question). Module watches are produced by Poll Position Ltd Co, who are also a bit of a mystery. There are a few companies online which have very similar names, and the closest option seems to be an Osaka based company which distributes Lip watches and is classed as a precision equipment manufacturer, but I've still not been able to confirm this absolutely. The only English links I found for Poll Position and Module together actually link to this blog...

The watch is a 3 hand dial design watch with a quartz movement. It has a round dial on a rectangular case and a black leather strap with a wide panel of leather across the back of the watch. Looking at the watch, one unusual thing catches your eye - this watch has two crowns, one at the 3 o'clock position, and one at 4 o'clock. The crown at the 3 o'clock position is a normal crown for setting the time, but the lower crown actually rotates the bezel behind the glass. This design of rotating bezel is like a design used by the high-end Citizen world time watches, however on this watch, the bezel only has 5 minute (or second) markers with numbers only for 0, 5, and 10.

I got the watch in a completely new condition recently, so I guess that it isn't so old.

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Which Watch Today now on Instagram (@jollycollector)

I've decided to expand where I show my watches, and have now added an Instagram account where I'll just be posting photos from my collection (including some things not featured here).

It you are interested in seeing a bit more around my collection in photo form, then you can start following @jollycollector on Instagram!

You can also find a link here

Naughty Naughty Pets Blue Burt watch

Today, it's time for one of my sillier watches.

The watch is a Naughty Naughty Pets (or NNP) watch and is covered in cartoon characters. Naughty Naughty Pets was a set of stories made into a cartoon series from 2006 about a range of unusual household pets, and also had a range of toys and accessories. The series was written by Scary Stories Inc founder Wendy Ann Gardner. She founded the company in 1997, and was inspired to write stories inspired by her quirky pets, leading to the Naughty Naughty Pets series.

This watch is for the character Blue Burt the budgie and features his image at various places on the watch. There is also a cat on the dial, which I guess may be Killer Kiwi the Devil Cat (although he doesn't look too devilish, but I guess looks can be deceiving). The face of the watch has a 3 hand dial which is offset towards the top left corner (with a crown at the 13:30 position). The bottom left of the face has a picture of Blue Burt behind a magnifying dome on the glass (but on the inside). The top half of the strap has Blue Burt's name pressed into it, while the bottom half has the Naughty Naughty Pets name (printed except for the 2nd Naughty which is pressed in) and a picture of Blue Burt in a night cap.

The watch seems to be associated with the series as it has a copyright of Scary Stories Inc from 2007 on the back, and there is also a Naughty Naughty Pets hologram sticker to show it's genuine.

The model number is GM-NNP-71, which refers to the style as there are a few other watches of this style but for different characters with the same number.

There was a website for the line of watches (nnpwatch.com) but that doesn't seem to exist anymore. It seems to have been made by Menjiana and is on a type called Mini Miniature Watch. Inside is a Seiko Epson AL21E movement.

Monday 24 November 2014

Citizen Vagary FF00 Chronograph

It's back to normal today with a completely different watch!

This time it's one of the Citizen Vagary watches. The Vagary line are a range of normally colourful, but still elegant watches by Citizen which are still going today. I can normally only find them in the Far East, but the website links them to Citizen's Italian arm...

This model is the FF00 and is a chronograph model. It has a 3 hand dial design with 3 smaller dials, but the hands are mixed. The main dial has the minutes and hours hands, while the seconds hand is on the bottom small dial. The chronograph uses the seconds hand on the main dial, and the left of the small dials for the minutes, while the last small dial (top right) covers the 24 hr hours). There is also a date window at the 4 o'clock position.

This particular version is one of the less colourful Vagary watches but there are hints of colour with the small dials, the seconds hand, and the trim around the date window.

The full model number is FF00-S030005, and from the model number, I think it is from 2005. The number in the dial is slightly different (which I've found with quite a few Citizen watches, but don't know why) and reads FF00-S051075.

Sunday 23 November 2014

United Colors of Benetton Wide Strap watch part 2

Today's watch links directly to yesterday's, so I've named this part 2. It is a different watch though, even though you may be puzzled if you've looked at the pictures already.

