Police Timepieces Gold 10812J

I'm going to a hip hop festival tonight, and I'm taking the Police with me!

It is of course not the cops, but the watch brand I'm talking about. This watch is by Police Timepieces which is the watch department of the accessories brand Police. The Police brand was started in 1983 as a fashion brand for sunglasses, but became famous in the 90s with their blue mirrored glasses. Police Time started in 2003 with the mission of providing for trendy, non-conformist, and off-road individuals.

This model is a 3 hand dial with a gold case and gold medal strap. There is also a tiny date window at the 6 o'clock position. The face features a pattern of vertical lines and intended dots on a gold tinted white background with gold hands. The number on the back shows 10812J which seems to have covered lots of different watches with the same case shape, but different designs. One of the sites I found gave this colour variant a number of PI10812jsg-06m so this may be the specific model number.

Mark Ecko White Crystal watch The Deca E1206G1

I've wearing a bit of bling with today's watch, with something that is quite noticeable on your wrist.

Today's watch is by Mark Ecko (or mark eckō as it is on the logos). The Mark Ecko Enterprises company has been around since 1973 when it was started by Marc Ecko, Seth Gerszberg, and Marci Tapper. They have rooted the brand in graffiti and streetwear, and are now a globally recognised company with multiple brands. Their watches are aimed to be affordable takes on the latest styles in city life, street art, and youth culture.

From one of the sites I saw this on, it appears that the name of the watch is The Deca (-all of the Mark Ecko watches seem to have names, so I believe this). The model has a model number of E15026G1, and as it is a discontinued model, I assume it is from the 2000s.

It is a large watch with a solid stainless steel case and bracelet strap. The bling comes from the number of white crystals that are positioned around the edge of the watch, the edge of the dial, and between all of the hour markers (which are roman numerals). In the centre of the face is the dial with a 3 hand design on a silver square pattern with the Mark Ecko rhino logo at the 12 o'clock position. Inside is a Japanese quartz movement .

The original sale price varies between the sites I've found it on,  but appears to be around $150-199.

Axcent Eclipse X6427

Today's watch is huge and has a very retro feel, but is by a modern designer brand.

The watch is by the Swedish company Axcent of Scandinavia, and is called the Eclipse. Axcent have been bringing Nordic design to the watch market since the late 90s. The are one of the modern brands with interesting designs, and have the motto 'when art becomes a timepiece without costing a fortune'.

It uses a style that wasn't seen very much after the 80s and early 90s which is an LCD dial. The LCD dial is a 2 hand dial, with the hours hand in a central ring, and the minutes hand just around the edge. The case has the tonneau shape, with the round dial in the middle.

This version is a dark red design, and is completed with a wide red leather strap.

The design was done by Daniel Jakobsson who was the brand/product manager and head designer for Axcent for the period 2002 to 2009. From the watches I have from this period so far, it seems like all of the designs were by him in that time period.

The model number is X6427, and from the original cardboard label, the full number for this colour variation may be X64271-838.

Swatch Shine PMK114

Today's watch looks more like I have a sweatband on my wrist than a watch (or as one colleague suggested, a bandage).

As this has a round plastic dial and unusual design, you'd be right if you guessed that it's a Swatch. This model is one of the Pop Swatch models which means it has a larger round case and removable head (that you can pop out).

The design is called Shine and comes from the 1996 Spring Summer collection. The Shine was the silver version, and there were two other similar models in different colours (the Flex in green, and Stretch in pink). The face has a holographic design which catches the light, and the watch case is set into a stretchy silver sleeve. The watch head can be popped from the sleeve, and this allows you to access the crown at the 12 o'clock position. As normal with the Pop Swatches, this is a 3 hand dial design with a loud ticking motion.

ODM Decisive AR03 Limited Edition

It's been a little while since my last odm, so here is another.

This model is the AR03, and is called the Decisive. My one states on the back that this is a limited edition, and I've seen one for sale on eBay which didn't have that statement and had a slightly different face design (the technology maker rather than the o.d.m name).

ODM (or odm, or o.d.m) is a Hong Kong based company which was started in 1999. They were the very first brand from Hong Kong to participate in BaselWorld (2003), and have won many international design awards.

The watch is a relatively standard 3 hand dial design with a carbon fibre style face pattern, the o.d.m name, and silver hour markers. The back confirms that inside is a Japanese (quartz) movement. The strap is a hard plastic type which I think may be a replacement (and looks a little like a 90s Citizen one).

The unusual part is the other buttons, red top, and thumb pad at the bottom. These are there to control the TV remote control. The buttons allow you to choose between a TV and Cable box, turn the power on, and set up the controller. The thumb pad rocks to allow you to change channel (left and right) and volume (up and down). Pressing the buttons is acknowledged by a little Red light in the infrared transmitter at the top.

Based on the other engraved symbol on the back, the remote is 'designed with UEI technology). UEI stands for Universal Electronics Inc and they claim to be the global leader in wireless control technology. They were founded in 1986 and their patented technologies and database of infrared control software had been adopted by many companies in the Fortune 500.

Nothing exists online that I can find about this watch (apart from the aforementioned eBay posting). That means I have no idea when it came out (but likely in the 2000s)

Bloom Co., Ltd Alarm Chronograph

Today it's another watch with a strange manufacturer.

The watch is made by Bloom Co., Ltd which is a Japanese company. It is one of several which seem to use the name, but because of a sticker on the back with their phone number, I can tell which one made this watch. This Bloom Co., Ltd seems to be a manufacturing company which is known for making retail Christmas decorations and lights, and is an importer of carved bone and Jade jewellery.

The watch itself is quite high tech looking due to the curved design and part metal casing. The face has a large seconds LCD with slightly curved digits. Below the seconds is the time display in 4 digits, and at the top is a line of small circles for the day of the week. The LCD panel has an inverse style with mirrored digits in a pink surround. For modes, it is an alarm chronograph model, with nothing else. There is also an el-backlight which illuminates the pink area, and there are two buttons to activate it (front and top left).

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.