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.

Stellar Hayabusa Aegis BMD Watch

Today's watch is a confusing one to research, as it seems that the watch wasn't promoting an anime like I'd originally thought.

The watch itself is a basic 3 hand dial design with a quartz movement. The movement is a PC21J and from the back plate, it seems the watch is made by Sweda in China.

The interesting part is the text on the front which says:
Raytheon
Stellar Hayabusa
Aegis BMD
JETM-2
Lockheed Martin
Along with a logo of a bird of prey breaking a missile.
Researching this text has lead me to believe that the watch is commemorative or promotional for a missile defence system.
The Aegis BMD stands for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence system which is a US department of defence program to defend against intermediate range ballistic missiles. The system currently uses the Lockheed Martin Aegis missile system with the Raytheon RIM-161 SM3 missile explaining those bits of text too. As this is a missile defence system, that fits with the logo of the bird breaking the missile as well, but I haven't found out exactly what Stellar Hayabusa is (although I think it may be a boat know the Japanese navy with this system).

Most of the links I've found about the missile system were from the mid 2000s (around 06), so I guess the watch is from then too.

So, the watch is pretty normal, but this is the first watch I've found promoting a weapons system!

Deep 8170 NW

Today I'm wearing another of the retro styles which seem to be popular amongst the Japanese fashion watch brands.

This watch is by the fashion watch brand Deep and is one of the rotating disc designs, similar in style to the old jump-hour watches. This one has a quartz movement and a left hand design (so the dials are read through a window on the left of the watch). The case is different than the majority of the rotating disc designs I have, with a rounded case that is slightly taller than it is wide. It has a matching metal strap with the first like connecting directly into a protrusion from the case (so it will be challenging to find a replacement).

There is no text on the front of the watch, so the only information is the Deep name and model number 8170 NW (or 8170NW). As I've mentioned many times before, there seems to be a link between a lot of the Japanese fashion brands with the same design popping up by different manufacturers. The last time I blogged a Deep watch with this number format (5766 NW), it was the same design as a Deadman watch with a similar number (GV5766), so that makes me wonder whether there is a similar Deadman GV8170 too.

Deep watches seem to be a bit newer than the Deadman watches, but don't seem to be around now, so I guess they were from the 2000s.

Axcent Stealth X5910

Today's watch is back to a Scandinavian brand, so is from close-to-home, even though I bought it in Japan.

The watch is by Axcent of Scandinavia, and this model is called Stealth (although, as it is large and white, I don't find it too stealthy). The Axcent brand aims to bring Nordic design into the world of watches, and they started this in the late 90s. This particular model was designed by Daniel Jakobsson who was their head designer from 2002 to 2009. Most of the Axcent watches I have were designed by him, so it seems that he was a very prolific designer for the brand.

The Stealth is an LED watch with a large bright 4 digit LCD display. The digits are hidden behind a semi-transparent window and only can be seen when lit (which must be where the Stealth name comes from). The case is square with a white front under the glass, inset into a silver steel frame. There are two buttons on the right side, one for showing time, and the other for date, with the time setting button being inset on the left side. The design is completed by the strap which is wide and leather with a matching white colour..

The back has the Axcent logo, model number (X5910), designers name and signature, and the technical info (stainless steel, and 5 atm water resistant).

Seiko Alba Wired - Beams W510

Today's watch is a special edition of a design I've featured on this blog before.

The watch is one from the Seiko Wired line of watches based around the W510 module, and this one was released under the Seiko sub-brand Alba. The Wired watches seem to be a high tech line released from the late 90s which blended advanced technology and elegant fashionable designs.

One of the designs that was used in several watches around the turn of the century was the high complexity curved digit LCD display. This display used many more segments in the digits than normal, leading to text which looked more like a printed font than normal. I featured a watch from the ViViDiGi line with this W510 module in June 2013, and there's been a few others on the blog too (see under the Wired tag).

