Trans Continents Trans Solar E110

It was really sunny when I got up this morning, so I decided  it's time for another solar watch. Today's model also follows on from yesterday's watch as it is from another brand made by Citizen.

The watch is a model from the Citizen Trans Continents line which is a collaboration between Citizen and the Japanese Trans Continents fashion brand. More details of the Trans Continents brand can be found in my post from the 10th November 2014. As this model is a solar watch, it is also part of the Trans Solar line.

This model is a 3 hand dial design with a date window at the 3 o'clock position. The solar panel is hidden in the face which has no numbers, just round hour markers (except for 12 which has a T shape) with minute markers around the edge. The case is round and made of stainless steel (with 20 bar water resistance) with a rotating bezel, and there is a thick textured rubbery strap. The back is screw-on and shows the brand name and logo, as well as the usual Citizen details.

This particular variation has a full model number of E110-H26949. The serial number suggests a 1997 or 2007 date. I've found this exact model in a Japanese blog from 2007, but the translation suggests they wrote it was am early model (which maybe implies 97...)

1481010 Bonzaipaint Journal Standard D600

It's been a long while since I posted a 1481010 (in fact I didn't post one in the entire of 2014).

This model is one of the solar powered Eco-Drive models and has a D600 module inside. I've blogged one of these watches in 2012, but this is a special model. This model is a collaboration between Citizen, Bonzaipaint, and Journal Standard. In the guarantee form, it states that this is an "Independent Bonzaipaint custum limited edition", and I've spelt it exactly as the paper says...

Journal Standard is a Japanese brand which has been around since the 90s, with creative, quality contemporary casual clothing. They are running in Japan, Hong-Kong, and Paris, and have over 30 stores. Bonzaipaint seem to have been a group looking at custom designs or special editions of clothing, but their website just has a single cartoon image. For info on the Citizen Independent 1481010 range itself, I've got lots on information on my 1481010 overview page.

The 1481010 D600 is a large solar watch with an LCD display. It has a curved solar panel above the LCD display which uses a dotted pixel style 6 digit display with an animation as the numbers change. The watch has buttons on the front which control the modes and start the light. The modes are dual time, stopwatch, alarm, and countdown timer, and which is shown by circles along the top of the LCD. The size of the solar panel and battery, combined with the power saving mode means that this model should have 4 years life between charges.

This special edition has different paints than the usual 1481010 D600, and a special style of strap. The strap is extremely wide with a velcro fastening, and includes the Bonzaipaint and Journal Standard names.

The full model number is D600-L20271, and the watch seems to have come from 2000.

Citizen Junction Eco-Drive 7821

Today's watch is a simple design, and very plain compared to my usual choices.
This watch is by Citizen and part of a range called Junction. I've not found any history of the Junction line but there are many dial design watches with the Junction name on the dial.

This model is based on the 7821 module which has been covered in some of my 1481010 watches previously. It is an Eco-Drive module using the face as the solar panel. This module needs around 20 min of fluorescent light to provide a days power or 30 hrs to charge from full to empty (when new). It has a 3 hand dial design with a small date window at the 3 o'clock position. The dial is simple and clear with numbers at the hour markers. The strap is an expanding metal design, but this has been fitted later as the original was leather.

The full model number is 7821-K13157, and looking at the serial number and the common module to the 1481010s, it appears to be from 1999 (which I confirmed by finding it in a catalogue). It was originally sold for ¥12,000 and had a catalogue number of JA10-2243R. There was also a smaller matching ladies model (which looks to be the same for nearly all of the Junction line) which has the same model number, but with a B at the end instead of the R.

Casio AL-180 Batteryless - 2505 module version

Today's watch is an old model, but it seems a new version.

This watch is the AL-180, and is one of the Casio solar watches. Reading the Casio site, it seems that the AL-180 was one of their milestones, and was their first  Batteryless model released in 1987. The original was released with a 668 module inside, but from reading the Nerd Watch Discussion Board, it seems like a lot of fakes were released around 2003/05. The fakes had a slightly different LCD, but different insides (which did not have the same Casio branded parts and were a lower quality construction).

This model uses a different module, the 2505, and was a later release of the same design and model number as the original. Checking against the genuine original pictures, this has the same internal layout, as well as an identical LCD panel to the original 668 module AL-180s. The manual for the 2505 is available online at the mygshock.com website.

