Boy London B131

On my way out this morning, I grabbed one of my many Boy London watches, and again this is one with a different style!

This model has the number B131 and is a 3 hand dial design quartz watch. The dial is completely unlike any other of my Boy London models, and features none of the normal shapes, symbols, or even styles I've blogged before. This watch has a printed face of what looks to be a photo of a pattern of studs and ball bearings. In small writing between the pattern is the Boy London name, and that is it for the obvious branding.

The back is a design I've seen before, with the B symbol from the B for Boy line of watches they released. The back also has the text Boy London since 1976, referring to the date when Stephanie Raynor founded the brand in London (-for more brand info, see my other Boy London posts).  The only other information on the watch shows it has a stainless steel back, Japanese movement, and is 3atm water resistant.

The date is one of the hard things to measure with these watches, as it doesn't always correspond with the key dates for the brand. Trying to date it from the design also has me confused, as I've not seen anything quite like it, but if I had to guess, I'd say early 00s...

Benetton by Bulova Shaking Salsa

Sorry about the lack of posts at the moment, but I've been a little snowed under, but I've managed to find enough time to squeeze in this quick post. Normal service will hopefully be resumed soon!

Today, I'm picked one of the watches from my Benetton by Bulova range. The range started in the 90s, but so far I've not found out when they stopped. This watch was part of a line that they made called "Time of the World", and they all seem to have had this general case design.

This particular model has a white case (which is a first) with a bright green strap. The face is also green, and has the words Shaking Salsa in purple and black written across it.

I got this model in its box, so I found out that the original sale price was ¥7,000. Unfortunately, the guarantee card hadn't been stamped, so it didn't help with the date (but I think these models may have been from the 90s).

Super Lovers - Love Love Message watch

Today, I'm back to the Super Lovers watches again, and yet again, it's a completely different style (which is the reason I like this brand so much).

This model I've called Love Love Message based on the text written at the top of the case. As may be expected from the name, this watch is one with a message /memo function where short messages can be stored in its memory. These are shown using the top line of the LCD which is a dot matrix array (5x41 so it can show 7 5x5 letters at one time). The bottom line of the LCD is a standard set of digits (6) which normally shows the time. The rest of the modes are pretty standard, with there being dual time, stopwatch, timer, and daily alarm options as well as the message mode.

The case is round and made of see-through plastic with 4 buttons on the edges. There is a large button on the front below the LCD, and this activates the el-backlight. The strap is a matching clear plastic, and has the Super Lovers logo and the text Lovers Digital printed on both the halves. The back of the watch is stainless steel and just has the Super Lovers name printed across the middle.

I don't know when this model is from as there isn't much about this brand online (but all the info I've gathered so far can be found throughout my other Super Lovers posts). My guess is that this would be an early 2000s model, but it is purely a guess.

Freestyle Shark - Tigershark

Today's watch is another from the Shark watch range by the American brand Freestyle USA. This time, the watch is called the Tigershark, and is a different shape than the other Shark watches I've blogged.

The Freestyle USA brand has been around since the 80s, gaining popularity through word of mouth, and becoming recognised for the Shark fin silhouette that they chose for their logo. The Shark watches continue to be popular today, with many different types of Shark being produced.

The Tigershark model is an LCD model, but with a more unusual round design. The case is primarily made of plastic, but has a metal top making it look more solid than the normal all-plastic designs. For the LCD, it has a two line design with day and date along the top, and time (6 digits with smaller seconds) on the lower line. The LCD has an el-backlight, and when pressed there is a very visible Shark logo in red on the display. This model has the normal modes for a sports watch, with stopwatch, alarm (multi), timer, and dual time options. All of the modes actually display along the top line, leaving the bottom for the normal time, which is unusual, as this is usually swapped.

The back has the Freestyle Shark logo and name, along with the statement 'performance timing'. The back also states this was designed in California, but made in China.

I've looked around online for this model, and it appears that this isn't one of the models which is currently being sold, so I'd guess it was an older model. To me, the design looks to match with the styles seen in the 90s, so it may be that old (but there are no indications on the watch as to when it was actually released).