This particular model is a special watch designed for the Japanese brand Beams. The Beams brand are a popular clothing, accessories, and interior products brand originating in 1976 from Harajuku, Tokyo, and they've produced a few watches over the years. It has a different colour scheme (black with red trim) than the other W510 watches I've seen, and has the Beams name at the top of the display. The back also the Beams logo (a planet with the path of a satellite around it), along with the text "Beams. Basic & Exciting". The other text on the back is the standard information that it is stainless steel, 10 bar water resistant, and made in China.

This watch is from 2001, and has the full model number of W510-4A50.

Eccentric Classic Gold Full Skeleton

When I've ow blogged so many watches,  there is room for error when I pick up something to wear. Yesterday I couldn't blog as I had picked up something I'd blogged before by accident, but today I didn't make the same mistake!

Today's watch is part of my expanding collection of  Eccentric Classic watches, who I've got into due to their interesting designs and links to other brands I collect.

This Eccentric Classic is a mechanical watch with a full skeleton design. The movement is one which seems a common low cost movement which I've seen in many different brands of Japanese watch, but there are no part numbers or manufacturers marks on the movement. There are also no makers marks on the front or back of the watch except for the Eccentric Classic name on the inside of the glass.

The case design is quite hard to describe, so I'll have a go but it's better to just look at the photos. The glass is round and protrudes from the gold metal case, which is vaguely rectangular with curved edges. The area around the glass has been cut/moulded in a way that the area is curved around the top, but comes to a flat edge at the bottom. There is also an edge behind the glass as it goes down towards the movement, and on there are printed the hour markers (roman numerals at 3, 6, 9, and 12, and just lines at the other hours). The strap is metal and comes in a matching gold colour.

This is another design which is common to multiple manufacturers. This watch is an Eccentric Classic by a company called Medistore (Japanese piercing accessory shop), while I have the same design by Deadman which is an older brand that doesn't exist anymore (and I've not blogged that watch yet).

Deadman GV4062

I'm back to one of my favourite mystery brands again today with this watch by Deadman.

The Deadman (or Dead Man) watches are Japanese fashion watches which I've managed to pin down to being from the late 90s (based on a couple of magazines from that time). They have produced many different designs, and I've so far found more different models than I've seen duplicates. There also seems to be a connection to other brands such as Deep, Module, and Eccentric Classic with common designs, but I've not concluded why so far.

Today's model is the GV4062 (or GV 4062) which has a style which I would say is heavily influenced by the Seiko Alba AKA designs. It has a quartz analogue display with a 3 hand dial design. The face design and colour /pattern around the edges is very similar to some of the AKA watches with silver hour markers and a red, blue, and grey square pattern around the edge of the dial.

The case is round at the top, widening towards the back and the strap connection points, and makes me think of the shape of a volcano. The strap is metal and also very AKA-like with the tuning fork (or chunky American Football goalpost) shaped first link.

The back just has the usual Deadman style, stating it is Stainless steel, and showing the Deadman name and the model number.

Flud - The Exchange

I'm back to the fashion watches again today (although, I  never seem to get too far away from them at any time...).

This watch is by a brand called Flud, and this is their first appearance on my blog. The Flud brand is relatively new, having started only in 2007. The concept for the Flud brand is to bring the watch back to its rightful place as the ultimate accessory. Their goal was to create unique, fresh watches without being pretentious or having a high price tag.

This model is called The Exchange, and is a quartz analogue watch. It has a 3 hand dial which is offset to the right, with a bar protruding from the bezel on the left side (just below the middle). The bezel itself is protruding above the glass and is enameled in black (with 10 other different colour variations being available). The back of the watch has the Flud name and states it uses a Japanese movement. There is also a quote around the edge of the back plate which reads 'You can never have time unless you take time'. The watch is still for sale on the Flud website for $90.

For the one I have, there are a few things which make me wonder whether it is genuine or not. The watch is sold with 2 different straps, one leather and one silicone, but my one has an expanding metal strap (which I would assume wad a replacement, but the colour matches extremely well). The other issue is the size, as the case size on my one is smaller than the 50mm which is quoted on the Flud site...