The AL-180 case is rectangular, with the top half reserved for the solar panel (split into a 5x5 grid), and the bottom half housing the LCD display. The LCD is a 2 line layout with 6 digits for time at the top,  and a smaller day and date display below (the fakes have a different bottom line with day, month, and date). It has a 3 button design, and has alarm and stopwatch modes. It says on the display that this is a Batteryless model, but actually there is a type of battery inside which the warning label says should be a GC and not a CR type.

Elgin USA Titanium Solar Drive FK-1035

It's another sunny weekend so another solar watch to wear (and this time I got it right).

This watch is the FK-1035-LI by Elgin USA. This is a modern watch which means that it is not related to the original Elgin National Watch Company. That company finished in 1968, and the name was sold to MZ Berger. The brand seems to produce middle range watches, but like todays, they use lots of high quality materials with many watches having titanium cases and straps.

The watch is from their Titanium Solar Drive range, so it has the titanium construction and a solar battery, and the package is 30m (990ft) water resistant (and has a screw down crown). The case has a rotating bezel which is marked with the compass points, and surrounds the 3 hand dial. On the dial are another 3 dials, two which cover the day (left) and date (right), and the last covers the 24 hr time.

I don't know when it came out, but it seems to have been available in light grey, black, and possibly blue.

Casio G-Shock Raysman DW-9350 'naked'

Today's watch is one that has been damaged as I've seen with many others from this range.

The watch is a Casio G-Shock, and I've called this one 'naked' as it's missing the rubber/resin trim which comes around the front of the case. It seems that on some of the 90s models, this trim is prone to cracking and is often complete missing. These covers are extremely hard to come by, so I thought I'd still use the watch as the rest works perfectly.

The watch is part of the Raysman range which were the first of the tough solar G-Shocks. This is a Raysman DW-9350 and came out in May 1998. It is part of something called the Yacht series, which was linked to a Mediterranean Sea race around Malta, and represents the intellect and stamina required to race a yacht. Three watches were released in the yacht series, and this is the model DW-9350J-9T. This was the yellow model, and the back for this version shows an engraving of a bat hanging over the waves.

The watch uses a 1584 module, and has many features. It has a 30 slot data bank, alarm (x5), el-backlight, stopwatch, and timer. It mentions that is has a yacht timer - I don't know how this compares with a normal stopwatch, but you can get to that mode directly from the top right button. The original article suggests it can withstand water spray (20 bar), a small fire on board, or a small crash.

The display has 3 lines with a dot matrix along the top, and two lines of digits. This can show plenty of data with 6 digits for time, 6 digits for date, and day, and there is a circle for battery power in the top right.

The original sale price was ¥29,000.

Casio Batteryless BB-800

Today's watch is another that has had a little bit of mistreatment in its previous life.

The watch is an early Casio with the model number BB-800. It is marked on the face as being a Batteryless model, and you can see the solar panel just above the LCD display. This is where the damage has occurred on my one, with the solar panel having a crack across one corner.

The watch is an LCD model with 3 1/2 digits towards the left and two sets of 2 digits above each other on the right (seconds below and date above). There is also a day marker along the top of the panel.

It uses a 520 module, and there are no modes apart from time and date. There is no information I've found about the date, but I'd guess 80s. One site I found suggested that this was the first Casio solar watch, but that was really the SA-60 from 1984.

Casio G-Shock Solar MTG-9100J

I'm back to an old G-Shock today, and as it was sunny I thought I'd blog one of their Solar models. 

This watch is the MTG-900J (I think is the Japanese model the MTG-900). It is one of the MT-G sub-line of the Casio G-Shock watches. The MT-G watches are the metal watches in the G-Shock line, and so have the impression of being the smarter and more luxurious watches. Casio stated that this line, and maybe more specifically this series, set the benchmark for men's metal digital. 

This model is an all LCD design with the normal 200m water resistance, and has Waveceptor radio control, and the Tough Solar system as well. It is powered by a 2639 module (some have 2638 modules), which gives the watch world time, time memo, alarm (x4), and stopwatch modes. 

