Super Sea Story Super Lucky Watch

Today's watch was very confusing as it wasn't promoting what I thought it was.

The watch is called Super Sea Story Super Lucky Watch, and has a very fishy theme. The colour scheme is different shades of blue and white and the face features a couple of fish (possibly Dugong). The strap is also following the same theme and features pictures of different sea animals along its length. The featured animals are: Octopus, Porcupine Fish, Turtle, Shark, Lobster, Goosefish, Dugong, Angelfish, and Crab.

So based on this, it looks like a promotional watch for an aquarium or sea life centre - but that isn't the case.

The watch was made by Sanyo Bussan Co., Ltd, and when searching for all of those terms together, it revealed that this is a promotional watch for a Pachinko machine. Pachinko is a very popular mechanical arcade machine in Japan, and is equivalent to a slot machine without the cash. You play by firing small metal balls into the machine, and if the balls go in the right places, more balls are released, with the aim of getting as many balls as possible. Due to the gambling laws, you can't swap these for cash at the venue, but can get prizes or tokens, or they can be 'sold' at nearby (but separate) venues for cash. The Super Sea Story pachinko seems to be a series of machines with a sea life theme, and seems to be pretty popular. The earliest examples I've found online was from 2008, but there have been new versions since.

The watch is a limited edition model, with a release of only 300 units. It is a 3 hand dial design in plastic, with a rotating bezel. The only hour marker on the dial is the number 7 which is shown in a bubble, and I assume is there because it is 'lucky 7'.

TransFormers Optimus Prime Converting LCD watch

Today's watch is a sibling to a watch I posted about 2 years ago, and is now timed well with the cinema releases.

This watch was one of (at least) two watches that were issued for the release of the Transformers Dark Side of the Moon movie in 2011. I posted the Bumblebee watch last time, and this time it's the turn of the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime.

The watch was made by the British brand Zeon who, based on all of the Zeon watches I've blogged, appear to be one of the main distributors of novelty and film tie-in watches.

It has the style of the 80s Kronoform and Gobots watches, with simple arms and legs which fold out when you take the robot from the strap. The LCD display is in the chest and is a 4 digit LCD. As with the original robot, there are two buttons, and the display has time, date, and seconds modes.

The watch was manufactured by Zeon, and has links to General Motors (who licenced the vehicle details) and is copyright to Hasbro and Paramount Pictures Corporation.

Snow Sport AirPro lookalike

Today's watch is a little weird. It looks like another model from a distance, but couldn't really be more different.

This watch is called Snow Sport, and there are no makers marks anywhere on the watch. The back just shows it is 'made in PRC' (People's Republic of China) which is a less common  way of writing it, and curiously, it also says the watch is 'not for sale'.

The design looks like one of the models in the Seiko AirPro range. It has the same shape above and below the display where the pump and valve are for the AirPro, but these are moulded and there is no air  cushion on the back. The case here is also solid metal making the watch extremely heavy (as it is huge and really really solid).

The display has a 6 digit LCD (with smaller seconds) with a picture of a running man above. Along the top is a curved set of day indicators. As for modes, this has a stopwatch, and maybe an alarm (there is a buzzer inside).

I don't know when this is from, but I think it is likely from the 90s based on the watch it looks like as well as the low-tech looking module inside.

Franc dot matrix LED watch

Today's watch is a bright one, but not as much as it should be.

This watch is a dot matrix LED watch with a scrolling display. Pressing the button starts the lights - it starts with some form of pattern before showing the time, which then disappears with a random animation.

The watch is by a company called Franc, but there is no other information about that brand that I've found. The back just mentions the water resistance, but has some weird text - the details of what the buttons do are all written starting with a K (KDATE, KLCK, KSET, and KTEST).

It has a rectangular case with the dot matrix along the middle, hidden within a dotted (indented) band across the middle. The white leather strap matches the design and is covered in small indents

Unfortunately, some of the LEDs have failed on this watch so it's become a little hard to read. I don't know the date, but again I'd guess this was from the 2000s.

Azeka Motorcycle Racing Watch

Today I'm wearing the second watch I have by Azeka.