Boy London B337 LCD Watch

I've blogged a lot of watches by Boy London so far, but this is something completely different.

The Boy London name has been around since the 70s, and many watches have been made under their name. The history of the watches is a bit of a mystery, and my feeling so far is that the name has been bought/used by another company (possibly Korean) since the 90s. More information can be found about the brand in my many other Boy London blog posts (see the tags on the right side of the web page).

This particular model is the B337, and is unusual in being one of only a small number of LCD watches I've seen from Boy London. It has a large black plastic case with the display split into 3 sections. The top covers day and date, the right circle has segments which jump around with the seconds, and the main bottom section is for the time. In the text on the face it describes itself as a chronograph, and therefore has a stopwatch function, and it also has alarm and dual time modes.

The front of the watch only has the Boy London name in plain text (which is not common), and the name United Kingdom is also printed above the display. The back has the more usual Boy London name and totem style Eagle logo as well as the model number. The back also has the text "BoyLondon original timepiece. Created by United Kingdom. Water resistant 50m". As it says "created by" not "created in" it suggests the company making it was called United Kingdom, or it is just bad English!

As for date, I think this is newer than the other Boy London designs, so I'd guess that it is from sometime in the 2000s.

Deadman Quartz GV5766 Red and Blue

This is my second Deadman post in a row, as those one was close at hand and ready to wear.

The model will be easily recognised by long-time followers of my blog as the quartz rotating disc design GV5766. What I'd been finding about the Deadman watches was that there were more different designs than I was finding duplicates of any design, but this model is the exception. So far, this seems to be the most popular of the models, with many different variations of strap colour and texture being released.

This particular version has a silver case and a black face with gold writing. The strap sections are in a smooth leather and this time are red for the top half and blue for the bottom half.

Deadman Skull Watch GV 6674

I'm going to a late Halloween party tonight, so wanted to have a watch with a bit of a horror theme, and this Deadman watch seemed to be perfect.

The Deadman (or Dead Man) brand is one of my favourite lines of watches, but are relatively unknown online. They are a fashion brand which was around in the late 90s, making a wide range of different designs, but I don't know how long they were active for. Some of the designs used have been used by other brands as well, so that just makes it more of a mystery.

This model is the GV 6674 (maybe GV6674), and has the most unusual case shape of the range so far. The design seems to be an alien skull with a large forehead where the face sits, with the eyes and smiling mouth below. The clock part is a quartz analogue 3 hand dial design, with no numbers, just markers at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions. The Deadman name is on the face, the back plate, and also on the clasp of the matching metal strap.

One other mysterious thing with this design was that one day I also found a fabric sew-on patch with a similar alien skull shape, but with a yin & yang symbol where the clock is here, and it was also being called Deadman...

Swatch Black Board SAB103

Today's watch is my second Swatch Automatic on this blog (-the first was in April this year).

The Swatch Automatic watches were released in 1991 and continued until 1997 when they were replaced by the Autoquartz technology. They have a mechanical automatic movement, and there is a load of information about that on my earlier post.

This model is one of the later models, having been designed in 1994 and released as part of the 1995 Spring Summer collection. It is called the Black Board and has a model number of SAB103. The watch has a white face with black numbers in all different sizes, and the top of the 2 in 12 is an open crescent moon shape with the movement just visible through. It has a black plastic case with matching black plastic strap, and the back is see through so you can see the rotating weight for the movement.

@ #008 by Poll Position

Today's blog is for a watch manufacturer I've blogged about many times before, but this time with a different line of watches.

This watch seems to be from a line of watches called @ based on the only symbol on the dial (which is also on the back plate). The back also has the number #008, so it would seem that this is likely the name of the model (as the text style is too polished to be a serial number).

The only other information is that this watch is by Poll Position Ltd. Co who have featured here before as the company behind the Module watch line/brand. Their background is a little hazy, but the most likely lead would suggest they are an Osaka Japan based manufacturer and/or the Japanese distributor of the French Lip brand.

The watch is a quartz analogue watch with a 3 hand dial design. The face design is simple and uncluttered with virtually no writing. Around the dial is a silver band with small circular holes which act as the hour markers. The hole at the 6 o'clock position is slightly larger, and when you look closely you can see that there is a small date marker inside.