The display is a 3 line LCD which is dominated by the large time display across the centre. The top line is a dot matrix showing day and mode descriptions and along the bottom is the date. In the top left of the display is the charge marker for the solar power, and in the bottom right is the radio reception marker. 

This model came out in the mid 2000s (I found a review from 2007) and it can be found in the Casio G-Shock archive on their website. 

Casio Lilana LNA-2LJ

Today's watch is a complex watch for its size. It's also my sisters birthday, and the model number contains her initials.

The watch is by Casio, and is part of their Lilana line of watches. The Lilana range isn't mentioned much on any of the websites I've found, but it gets a special mention in the Casio Japan company history. In that listing, it says that the Lilana watches were first released in November 2004. The line was designed to be for cool watches for women, but doesn't seem to be around anymore as the Casio Lilana website has a front page but nothing else. The line had a tag line of "True Time & Solar Power" and this refers to he fact that the watches have both radio control and solar power. The line also had its own logo with a round symbol with a swirly flower pattern, and this could be found on the watch back.

This model is the LNA-2LJ (or more specifically the LNA-2LJ-5AJF). It was released on November 27th 2004 making it one of the first Lilana watches. It is a 3 hand dial design with a date window at the 4 o'clock position. It has solar power, and works on the 40 and 60kHz radio control frequencies. The date is also done with a perpetual calendar, so it will auto correct based on which month it is. There are two hidden buttons on the side which control the adjustment and mode (where the seconds hand turns to various places to designate whether it is receiving a signal, show whether it is am or pm, and other things). This is all powered by a Casio 3717 module. The watch is also 5 bar water resistant, but the amount or resistance is only shown on the label and not the watch case.

This particular version has a brown face and a Pinky beige strap, but the design came in a range of colours including all black, and black with a white strap.

It was a pretty expensive watch when it first came out, with a retail price of ¥36,750 (after tax). Some of the original posters can be seen on the ZonaCasio blog at link (in Spanish).

Alba W192 Solar Watch

Solar watches have always been promoted as watches with everlasting power. Unfortunately, like most rechargeable batteries, the battery/capacitor inside does have a life, and eventually, the watch only works while there is direct sunlight (like todays watch).

This watch is a W192, and is a small square solar powered LCD watch. The W192 module gets a special mention in the Seiko history as the Pulsar W192 Solar module. This module was released in 1984 and was one of the early Seiko solar watches. This watch is a little newer and was made in 1986 (although there is a website suggesting these came out in the 70s, but that is too early). 

It has a 6 digit LCD display at the bottom of the face, with the rest of the face dominated by the solar panel. There is a date display option, but I don't know if there are any other mode, as mine doesn't have enough power to change made. 

It is a very smart looking solar watch with a small size, light weight, and simple elegance. 

The full model number is W192-4090.

Baby-G Reef Series BGR-270 Tough Solar

Today, I'm back on the mini Casio G-Shock range, better known as the Baby-G.
This model is part of the Reef Series of Baby-Gs which covered a lot of different designs over quite a few years. This particular one is a BGR-270 which came out in June 2004, and is the colour combination called BGR-270-4C.

You can tell by looking at the watch that it is a Baby-G with the tough appearance and seep set LCD display. It is a tough solar model, and is designed to last for up to 12 months on its CTL1616 without exposure to light (or 26 months in power save mode). To gauge the amount of power left there is an indicator in the top right corner showing a L/M/H battery level. As a Baby-G, the watch has 10 bar water resistance, and is also low temperature resistant to - 10C.

This model uses a feature packed 2616 module. This means it has a stopwatch, timer, alarm (x5), data bank (30 slot for name and telephone), and world time (29 time zones), as well as an electro-luminescent backlight.

All of this is displayed on a 3 line LCD display with the curved digits of the time being the most prominent along the middle. The top line covers the date, with day and seconds at the bottom. The day is shown in a small dot matrix array (17x5), and this display also shows a small animation of a surfer or a dolphin when it hits the 30 second mark.

Citizen Eco-Drive E111

A little while ago, I blogged about a watch by Kansai Yamamoto which used a Citizen Eco-Drive module.

This watch is one of the Citizen Eco-Drive models with the same E111 module. The watch is a classic looking design with a 3 hand dial. The only numbers on the display are the 12 and 6, with markers for the hours, and small minute markers. It also has a date window at the 3 o'clock position. These Eco-Drive watches use the Citizen Solar Tech technology and has the solar panel hidden into the face.