Azeka are a French brand based in the French city of Besançon which seems to be called the watch capital of France. There isn't much about the brand online, but they have a website (Azeka.com) which links the brand to Réparalux. The Réparalux brand is a family watch brand from Besançon which was founded in 1956 by Marcel Humbert-Droz.

This model is a 3 hand dial design with a motorcycle racing theme. The hour hand is shaped like a racing motorcycle and rider (from almost the front). The minutes hand looks like the needle on a speedometer, and instead of hour or minute markers on the dial, the numbers are marked as speeds starting at 130 and finishing at 240 (so it is the pm hours multiplied by 10). The seconds hand is double ended with a chequered flag, so it isn't so easy to use for timing.

The watch is made in France (and mentions Besançon on the back), and the case is 3atm water resistant. The strap is an expanding metal bracelet design. I haven't found anything about the date, but I'd guess it is from the 2000s.

Planet Design SA121 Jump Hour

Today is another watch from the mysterious brand Planet Design. I've not found too much about the brand online, so don't know who makes them. The brand is sold at SeaHope, and they have the largest selection through Emmett Co., Ltd in Tokyo. (Update: It turns out that the company are Emit Co Ltd and they are the manufacturer of this brand)

This model is an SA121 and is a jump hour style rotating disc design. It has a rectangular case with curved sides and a black face. In the face are too small holes where the time is shown. The smallest hole is the minutes (on the left), and the biggest hole has the hours, but there are no seconds.

The watch uses a Japanese quartz movement, and the watch was assembled in China.

This particular colour is the SA121 14-01. It can still be found at Emmett and has a retail price of ¥3,900.

Casiotron 49CS-35

Today is vintage day on Which Watch Today.

My choice of wristwear today is one of the early Casio Casiotron watches. The Casiotron was one of the first digital watches produced by Casio. They started in the 70s with lots of different variations and there was a modern remake in the late 90s.

This is one of the original 70s models with a model number of 49CS-35. It seems that this particular model is not common as there are quite a few 49CS models, but very few -35 models. There is also a number on the face of 101A2-33. This watch has a barrel shaped case with a 1 line 5 1/2 digit LCD display in the bottom half. The LCD shows the time, and there are small day and pm markers along the top. It is a typical 70s basic model with only time and date modes, but also has a bulb based light.

The face has all of the usual instructive text (such as what each button does), along with the Casiotron name. It has a grey colour, and that seems to be textured, looking almost like it is felt-like under the glass. It has a matching Casio stainless steel strap (with a part number of B-192H).

Date-wise, it seems to be from sometime between 1975 and 1977, and the modules date setting starts at 1970.

Vestal Calcutron

Today is retro geek watch time again with this model from Vestal.

This watch is the Vestal Calcutron and is Vestal's 'cool' take on the calculator watch. The Vestal brand has been around since the late 90s (1997 to be precise) when it was founded by David Bonaventura (who has since founded Tsovet watches). In 2008, the brand changed owners and is now owned by its main employees. The brand works with many different musicians and produces both watches and accessories.

The watch has an all black case and strap, and a black inverse LCD screen, which makes it look like a stealth calculator watch. The display has two lines with the day and date along the top and time at the bottom. The top line switches to show time when the other modes are active. The other modes on the watch are, alarm, timer, world time, and of course calculator. The calculator is run with the 16 keys on the front, and these keys also can change mode or show the time from particular world cities. As the black inverse display is hard to read, there is also an el-backlight.

The Vestal logo is shown on the bottom of the face, and on the back. The back also reveals this has a Chinese movement and is 30m water resistant. It also says that the watch number is V.10.

Looking online, the first mentions seem to be around 2008, and the watch is no longer available.

Crater Quartz Rotating Disc watch

I'm being the champion of unknown Japanese fashion watches again today.

This watch is by Crater (or Crater Quartz). I've seen their models a few times, but this is the most unusual design I've come across.

The watch is a rotating disc take on a jump hour watch, which is not particularly unusual, but this has a more unusual case shape. The case is narrower than normal giving a barrel shape, with a large section at the top for reading the time. The display is clear with a 3 disc layout, but the seconds disc has 4 markers so is more for indication rather than timing.

The watch is assembled in China, but has a Japanese movement. I don't know the date for the watch, but it could be any time from late 90s to now (-I'd guess 00s).

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).