Dual dial mystery industrial watch

Today's watch is a mystery as there is no information for me to trace.

The watch has a dual dial on a large metal face. It is a big watch with an industrial feel. The case is rectangular with the top right corner removed, and is etched with screw and plate marks to make it look like it is part of a large machine. The two dials are at the top left and bottom right corners of the massive face - the bottom right is the largest dial with a crown at the 3 o'clock position, and the other smaller dial unusually has a crown between the 10 and 11 o'clock positions. Both dials are 3 hand design, and have a quartz movement. Because the watch is so large, the back of the case is curved so it can fit more snug on your wrist.

The back and inside of the watch have no markings, and there is nothing on the case. For this reason, I can't find any information about who made the watch or when it was made.

E.O.W Camo watch by Eishin Inc.

It's a dial watch again today, but a little more unusual model, and one that I've not been able to find on the web.

The watch seems to be called E.O.W Ready To Timer (based on the text on the back) and is made by Eishin Inc. The company Eishin Inc is a Japanese company based in Osaka. They are registered as a manufacturing company making small machinery.

It is a 3 hand dial design, and has a quartz movement. This watch is a camouflage design with a one piece (nylon?) fabric strap. The strap surrounds the watch case and is sewn into the connection. The face of the watch is also fabric and follows the camouflage pattern. The softness of the strap makes this comfortable to wear, but you need a reasonable size wrist for it to sit well.

The model number is EQ-357, and apart from that, I don't know anything more!

Bonbon watch with Duck design by Alexandra

It's a simple but chunky watch for me today with this bonbon watch.

The watch looks to be one of the Standard range of watches that go under the brand name Bonbon watch. Bonbon watches was started in 1989 by Alexandra Pisarz (just referred to as Alexandra on the watch itself). The first Bonbon watch store was opened in Disneyland Paris, and there are now stores throughout Paris, with the brand also appearing in the Japanese market in 2000.

The watches are designed with the theme of candy (with rounded edges and clear outer ring), and are made with acrylic cases and plexiglass to make them hardy. Inside there is a Swiss quartz movement, and the watches are hand finished in France.

This particular model does not appear on the website anymore, but is similar to many of the Standard range which sell for around ¥13,000 to ¥15,000. This model has no numbers on the dial, but appears to have an outline of a duck moulded into the face (or possibly on the movement itself judging by the placement of screws). It is a 3 hand dial design with a date window at the 3 o'clock position.

Seiko Memo Diary UW02-0010

Smartwatches have become very popular nowadays and are seen by many as new gadgets. Since the early 80s, many designs of smartwatch have been released, and today's model is one of the early ones.

This watch is the Seiko Memo Diary, and was released in 1984 at the height of a Japanese economic boom. It is very similar to the UC-2000 (or UC-2001) Wrist Information System, but this model seems to have been aimed at a more upmarket crowd with a heavier and more refined look, and choice of shiny silver or gold colours. There was also a keyboard for the watch which would communicate through the back of the watch (by magnetic pulses) to help input memos.

It has a 4 line dot matrix display with each line having 10 characters (each being 7x5 dots). It could store a memo of up to 1000 characters, but the schedule function was quite impressive. Overall, it would hold up to 31 days of appointments with up to 15 per day (although no more than 43 in total), which meant you could keep the next months appointments with you at all times. Apart from the memo and scheduling there is an alarm function, but nothing else.

The full model number is UW02-0010, and it has a Seiko GA13B stainless steel strap.

Casio DB-V30 Easy Rec - Sampling Mania blue edition

I have many Casio Data Bank models, but this one caught my eye (or maybe ear) due to its special feature.

This model is the Casio DB-V30 Easy Rec, and you can tell it's a little different as soon as you hear the beep as it has the crackle of a speaker rather than the normal crisp beep. This is because this model has a built in speaker and microphone, with the speaker sound coming from holes in the back, and the microphone being visible on the front (at the bottom right). The Easy Rec has the ability to record and play back voice memos up to a length of 30 seconds. These memos can also be used as the alarm sound if you want a personalised wake-up message. Memo recording and playback is controlled by two buttons on the front below the display.

It uses a 1590 module with a 3 line LCD display. The time (6 digits) is along the bottom, and date above (using 4 of the possible 6 digits). The top line is dot matrix array which is designed for 6 characters. Above that there is also a small set of indicator dots for how much of the 30 second memo is used. Other modes are data bank, timer and stopwatch (on top of the aforementioned alarm and voice memo).

This particular model is a special Sampling Mania edition. These models came in different colours than the normal, and had patterned straps. This one has the words Sampling Mania written in gothic script on one half of the strap, blue flames on the other half, and the text 30 seconds on the strap connector. The backlight also holds a picture, this time of what looks like a Celtic cross.