There are many watches out there which come with a variety of straps or attachments which you can change to modify the look of your watch. This watch is different, in that it is the strap which stays the same, but you replace the entire head of the watch.

Today's model is the red version of the 3 hand dial watch head, while yesterday it was light green. The back of the watch head has a single large screw which can be taken off to release the watch from the strap. The screw can be unfastened with a coin, and there is a small metal peg next to the screw to make sure the watch is orientated the right way. Inside is a standard Miyota movement which is powered by an AG4 battery.

Each head has a different registered design number. Today's is 7451 104 035, while yesterday's was 7451 104 015.

The watch was originally sold for €66, but I don't know if that included the second head.

It may be cheating on my blog to post this twice, but as there are two separate watch heads, I am still posting a different watch each day!

Saturday 22 November 2014

United Colors of Benetton Wide Strap Watch part 1

It was only a couple of days ago I blogged a Benetton by Bulova watch, but today is the first part of a blog from the United Colors of Benetton range.

The Benetton brand started in 1965 producing bright colourful clothing. The United Colors line of products began in the 80s, and is probably the most known range of products. As part of the line, they produced watches which seem to follow the colourful and fashionable theme.

Today's watch is definitely bright and colourful. It has a wide strap/cuff strap design in a bright yellow patent leather (but back of the leather is soft). The strap fastens with a clip which just presses on the strap making it adjustable to any size without the limitation of holes or notches.

The watch is a rectangular 3 hand dial design in a matching colour. It runs with a quartz movement, unusually with the crown at the 12 o'clock position.

There is also another unusual feature to this watch, and it is the reason for this being a 'part 1'. To find out what, you'll need to pop back for part 2 tomorrow!

Friday 21 November 2014

DJ Honda DJ002 Rotating Disc watch

It's been a long time since I blogged one of this brand of watches, so I thought it was about time for another.

The watch is by DJ Honda and is the 3rd from this brand I've featured here. DJ Honda is otherwise known as Katsuhiro Honda and is a famous Japanese hip hop DJ and producer. In the 90s, he started a clothing and accessories line using his 'h'  logo for the products. As part of this clothing line, he released a series of watches, and if there was one for every model number I've seen, there are at lease 8 different designs.

This model is DJ002 and is a rotating disc style of watch. It has a common shape of case, with a round centre where the face sits. The face is grey with a black stripe down the middle where the 'h' logo lies. At the bottom of the face is a small window where the time discs can be seen. This is a 2 disc design, and so there is no seconds display. It has a metal link strap which is fastened by a 'h' branded clasp.

The back has the brand name and logo, as well as the normal info (water resistant 5bar, stainless steel back, base metal bezel).

The watch was originally sold for ¥18,900, but isn't available anymore (and it seems that is the case for all of the DJ Honda watches).

Thursday 20 November 2014

Benetton by Bulova - Ecology

It seems that the Benetton by Bulova line of watches is now becoming its own sub-collection as this is the 4th I've blogged, and I have more to come.

The watch is a collaboration between the Italian clothing brand Benetton, and the American watch manufacturer Bulova. This collaboration seems to have started in the early 90s or possibly the late 80s, and has many different designs of watch. More can be found on the brands I'm earlier posts (found using the tags linked on the right of the page). Most of the designs I have use a similar case style, but with many different colours, patterns, and text. The case is round, but with a wider tapered section where the straps attach, and a Benetton logo imprinted on the bezel just below the dial.

This particular model has the text 'ecology' in a handwriting style font across the centre of the dial along with stylized drawings of two fish. It comes with a leather strap which is covered with a jade green fake crocodile skin coating.

It is a quartz 3 hand dial design, and inside is a Ronda movement.

Wednesday 19 November 2014

Flik Flak Sweet Banana

I'm wearing another of the 'cool kids' watches from my childhood today as I noticed the colour matched my t-shirt.

The watch is one of the Flik Flak watches which are a range of Swatch watches for kids. Flik Flak refers to the tick tock of the watch, and the range was started in 1987 to bring the Swatch style into the kids market. One of the things I've read about the Flik Flak watches (but I hold no responsibility about if it is wrong) is that the range was machine washable (40C in a fabric net and without prewash), but due to the age of the models I have I don't quite trust this.

