Seiko Alba Wired - Beams W510

Today's watch is a special edition of a design I've featured on this blog before.

The watch is one from the Seiko Wired line of watches based around the W510 module, and this one was released under the Seiko sub-brand Alba. The Wired watches seem to be a high tech line released from the late 90s which blended advanced technology and elegant fashionable designs.

One of the designs that was used in several watches around the turn of the century was the high complexity curved digit LCD display. This display used many more segments in the digits than normal, leading to text which looked more like a printed font than normal. I featured a watch from the ViViDiGi line with this W510 module in June 2013, and there's been a few others on the blog too (see under the Wired tag).

This particular model is a special watch designed for the Japanese brand Beams. The Beams brand are a popular clothing, accessories, and interior products brand originating in 1976 from Harajuku, Tokyo, and they've produced a few watches over the years. It has a different colour scheme (black with red trim) than the other W510 watches I've seen, and has the Beams name at the top of the display. The back also the Beams logo (a planet with the path of a satellite around it), along with the text "Beams. Basic & Exciting". The other text on the back is the standard information that it is stainless steel, 10 bar water resistant, and made in China.

This watch is from 2001, and has the full model number of W510-4A50.

Seiko Wired XYZ W543 Rotating Head Watch

Today I decided to wear a watch from the mysterious line of watches called Wired XYZ by Seiko.

The Wired XYZ range of watches was first released in 2004 (May 21st in Japan) as a line of futuristic designs within the Wired range (that started in 2000). The range initially started with 4 designs (2 digital and 2 chronograph), and were designed under the leadership of Hoshina Ichiro. The XYZ range was promoted by the Korean singer BoA, who had their own branded Wired watch that I blogged in June 2013 (and you can find out more about BoA and the watch here). The XYZ line doesn't seem to be around anymore and the original website has been deleted.

This model has the model number W543-0AG0, but is hard to research as there are no web hits for this number. It is a limited edition of only 100 pieces, and so there aren't too many others out there, so I'm not surprised about the lack of coverage online.

The head of the watch is shaped like a gold bar with a the LCD on the top face. The LCD is powered by the W543 module with 6 equally sized digits (in groups of 2) in a slightly curvy style, and there is a tiny Wired XYZ logo in the corner. Across the top are 3 buttons which switch the display between time and date (with the date having text for what each number means above the digits), or for changing the numbers in time setting mode. The watch case is mounted on a silver cog-like base which allows the watch head to be rotated a complete 360 degrees, so you can use it from any angle. The strap also mounts onto the base and has a part number F2G0-Z-Q.

The back reveals its text as you rotate the head showing the model number, that it is water resistant and made from stainless steel, and it was made in China. There is also text in Japanese on the back of the silver base, but I don't have a translation (so if any reader can translate this, I'd be extremely grateful). There is also a serial number on the back which suggests a 2005 manufacture, and this aligns with the W543 modules date starting at 2004.

Seiko Wired BoA Limited Edition W571

It back to the Wired watches again, and a limited edition too.

This watch is from Seiko's Wired range of watches with their high design watches. This particular model is shown as produced by BoA (and copyright of axev), and is a limited edition of only 500 from 2004.

BoA is a South Korean singer called Kwon Boa (and has used the name with the acronym Beat of Angel), and is referred to as the Queen of Korean Pop. The watch features her logo on the back and on the boxes, and a certificate with a message. 2004 would correspond to her third Japanese album being released and a sci-fi themed Japan tour.

It has an inverse LCD display with a main line of a 4 digit curvy time display. Below that is the year, month, and date (with text saying what the numbers mean just above). There is then a box along the bottom which seems to be the day of the week. It is powered by a W571 module and just seems to have time and maybe alarm modes.

The full model number is W571-0AC0, and has a strap with a part number of F2B8-Z-Q. For strap adjustments, a tool was also included in the box.

Seiko Wired Chronograph V657

Today is another relatively normal watch, but one in one of the sets of watches I seem to have a mini collection of.

The watch is from the Alba Wired line (which is owned by Seiko), and has a range of smart high tech watches.

This watch is a chronograph with a V657 module. It has a 3 hand dial with date at the 3 o'clock position, and 3 small dials on the face. The dials are part of the chronograph, and cover minutes (left dial), seconds (bottom dial), and tenths of a second (top dial). This is quite a common arrangement, and is standard for the GSX Smart Style watches. The buttons operate the stopwatch, with the top being start/stop, and the bottom being split/reset.