From what I've found, I think that the Module watches are from the 2000s, and can be found new still, so I'd guess that it is probably the same for this watch too.

K.Swiss World Time 503

Today, I'm wearing a new brand to this blog, but one of the more well known names in trainers/sneakers.

This watch is my first watch by the American brand K.Swiss. The K.Swiss brand was started in California in 1966 by two Swiss brothers, based on their love of Tennis. They mainly produce Athletics shoes, but over the years have produced a range of watches too.

This watch has the model number of 93-0038, and there is a name on the front, which says World Time 503. The watch is a large LCD model with an unusual case shape. The LCD has 3 lines of information in a blocky digit design. The top line has the smallest text and covers the day and date, with the slightly larger bottom line covering seconds. The time is the largest part of the display, and has 4 digits over the middle line. It seems to have been designed as a sports watch, and has the usual range of modes - chronograph, timer, world time, and 2x alarms, and there is an el-backlight for nighttime use.

The case and strap is the unusual part of the design and makes the watch stand out. The middle of the case is white plastic, and the white rubber strap is designed in one piece and splits where the case is, going round the both sides of the case.

The watch is water resistant to 30 atm (which suggests a European model) and was assembled in China. The K.Swiss logo is on the front of the watch above the LCD, and is also engraved on the back plate.

There is no information about when this watch was made, but I'd guess it was from the late 90s or early 00s when the brand was going through a big marketing push.

Q&Q Alarm Chronograph Ana-Digi Watch

Today's watch is another by one of the more elusive brands, who are quite well known, but their links to the larger watch manufacturer are relatively hidden.

The watch is by Q&Q (or QandQ as I've had to write it in the tags as the & symbol isn't allowed), who are a budget but quality brand started in 1976. The name stands for Quality & Quantity, and the links I've found suggest they were part of the Japan CBM Corporation, which seems to mean Citizen Business Machines - so the watches may be Citizen watches after all.

This model is one of the 80s watch staples - the Ana-Digi, with a main 3 hand dial analogue display and a small 6 digit LCD display at the bottom. The analogue display is operated by a crown, while the 3 buttons operate the LCD. All of the different modes are displayed on the LCD, with the watch having date, dual time, alarm, and stopwatch as options.

The back has the Q&Q logo, and states this has a Japanese movement, but assembled in Korea (and that it has the usual stainless steel back and base metal bezel), with a case that is 30m water resistant.

I don't know exactly when this model is from, but the style was very popular in the 80s, so I'll guess that it is from that era.

Benetton by Bulova Cartoon Exclamation

As it's Friday, I decided to wear something colourful, so picked a watch out of my seemingly very large Benetton by Bulova watch collection.

The watch was made by the watch manufacturer Bulova for the Benetton fashion brand, and I've covered so many of these watches in previous posts, so I won't go into details here.

This model is the typical 3 hand dial design, with the standard case shape, but this time with the case in black. The design for this particular model is a pop-art cartoon style, with the face covered in green dots on a light blue background. Instead of the 9 on the dial, there is a curvy apostrophe symbol, and in front of the 3 is a giant exclamation mark. The strap has a matching design, but this time with back dots on a green background, and has cartoon explosions and a 'One Way' sign.

The Benetton by Bulova range started in the 90s, but I don't know yet when they ended.

Gatsby Dandyism Watch

Today's watch isn't anything particularly special in the looks department, but I added it to my collection because of the unusual name.

The watch is called Gatsby Dandyism, with the name written in a way to suggest that the brand is called Gatsby, and Dandyism is the name of the line of watches or the watch itself. Searching for Gatsby Dandyism doesn't get many hits apart from auction sites where the watch has been sold, so I haven't been able to find out anything about the brand.

With regards to the name, Dandyism is not a word used so much in today's society. Dandyism is either an art movement known for its excessive refinement, or it means acting like a Dandy, where a Dandy is a normally sarcastic name for someone who is well groomed up to the point of being self-absorbed.

The watch itself is a quartz analogue watch with a 3 hand dial design. It has a black face with white, easy to read numbers, and a gold and Jewel feature instead of the 12. The case is also gold coloured, and the watch has a black leather strap. There is no information at all on the back, so there are no hints as to the age or history of the watch.