This model is called Sweet Banana and was part of the Spring Summer 1999 collection (and was designed in 1998). The design has a red aluminium case with a yellow face and strap. The face has a picture of an open and part eaten banana in the middle, while the fabric strap has a chain of cartoon monkeys along the length.

The model number for this design is FBB366, and it uses a Swiss ETA movement.

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Nooka 360 Night

Today's watch is one of my Nooka collection, but something unlike all of the others I've blogged so far.

The Nooka brand was founded by designer Matthew Waldman who developed the unique Nooka style. I've blogged many Nooka and there is more info on the brand in the other posts.

The watch is the Nooka 360 Night and it is one of the high quality models from the brand. The watch is unusual for a Nooka in that it is a round design rather than the normal square. This is also an analogue design with a 3 hand dial (which is also uncommon, but I've shown one analogue Nooka before).

The watch has a deep steel case and so sits high out of your wrist, but this is due to the feature which gives the watch its name. The unique function of the watch is that the entire head can be rotated clockwise through a full 360 degrees. This allows you to set the watch at whatever angle is easiest to use, whether for normal use on your wrist, or for things such as driving where you look at an unusual angle.

This version is the all black model with black case, face, hands, and (Italian) leather strap. The face is textured, and appears more dark grey than black so the black hands can be seen relatively easily.

The watch is one of the newer designs, and I think it only came out in the last couple of years. It is still available from Nooka, and has an rrp of $285.

One thing about the watch I didn't find online was the battery change instructions, so I thought I can let my readers know. There are 4 small holes on the back of the watch near where the strap attaches. When the head is rotated to be exactly straight, these will align with 4 small screws, but just show the black case when misaligned. These screws release the front of the case from the strap and rotating section which allows you to get to the battery.

Monday 17 November 2014

Diesel 947 Rubber Watch

Today's watch is one where something doesn't quite ring true with what it claims to be.

The watch is meant to be by the clothing brand Diesel, and is similar to designs I've seen before. On the back it has the 'Only the Brave' name and logo referring to the group which Diesel is a part of. It is a 3 hand dial design with a large rubber one-piece case and strap. The dial is the same colour as the case and has hour markers except for 02, 03, and 04 which are shown as large numbers arranged in a vertical line. So far so good...

The build quality is the first thing that seems strange with this watch. The crown has a loose feel, which could be through use, but also the seams on the rubber from the mould are also a bit rough. The back looks to be a screw back model, but in reality just lifts off, which again can just be a design choice. The number on the back just says 947 rather than the usual DZxxxx format. When searching for this online, there are no hits for this design that I could find, suggesting that this isn't a normal Diesel model number.

So overall there is nothing that definitively says this is a replica rather than real, but as you can see above, there are many things that hint this is not right.

So there it is, my post on my (possibly) Diesel 947 watch.

Sunday 16 November 2014

Pocket Monsters Tsutarja (Snivy) watch

Last Sunday I blogged a Pokémon clock, and this Sunday it's a Pokémon watch.

I've got quite a few Pokémon watches, including several from the same range as this. This watch is a Japanese Pokémon watch for the Pokémon Tsutarja who is known in the English version as Snivy.

Tsutarja is a grass type Pokemon and was one of the 3 starter Pokémon in the Black and White series. It is described as a Grass Snake Pokemon and evolves into Janovy (Servine) at level 17 and Jalorda (Serperior) at level 36.

The watch is a basic LCD design with a lid over the front of the watch. It is likely that it was a prize watch from one of the Gachapon machines in Japan and it was one of a series of the Pokemon Black and White characters.

The design has a green and yellow pokeball as the cover with the text Tsutarja and Pocket Monsters on the green strap. On the face, there is a picture of Tsutarja and the 4 digit LCD display.

The back shows it is by T-Arts and made in China. As normal with the Pokémon watches there are lots of detail in copyrights listed on the back and also the face (to Nintendo-CR-GF-TX-SP-JK and Pokémon).

As the Black and White games came out in 2010, the watch must be from around that time.