The DB-V30 was originally launched in around 1995, but new ones still can be found for sale. I don't know when this special edition was released.

Star Wars Ep 1 R2-D2 Die-cast watch by Hope Industries

A second robot running today, but this one is more more recognisable.

The watch is a Star Wars watch which was released in 1999 as one of the promotional products for the release of Stars Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. It is a die-cast metal watch and part of the same series as the Darth Maul watch I blogged in April. It is by the US based company Hope Industries, Inc who seem to not exist anymore.

The watch is a model of the robot R2-D2 who was one of a small few characters who featured in all 6 of the Star Wars movies so far. The watch body is a metal model of R2, and pressing down on his middle leg lets his body flip up and reveal the LCD display. As with Darth Maul, the time is displayed in 4 digits over two rows. There are two buttons below the display with one to cycle between time, date, and seconds, and the other for setting. Both buttons need to be pressed with a long pointy object suggesting that it isn't really designed to show the other display modes. The strap is a moulded blue plastic design with a texture design like a circuit board.

TransFormers Megatron Tank Watch

It's another Sunday boxed watch today, and another Transformers watch, but one which doesn't transform very much.

The watch is the Megatron Tank Watch, and is a promotional item for Transformers. This is a genuine Transformers item and has the statement Transformers Robots in Disguise on the packaging.

It is a watch for the character Megatron who is the leader of the Decepticons, and has had various different looks over the years. The original design was a pistol, but this was not allowed to be re-released for safety reasons, so in the Generation 2, Megatron had become a large green M1A1 Abrams battle tank. This places the watch in the 90s as generation 2 came out in 1992.

This particular watch features the Megatron tank form, and appears to have light and sound with an LED on the end of the barrel. The watch display pops out of the front of the tank and is a basic 4 digit LCD with time, date, and seconds.

It was a special model released for the shop chain Woolworths in the UK. It was issued as a free item, exclusive to Woolworths as a promotional item for Hasbro, and may have come with a video or magazine. Looking at eBay, these seem to sell for around £30/$50 at the moment.

Nike Presto Cee Small - WT0001

Today's watch is from Nike, but is probably the smallest Nike digital watch i have.

The watch is from the Presto series, and called the Presto Cee Small. The Presto name is on the battery cover on the back along with a letter S in a circle which I assume stands for small. The watch is an LCD design with a 4 digit dot matrix display (with round dots). It has only two buttons, one on each side with the left changing modes, and the right triggering the el-backlight (or setting mode if held). Changing modes shows text explaining what the mode is before the mode starts, and the options are date and stopwatch.

The design is using a one piece transparent hard strap with a gap where you squeeze your wrists in, and rubber ends either side of the gap. The particular model is WT0001-601 with the colour description of Trans Coral Rose and White with Grey Stone tips. It is a small watch so just fits on my wrist.

On the back it shows a model number W990-4010 which reads like a Seiko code. It is 30m water resistant, and made in China.

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.

Jr by Charles Vögele CV-7473

I'm wearing a much simpler, but still smart looking, watch today.

The watch is part of a range of watches (and possibly more) called Jr by Charles Vögele.

Charles Vögele was a 1950s racing driver who started  a clothing company with his wife in 1955 to sell motorcycle clothing. He carried on racing into the 1960s, and sponsored his own racing team, but his fortune came from the clothing company. The company is based in Switzerland, and has over 800 stores across northern continental Europe (with Germany as the main market). The brand focuses on the older low fashion market, but has a high fashion arm too, and produces clothing for men, women, and children. The Jr by Charles Vögele seems to be a line produced for the Far East as I can't find any European references.

This watch is model CV-7473 and is a 3 hand dial design with a quartz movement, and a date window at the 6 o'clock position. It has a stainless steel construction, and the glass is domed giving it a nice smooth feel. The face features large numbers, but with dashes at 3, 6, and 9, and a triangle at 12. The back is engraved with the model number and the Charles Vögele logo.

Citizen 8950 Ana-Digi

I definitely have a thing about the 80s Ana-Digi watches, and today's model is another example.

This watch is an Ana-digi design by Citizen from the early 80s (around 1984). It is based around the 8950 combination module which was developed as Citizen were working on shrinking the size required for an ana-digi design. It was promoted as the new leader in Ana-Digi watches, being 1mm thinner than their earlier 892x series, and having 25% fewer components (also making it easier to assemble and disassemble).

It follows a common design for the Citizen Ana-Digi watches with a square dial on a rectangular case with a 6 digit LCD display along the bottom. There are two buttons and a crown on the right side, and the crown is used for setting both the analogue and digital displays (pulling it out one stop for digital and two stops for analogue). The module also gives it two alarms, a stopwatch, and a timer mode on the digital display. The analogue display is a 3 hand dial, and the second hand also provides a power indicator as it will do 2 second jumps when the power is low.