The case is designed with the first part making the shape of the strap being part of the case with a matching gold and silver Citizen branded strap.

It has a full model number of E111-S027179. Looking at the serial number, it looks like this was from around 2008 and was sold for around ¥11,000. Searching with this model number only yields Japanese results, making me think this is Ear East model only. Reading some of these links, it looks like it is part of a Citizen Forma range, and may have a catalogue number of FRA59-2203.

Casio Waveceptor Tough Solar WVA-310Q

There was some sun today, and so I took another of my solar watches to blog. It also shows that I have a liking for the ana-digi Waveceptor line too!

So this watch is one of the Casio Tough Solar watches. It has a big chunky body in silvered plastic. It is also a Waveceptor model, and has world time, so it might be a multi frequency version which will auto set around the world (although the one reference I found suggests it is only compatible for the Japanese frequency of the Kyushu /Fukushima station).

It has a two hand electronic dial and a two line LCD display (with 4 digit time along the top and a tiny dot matrix below). For the modes, it has world time, a data bank (data memory 25), alarm (x3), and stopwatch. All this comes from the Casio 2741 quartz module. The back also shows that this is an illuminator model too. The stainless steel strap is designed to match with the body and has the part number S-933L.

The watch originally came out sometime around 2002/03, but this model was discontinued by 2008. The calendar in the module starts at 2000 and goes all the way to 2039. It may also be a Casio WVA-310D with a number of WVA-310DQ-2AJF.

Sissy by Kansai Yamamoto E111 watch

I have problems with a lot of watches I receive in that some arrive with the alarm set and I forget to check. I'm off to the theater later so wanted something both smart and silent, so chose this analogue watch today.

The watch is part of a line of designer gear called Sissy by Kansai Yamamoto. Kansai Yamamoto is a contemporary Japanese fashion designer and one of the leaders in his field. He is known for his  avant garde take on classical designs, and was the designer for David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust phase (where he had some of his most outrageous and memorable outfits). Since 2001, he has been most known for his eye wear, but has also designed the Skyliner train which connects Tokyo and the Narita airport.

As part of his Sissy line, he made a collaboration with Citizen watches to make his timepieces. This watch uses Citizen Solar Tech technology with an E111 module. It is a 3 hand dial design with a date window at the 3 o'clock position. The solar panel is built into the watch face such that it is not noticeable, except by the solar tech name in small writing.

The watch design isn't too unusual, but there is a nice curve to the face and glass, and the numbers are stretched to fit their placement. Unusually, it only has numbers between the main 3, 6, 9, and 12 positions which are marked by lines (as most watches which skip numbers keep the main positions and skips the others).

The full model number is E111-S024072, and the watch was made in 1994 or 2004. It has a 5 bar water resistance, and was cased in China (but has a Japanese movement).

Klaeuse Titan Solar SK-176

Today's watch is another for a sunny day, and another I don't have much information about.

The watch is by a Japanese brand called Klaeuse. Their name appears over many sites, but all are watch sales sites, and I haven't found their own homepage so far. The only thing I have seen is they they use expensive materials (titanium, silver, etc), so I'd guess they are a quality brand.
This watch is the Titan Solar. Based on the name, you'd be right if you'd guessed that this is a solar watch made with an all titanium case.

It has a 3 hand dial, with KO number markings, but with jewels at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions. The solar panels can be seen on the face, and it seems to have a good lifetime even without sun. Inside, it seems it has a Miyota 5L81 module.

The back states the material, and that this is 100m water resistant. It also has the model number SK-176-C.

Citizen Independent 1481010 Eco-Drive White Round model

I changed my mind at the last minute on today's watch, as the other one I'd chosen needed a bit more work.

Instead I chose one of the Eco-Drive models from the Citizen Independent 1481010 line (which you can find out lots about on my overview page).

It uses a 7821 module which is a 3 hand dial model (including date at the 3 o'clock position) with the solar panel hidden in the watch face. This is one of the round versions, and there were other 1481010s with the same module in a rectangular shape (as you can see on previous blog entries).

The design came out in 1999, but this one was made in 2000. The full model number is 7821-S72072, and it original sold for 9,800yen.