Skull Hologram Watch

Today's watch is a weird but simple watch, that I liked because of the design.

The watch is a 3 hand dial watch with a quartz movement. There are no makers marks on the watch or even inside the case. The quartz module is also anonymous with not even a model number (and is mainly plastic rather than the normal metal).

The fun part is the unusual design. The case has a front section which is moulded to be an alien skull in profile. The middle of the skull is open where the dial is placed, and the face of the watch has a hologram picture of an alien skull/face (with a front view).

As I can't find any makers mark, I have no idea about the age, but I'd guess it is from the 2000s.

Casio SA-500G LCD watch

Today, I've got a mystery Casio to blog, as I've not found a web link to another that's the same.

This Casio model is the SA-500G. So far, I've found lots from the SA series, including the SA-50 and SA-50G, but there is no sign of the SA-500.

From what I've found, the SA series came out around 1984, although one site suggested 1986. They all were similar LCD models and shared the use of a Japanese Casio 145 module. The case design was also similar across the range, and the models were pretty thin for the time (although not compared to the film watch Pela).

The LCD panel has one line of digits (5 1/2 and the seconds are smaller), and holding one of the buttons reveals the day and date. The other modes for the watch are alarm, dual time, timer, and chronograph. There is no separate button for setting, with the setting option at the end when you cycle through the modes.

As well as the model number, there is also a number on the face which is 901A1-116. The strap is a Casio gold coated model with a part number of B-453N.

Senova WIN-2001 Dual Dial

Back on a plane again today, so another dual time watch for me. This watch is just a simple watch by an unknown maker.

The name on the dial says Senova so I guess this is the brand name. A search for Senova gets results on cars and clothes, but nothing on watches, so I assume they are just a basic fashion watch brand.

The watch has a dual dial design in a vertical arrangement. The two crowns are on the top and bottom and are wedged against the end of the strap. The top dial is a 3 hand dial with a normal numbered design and glow in the dark hands. The bottom dial is also a 3 hand dial, but the numbers only show 10s of minutes, and the hands are hollow.

There isn't much more I can say apart from the model number on the back which is WIN-2001.

Deadman Live Wire

Today is another Deadman and yet another different design.

The Deadman (or Dead Man) watches are one of the 1990s brands that are from a period when there doesn't seem to be much internet coverage from Japan. The brand was around in the late 90s and appeared in various watch magazines around the 1998 timeframe. They were a low cost brand (with quartz models around ¥3,800), but had interesting and unusual designs and high build quality.

This model is called Live Wire and has a model number LSD4342. Most of the watches had a GV model number, but some have LSD, although I've not worked out what differentiates the ranges.

It has a 3 hand dial design, but the quartz module is hidden behind a small round dial. Surrounding the dial is a clear glass band, with only the stem for the crown crossing the glass moat around the dial. The glass is also very thick, and protrudes 3mm from the front of the case. The strap is a metal one, and the watch has a Deadman clasp.

Bitch Skateboards Watch

Today's watch is a skate-wear watch with a cloudy history.

The watch is produced for Bitch Skateboards. This brand is one that was around during the 90s which is a period where there seems to have been a lack of internet information from Japan. It seems that the brand was started in 1993 by Sam Rocco Jr and his wife Kim, and was an anti-brand for Girl Skateboards. After a short while, the brand broke down and the name was sold to a Japanese company. The original logo used the male and female bathroom symbols, but with the man pointing a gun at the woman, but it seems like this was toned down or reversed in later products (probably after the sale). Reports online suggests that the brand is rarely seen outside of Japan, and is something of a holy grail for collectors (especially the originals).

This Bitch Skateboards product is a watch, and has a typical 3 hand dial design. There is a date window at the 3 o'clock position, and it has a rotating bezel. The numbers and hands are glow in the dark, and the 24 hr numbers are in small text inside the main markers. The face and back feature a Bitch Skateboards logo, but with the man and woman symbol holding hands. It has a fabric and velcro strap with the word Sportism on, but this may not be original.

As the brand started in the 90s, and seems to have disappeared into the internet black hole, I'd guess that the watch is from the 90s.

Ricoh REQ 663002-02 inductive charging watch

It's been really sunny recently and so I thought I'd blogg a solar watch today.

The watch I chose is by Ricoh, or as stated on the back the Ricoh Elemex Corp, and as it has a charge light I'd assumed that it was a solar watch which was flat. As it turns out, it's not solar after all...

This watch is part of the Ricoh REQ line of watches. These watches have an Electro Induction Charging System which uses a magnetic field from the charger to induce a current in the watch and charge the battery. The REQ series quotes that this is the world's first Electromagnetic Induction Rechargeable Analogue Quartz Watch. Charging the watch is pretty quick (if I had a charger) with a days power taking 5-10 minutes. The induction system isn't unique (as the Citizen iVirt from 2007 also uses it), but this range is probably first with an analogue watch.

This model is part of the 663002 series and is 66302-02 (-there are models which cover 3 colours of face, and two series mentioned on the Ricoh Elemex website). It is a titanium bodied, 3 hand dial watch with a date window at the 3 o'clock position. Inside is a Lithium battery which will give 12 months of power when fully charged (for 36 hrs).  At the bottom of the dial are two lights to cover charging and low battery. These models seem to have first come out in 2010, and don't seem to be found much outside of Japan.

The movement inside is Japanese and it was assembled in China to a water resistance of 10 bar. There is writing on the front of the watch which says Japan-K-663-04-91, and I guess this mat refer to the movement.

Ricoh Elemex is a Japanese company which started in 1938 with the founders philosophy (by Kiyoshi Ichimura) "Love your neighbour, Love your country, Love your work". The company are a precision manufacturing company who specialise in IT and precision instruments/measuring devices.

Les Adventures de Tintin - Snowy the dog watch

I'm blogging a kids watch today, and this time it's of a famous Belgian who isn't Poirot.

The watch is a Tintin watch and was made by Citime.  Tintin is one of the most popular European comics and was created by Belgian Georges Remi under his pen name Hergé. It first appeared in 1929 and has now been published in more than 70 languages. The series followed the adventures of a young Belgian reported and his faithful dog Snowy (or Milou) through stories of fantasy, mystery, political thriller, and sci-fi. The watch mainly features Snowy the white fox terrier searching for his bone, but has one picture of Tintin himself.

The watch is a 3 hand dial design with a wavy seconds hand. The maker Citime could be one of two manufacturers which are Citime Manufacturing from Hong Kong or the French company Oxygen-Citime. The back of the watch is in French, but the Hong Kong brand make promotional watches, so it's hard to tell which it is.

On the back is the name of the series The Adventures of Tintin in French (Les Adventures de Tintin), the water resistance (etanche) of 30m, and the copyright to Hergé/Moulinsart. There is also an engraved picture of Tintin and Snowy in Hergé's recognisable line drawing style.