The style is very simple, with just a plain single colour face and silver body/strap, but has the Wired range touches (W symbol on the crown, and 'Wired' engraved on the strap) as well as the name moulded on the side of the case.

From the back, it looks like it was wither from 2000 or 2010, but I'm not sure which. The full model number is V657-0A30, and the strap part number is F1K5JG-C.

Alba Wired ViViDiGi W510

Today I'm on a mix of models, with this one fitting into two lines of watches at the same time.

It was made in 2000 by the Seiko owned brand Alba. It is part of their Wired line of watches, as well as the ViViDiGi line. I've featured watches from both lines before, but not normally at the same time.

It is another watch with the high complexity LCD display that appeared on a few watches at the time and has highly curved digits comprising of a large number of individually shaped segments (28 for showing a 9 in the hours digits). To get all of the numbers in a curved format, the parts that make up the digits are occasionally offset making the digits appear in slightly different places depending on the number. Time is shown across two lines of two digits with hours at the top and minutes below. This type of LCD design was seen on the W710 and W720 watches I blogged before (and looks very like the W710), but this watch uses a W510 module and has buttons instead of a crown for adjustments/functions. The manufacture date of 2000 also means this watch predates the others by a couple of years.

The watch doesn't have too many modes, just displaying time or alarm, and there is an el-backlight. It uses with 4 buttons for mode, light, forward, and back (for adjustments).

The full model number is W510-4A00. It uses a CR1620 battery, and A manual for this module can be found on the Australian Pulsar watch site. Thestrap is marked with the Wired name and has a part number of F1K2JZ.C

Seiko Wired Buckle Watch W543

While collecting, I end up with very interesting watches that aren't really my style, and today it's one of those.

The watch is a ladies watch and part of Seiko's high tech Wired brand. It also seems this is a Japanese only model, and it was released in 2004.

It has a very unusual strap arrangement where the strap is only connected to the head on one side. The other side has a loop which the loose end of the strap goes through, and then this clips back on itself to hold the watch in place. The strap is pink leather, and has a part number of B24.

The display on the watch is a thin 6 digit white and silver LCD display, with the digits split into pairs. The 3 buttons are above the display, and inside the loop where the strap threads. The mode button switches between time and date (which has text above the numbers to say which is year, month, and date), and the other two are for up and down on the time adjustment.

It's original sale price was 15,750 yen, and the catalogue number was AGDL029. The full model number is W543-0AB0

Seiko Wired - Dodecagon Dial 5Y66

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers.

I'm using a smart watch today as I've got a dinner date with my wife tonight.

The one I've chosen is part of the Seiko Wired range of watches that was released in 2000. The range seems to target up-market looking designs that are quite flashy. You can see more of the different Wired watches using the list of tags in the right of the page.

The watch is a heavy steel item, with a thick 12-sided (dodecagon and dodecahedron shaped) glass covering the face. It is a 3-hand dial, with 3 dials on the face, one showing the 24-hr time, and the other two for the date. For the date, it has a standard 31 point dial, but for the day, it has a retrograde dial on which the hand jumps back from Saturday night to Sunday morning.

The design of the watch has lots of shiny and matt faces at angles making it catch the light really well. The shape and polishing inside the jump-hour dial looks like it is a deep hole with the centre raised where the hand is (but the shadow of the hand tells me this is just an illusion).

This particular model was made in 2007, and has a model number of 5Y66-0AG0. It uses a Japanese movement, and was cased in China. It has a design matched steel strap, which has a part number of F2S1-E.Q

Seiko Wired Solar V14J

It's the second of my smart watches for family parties today, but not quite so formal for today's choice.

The watch today is one of the watches in the Seiko Wired range of watches. The Wired range started in 2000 and seems to be designed to be classy while being high tech and functional.

This watch is a solar powered watch with a V14J module. It has a large solar panel which makes up the back of the watch face. It is a 3-hand dial with three small dials on the face. The small dials are set at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions, and cover date, 24-hr, and day. The solar battery has a reasonably large capacity, and the watch can run for 6 months from a full charge.

It seems to be called the Wired Hybrid Solar Model II and was the second in the series that has the fusion of fashion and solar technology.

It's catalogue number is AGAD021, and it had an original rrp of 22,050 yen. The full model number is V14J-0BD0, and I think it came out in 2010.

Seiko Wired Basel 2003 limited edition - W720

In the watch world, whenever you think of a large watch event, Basel springs to mind. It is one of the biggest watch events of the year, and the place where most of the big manufacturers release their latest (often premium) models.