Royn Jump-Hour Style Watch

Throughout my collection, there seem to be a lot of watches which have been done in the style of the old jump-hour watches. Today's watch is one of those, but from a manufacturer who's name I can't work out definitively.

The watch is by a company that I have only a logo for, and so need to determine a name based on their logo. In the centre of the logo, there is a y  in the middle of an oval, which could be an 'o'. This could mean that the name is just Ryn (with the oval being decorative), or the 'o' is in different places, for example Ryon, or Royn. As usual, the company doesn't have any presence that I've found on the web, so that doesn't help. The only other references I've found are the site Retro World who used Ryon, and an eBay auction which used Royn. So, as Ryon sounds like a better name, I'm assuming that is right.

The watch is a quartz rotating disc watch, with a left side display. As with the Deadman GV 5766 watches I've blogged a lot about, the strap is connected at the front of the case, leaving only a small strip of case visible across the middle (with the top and bottom of the case hidden behind the strap). Apart from the display, the face is blank, and with its brushed metal finish it feels nice and minimalist. The back of the watch just has the name/logo and the construction materials (base metal case and stainless steel back).

Due to the lack of information on the brand, and the 60s style for the design, it is hard to work out a date. As there seemed to be a lot of different brands taking the 60s style at the end of the 90s and just into the start of the 00s, my best guess is that it's from around then.

Diesel DZ4028 Chronograph

Today, I'm wearing a chunky watch from the fashion brand Diesel.

This model is one of their chronograph watches, and is called the DZ4028 (or DZ-4028 or DZ 4028 depending on where it is written). The watch has a rounded square case, with very noticeable (and very solid) protrusions from the top and bottom of the case over the ends of the strap. The strap is also a chunky design, being made from thick black leather, and it has a Diesel branded buckle.

The watch has a 3 hand dial, but as with many chronograph watches, the main seconds hand is for the stopwatch function, and the seconds for the time are shown on a separate small dial. There are three small dials on the face with the bottom one covering seconds, and the other two (left and top) covering minutes and hours for the chronograph. There is also a date window at the 3 o'clock position. The face design is very recognisable as Diesel with the combination of black and splashes of colour, and the use of different styles of markers around the dials.

The back covers the usual information (solid stainless steel, 10 bar/330 ft water resistant)  and has the model number. There is also the Diesel name and the man with mohawk logo for the Only The Brave parent company but without the usual Only The Brave text.

For date, I've not found this watch in stock for sale in many places, which suggests it's not a current model. Based on the design, I would therefore reckon that it is either late 2000s or early 2010s.

Bulova Astronaut Day and Date Wheel

A few days ago, I posted a watch I called 'Date Wheel' by Benetton, but not part of their Benetton by Bulova range. Today's watch is a Bulova with date wheel, but nothing to do with Benetton!

I don't have a definitive model name/number for today's watch, so I've decided to call it the Day and Date Wheel based on its features, but there is also the name Astronaut in tiny writing on the dial. The watch is a quartz analogue model with a 3 hand dial design for telling the time. The unusual part is how the watch shows the day and date. The date is done with a wheel behind 7 equally spaced windows, with the middle of the bottom window showing the date. The days are written around the edge of the dial in gold capsule shapes with a small window at each end. The day is shown by the dots behind the windows showing red instead of white, and interestingly, the transition between days is shown with one dot in each.

The watch is made of grey painted /anodized base metal with a grey steel back, and there is a gold cog tooth pattern around the edge of the glass. The strap is a matching grey metal and there is the Bulova tuning fork logo on the clasp.

The watch is made by the US watch company Bulova. They were founded in 1875, starting the first dedicated watch making plant in 1912, and bringing mass production into watchmaking on a scale never seen before. Over the years, they were good at embracing advertising technology, being thought to have had the first official radio and television adverts. In 2007/08, the brand was incorporated into the Citizen watch making family.

This model has no indication of a date in the watch as far as I can tell. If they use the same format for serial numbers as Citizen, that would suggest a manufacture in X7, and based on the design, I'd suggest 1987. There is a second number on the back 8988501 which could be a model number, but the imprinting style suggests it was a number which changed regularly...