For the date, my guess is early 2010s, but that is just a gut feeling.

DJ Honda DJ009

There are a lot of watches out there which are parts of special collections made by/for celebrities. Out of those I have come across, the watches from the DJ Honda fashion collection are the most interesting and varied set that I've seen.

This watch is the DJ009 (or DJ 009) and is an LCD model. It has a sideways inverse LCD, with the display being viewed best from along your arm. The case is plastic with a shiny silver surround to the LCD being screwed onto the front. The strap is rubbery, and is in one piece, going across the front of the face, and fastening with a buckle at the back. The LCD is a 2 line design, with the top line normally showing day and date, with the 6 digits for the time below. There is a standard collection of modes in the watch - stopwatch, timer, alarm, and dual time, and there is also an el-backlight (which beeps when you press, so it's not good for quiet night use).

The back has the DJ Honda 'h' logo in the centre, along with the usual statements (water resistant, stainless steel back, Base metal bezel) and the model number. Based on the designs in the collection, I think that they were produced in collaboration with Seiko (or Alba) as a couple of models are almost the same as late 90s Seiko AKA designs.

West Flip-Top Game Watch

It's been a loosely connected few days of watch blog recently. Fist was a flip-top compass watch, then a compass watch, and now a flip-top watch with no compass.

This watch has a very similar case design to the flip-top compass watch. The top of the watch has a standard 3 hand dial design with roman numerals for the hours. Flipping up the lid shows that the whole head of the watch can spin around a horizontal axis, allowing you to still see the time with the lid open. Under the lid, on the base of the watch is a glass enclosed section where the compass lay last time, but this time it is home to 3 small dice. This is for some sort of dice game, with the bottom glass being split into sections, with the names dig and small written on them (which are too common words for me to search online to find the game).

The watch is made for West who are best known for their sponsorship of the Maclaren F1 team (and is part of a Japanese trend I've seen for tobacco products sponsored watches).

I'm not sure when this watch is from, but my guess would be sometime in the 2000s.

Cawenlon Rectangular Compass & Thermometer Watch

Keeping in with the watch theme from the end of last week, I have another gadgety fashion watch to blog today.

This watch is by Cawenlon, who are a fashion brand making several different watch designs, but without an obvious homepage online. I've seen several watches of theirs online (although a lot are listed as Cawelon), and most have the same features, just in a different layout.

This model comes with a large rectangular case (5.5 cm wide by 4 cm tall) and 3 displays on the front. The right display is a standard 3 hand dial quartz analogue watch display with a curly C logo below the 12. The left hand display is a round thermometer dial with a needle pointing to the right temperature (in Celsius). At the top in the middle of the face is a smaller display, and this is a small compass floating in a bubble of liquid, and at the bottom middle is the Cawenlon brand name.

There is no information on the watch which allows me to search the history, so I don't know much more about it (except that the back is stainless steel). My guess is that it is reasonably new (early 2010s, possibly a little earlier), and it looks to be a low cost brand.

Cosmo Queen Flip-Top Compass Watch

One of the key starting points for my collection was the idea of "interesting and unusual". The collection has expanded beyond this, but I still have a thing for unknown gadgety watches like today's.

This watch seems to be called Cosmo Queen, based on how I've interpreted the hard-to-read script that the name is written in. I've found two main references to the name Cosmo Queen - one is a card from Yu-Gi-Oh! while the other is a range of watches by a Swiss brand called Titoni. I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with Yu-Gi-Oh, and based on the design, I don't think it is by Titoni either, so it must be one of the unknown fashion watches.

The watch is a standard 3 hand dial design with a Japanese quartz movement. The difference is that you can flip the lid up to reveal a compass underneath, and when you do, you can also Flip the watch part over so you can see the time and compass together. The strap also has another feature - there is a round thermometer set into the lower part of the strap.

I don't know much more about the watch (as the back of the case only says Swiss Army, but I think that is only used as a name rather than a reference to who commissioned it). This type of watch has been around since at least the 90s, so it could be from anytime since then.