Seiko have been well represented over the years, and have often produced special edition watches for the event. One of the lines they have produced specials in has been their high-tech Wired range, and today's watch is one of those. This particular one is from Basel 2003, and is called/coloured Silk Gold.

The watch is an LCD watch with 4 digits on two lines to show the time. The noticeable thing about these digits are how rounded the numbers are. It is similar to the W710 watch (Wired 2nd Anniversary) I've blogged earlier (found here), but is an updated design which does not require the number's placement to move to cover all digits. There is also a date display along the top (date and month) in a font with curved corners.

This watch also has an alarm mode which can be reached by turning the crown, and there is an hourly chime (set by pulling out and re-pressing the crown). Pushing in the crown sets off the el-backlight.

Time is set using the crown (same as in the really early LCD watches), and the date and alarm are set by pulling the crown when in the respective display mode.

The original sale price was 23,000 yen, and was limited to only 1500 watches. The full model number is W720-0AB0, and the catalogue number was AGBA002. The strap part number is F226-Z.O

View showing the mass of LCD segments

Seiko Wired XYZ W770 short wide watch

Today's Seiko seems to have been set up the wrong way round - the watch is twice as wide as it is tall, and the buttons are all along the bottom. But, as the digits showing the time are wider than they are tall, maybe it isn't too strange after all!

The watch has two displays, an inverse dot matrix LCD with 5x5 dots per digit, and a wave pattern display which counts up to 10 seconds in 1/4 second increments. When the time is after 12, the display also says 'afternoon' rather than the usual pm marker.

It uses a W770 module, and has multi-alarms. The right button shows the date, the left button changes the mode, and the middle button, when on alarm mode, switches between hourly chime (with the quote 'time signal' on the LCD) and alarm on/off (with 2 exclamation marks). There is also a button on the front to activate the el-backlight.

This watch was made in 2004 as part of the Wired range of watches (which Seiko started in 2000). The XYZ line is one part of the Wired range.

The full model number is W770-0AA0. The Japanese manual can be found here.

Seiko Wired 2nd Anniversary Limited Edition W710

In the year 2000, Seiko started a new range of watches under the name Wired. The watches were high-end high design pieces, often with designs linked to travelling.

In 2002, to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Wired range, they released this watch, with probably the most complex LCD display I have ever seen. To be able to make the curvy numbers, each number us made up of a large number of segments (e.g. a number 9 in the hours has 28 segments). To match all of the segments, the numbers also shift from side to side. I've tried to get a picture that shows all of the segments, and you can see that below.

Another unusual feature is that the time is set using a crown. Pulling the crown out puts it in setting mode, where a fast turn makes the time progress fast, and small clicks progress individual minutes.

All of this is powered by a W710 module, with a full model number of W710-0AA0. As it was out in 2002, the limited edition had only 2002 watches released. The strap also has a part number of F1W5-B.Q.

An updated version of this display was used a year later in the Basel 2003 Limited Edition (which can be found here)

Seiko Wired AGCM001

Today's watch is one of the modern watches from the Seiko Wired range. The Wired range is a sub-brand of Seiko which seems to have many futuristic designs, and hi-tech displays.
This watch has a catalogue number of AGCM001, and is one of those with a more fancy than normal LCD displays. A standard segmented LCD has 7-segments to show each character. In order to get the more rounded numbers in this model (and some letters), the display has (at least) 27 segments per character.
The front of the watch is dominated by the inverse LCD screen. The screen is also backlit, such that the part around the characters lights, and you get dark numbers on a light background.
The watch has a W603 module, and has time, date, and chronograph modes (with text before the mode starts to tell you which mode is next).
The watch was made in 2010 and the original sale price was 7,875yen. The full model number is W603-00A0

Seiko Wired XYZ "flight" Limited Edition - Zaizu range

This watch is from another of Seiko's sub-brands, the Seiko Wired.
The particular model is one of the Wired XYZ range and seems to be aimed at travellers who like flying (and it even has a plane silhouette printed above the display).

The watch has two inverse dot-matrix LCD displays, rotated at 90 degrees to a normal display. The right-hand screen shows the time, and the left screen shows the time in one of 3 alternative time-zones (which you can set yourself). Pressing the middle button on both sides at the same time switches the two times, so quickly allowing you to change time-zones. The W771 module also has date and two alarms, and an electro-luminescent backlight.

The model shown is a limited edition of this design, with only 300 being made. The model version is 0AB0 (compared to the normal versions model number of 0AA0). Another one of these for sale suggested that it was part of the Zaizu (ザイズ) range, but this could also be the Japanese nickname for the XYZ watches.