The case has black screw-on style panels at the top and bottom  saying Citizen and water resist 100, with the water resistance level being something that the 8950 module had improved over previous models. The watch also has the CQ logo on the face, signifying that this is an older Citizen quartz watch.

The full model number on the back is 8950-084608, and the strap part number is 3078A. It appears in the 1984 Japanese Citizen watch catalogue which shows that it had a catalogue number of ADB65-0233 and originally sold for ¥30,000. The strange bit is that the model number in the catalogue for this black face model is 083563, and the number on the back (084608) is a white faced model. Also, the face has tiny numbers on the dial which says a model number of 082441 and that number doesn't correspond to any model in the 1984 catalogue, and maybe is from an earlier model.

Rusty the Boy Robot Limited Edition watch

As any regular followers know, I'm a fan of robot watches. Today's watch is sort-of a robot watch, but not my normal style.
The watch is a Rusty the Boy Robot watch, and is a quartz analogue watch in the style of the old Mickey Mouse kids watches. The face is a 2 hand dial with the Rusty character painted on. In this case, the hands are really the hands as it is Rusty's arms that move round, and he points at the correct time.

Rusty the Boy Robot comes from a comic and TV series called The Big Boy and Rusty the Boy Robot by Frank Miller. Frank Miller is a well known American dark comic and graphic novel author. He is probably most widely known for his comics with movie adaptions - Sin City and 300. Miller created the Big Boy and Rusty comic in 1995 which started in Madman Comics before graduating to its own series. The TV series aired from 1999 to 2001 and followed a slightly different story track than the comic. They follow the adventures of Rusty, the most advanced robot ever built who has human emotions. He was created to protect Earth as a replacement for Big Boy who is brought out of retirement to train the inexperienced Rusty who grows to idolise him.

The watch was released as a limited edition of 1000, probably connected with the TV series. The watch back has am engraved picture of Rusty along with the edition number. The back also shows this has a Japanese movement, and is 30m water resistant. The watch comes in an engraved large metal box with a metal limited edition certificate.

Casio F-200 (current version)

Today's Casio is slightly unusual. It has the same model number as one of their older watches, but is a completely different design.

This watch is the F-200 (or F200), and is one of Casio's LCD watch range. This version has a square LCD panel on a round body with the case getting thinner as you got towards the edges. The model is still available and can be found on the Casio website, a will set you back around $45. The original F-200 came out around 1980 and had a square case with round buttons on the front, so it is unusual to find two such different models with the same name.

This watch has a 3 line LCD display and a little circle of alarm indicator marks on the top right. The top two lines are for day and date, and the time uses the bottom line in digits double the height of the other lines. 

It uses a 2518 module, and the face is marked with details of the key features used in various combinations across the Casio watches - alarm chrono, Illuminator (although only with a green LED light), and 10 year battery (using a CR2025). Mode-wise, it has dual time, alarm, and stopwatch. The alarm is a multi-function set-up for daily alarm, daily for one month, and once a month, as well as having a specific date alarm.

Nixon - The Score PU Black

It's back to another sports themed watch today with this effort by Nixon.

The watch is called The Score and was created by the American watch brand Nixon. The Nixon brand started in 1998 and is based in Southern California, and makes lifestyle accessories to reflect the owners style.

The Score watch looks to be designed for skateboarding competition scoring, and has the subtitle "... To Score". It has a rectangular case with a 3 hand dial over the top half (with the surround covering just over half). On the bottom section are two small windows with letters on the left and numbers on the right. The letters cover the word 'skate' and the numbers go from 0 to 9, and are changed by little wheels protruding from the sides of the case.

There is a model name at the bottom of the face called SK-09, and a number 7A on the back. It came in both metal and plastic/resin versions, and this is the black plastic version called the PU (for polyurethane).

It came out in 2007 and cost $65. The model is no longer available from Nixon.

Design Time orange cuff watch

I was feeling colourful today, so picked a watch with a bright orange band.

This watch is by Design Time, and is a large case model with a wide orange leather cuff strap. The watch head is fastened on to the front with two presstud loops and the rest of the strap is a single piece of leather. The case is pretty large and very thick (almost 1cm), with thick arms to the spring bars connecting to the straps.

The watch is a 3 hand dial with a quartz movement. There is only one number on the dial which is a giant 9. There is also a small dial at the 6 o'clock position, but this, along with the two buttons, are fake and just for decorative purposes.

I can't find much about the company, and they may be another anonymous watch maker. There is a company called Design Time Watch, but they make watches for others, and this doesn't match to this watch.