Gobots Blue & Red robot watch

There have been many different types of robot watch made. I've blogged a Gobots watch before, but this is a different style robot than before.

The Gobots watches were sold by the Tonka toy company starting in 1984. The toys were made by Impulse Ltd in Hong Kong, and were in competition with the Takara robot watches from the same era. The Gobots toys were licensed from Bandai, and after Hasbro bought Tonka, they got the toys back again. The Gobots line were present in the US market until it was phased out in 1991.

This robot design is a lot more flexible than the standard square robot watch. The arms have extra hinges, and the legs are both hinged and rotating. As with the other watches in the series, this had a magnetic connector to the strap along with a rotate to lock connection. The design makes it a muck thicker model when folded, and the LCD display is set deep into the body, with the buttons positioned below.

The watch has the standard 4 digit LCD display design, with two button operation. One button sets the time, while the other switches between the day, date, and seconds displays.

Maryland Robot Clock

Today's timepiece isn't a watch, but another of my clocks.

Actually, it's also one of my robot timepieces as it's a little robot clock.

The robot design has a solid body, head, and legs, with swinging arms. It is far less flexible than the Tokima or Kronoform designs, but is more like the DiP:U watch I posted last year. The watch is a normal looking 3 hand dial design with a black face and gold hands. The crown runs through the robots head and is part of the design, being a red bulb on top of its head (similar looking to the silver bulbs making the eyes). The case (or bezel as the back plate calls it) is a base metal, but with a stainless back.

On the dial is the name Maryland. I've tried finding about the brand, but it isn't a well known make. It seems that there is a robotics centre in Maryland, which is nothing to do with the clock, but is the closest connection I could find.

As I can't find the history of the brand or watch, I haven't worked out the date, but based on the aging of the metal case, I think it may well be 90s.

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.

Roboroid 0002 by Bandai

Today is another boxed robot watch, but one that was part of a robot series rather than a watch series.

This is the Roboroid 0002 and was one of a series of 5 robots released in 1984 by Bandai. Only 0002 was a robot watch, with the others being a radio (AM only), a calculator, and two robots. The watch, radio and calculators were all transformers, changing from this function into a robot.

As a transforming robot watch, it is quite a simple one with small arms, legs, and a head popping out from the large yellow body. All of the fittings are rotated out of the body, more like the Kronoform watches than the Bandai Tokimas.

The watch part is a 4 digit LCD display, which is openly shown ln the front of the watch. As far as I can tell, the watch is a simple one with the basic time, date, and seconds. As the watch is still packaged, I can't test anything, but I don't want to break the seal...

DiP:U Silver and Black Robot Watch

I have a lot of robot watches in my collection, and not all of them are transforming ones.

Today's robot is called DiP:U and is an analogue robot watch. It has a 3 hand dial with a Japanese quartz movement. The seconds hand isn't actually a hand, but a rotating cog. With this not being a transformer, it looks like there is a robot sitting on your wrist. The arms are loose, so there is a strange feeling as you move your arms and the robot hits you with its swinging arms. The crown is at the top of the watch, and is made to look like part of the robots head.

The robot can be released from the strap to make a robot clock. Turning 1/8th of a turn to the left (anticlockwise) releases the watch from the holder, and is replaced by matching the clips on the back with the gap, and rotating back. There is also a loop on the top of the robot, so it can be used as a pendant or connected to a keyring too.

The back of the watch reveals the battery type (SR626SW), and has either a design, module, or model number = No. 4575.

This design of watch is pretty common on the online auctions, but I bought mine directly from the Japanese department store Tokyu Hands. The Tokyu Hands stores started as a DIY store, but is an amazing place to visit as it seems to sell everything (including the kitchen sink). They have a range of watches for sale, along with watch parts and repair tools, so it's hard to leave with money in your wallet!

Ro Bot Time Machine - Dairy Queen model

Sometimes I find watches that look like others but are not by the normal manufacturers.

Today's watch is a transforming robot watch that looks like the GoBot watch i blogged in June. But this one was not made by Impulse Ltd, but by CMI Corporation and is called a Ro Bot.

The watch was a promotional item released for American company Dairy Queen. The first Dairy Queen store opened in 1940, and the company sells soft serve ice cream and other fast food. The Dairy Queen logo is shown on the robots chest.

Sweda watches seem to have made various different watches for different brands, and seem to have been the American based CMI Corporation watch sales brand. The brand does still seem to be going and is listed as clock retail.

As with the GoBot, the watch has a magnetic back, but connects to the strap with a 90 degree twist. It is a square robot where the legs fold around the outside covering the arms.

As with most of these robots, it uses a basic 4 digit LCD display with time, date, and seconds, and two buttons on the front.

Gobots Robot Watch - red

It seems that this weekend is turning into a robot watch weekend, so here's another one!

This watch is part of the Gobots range of watches made by Impulse Ltd of Hong Kong in 1984.

The Gobots were a range of transforming robots made by the Tonka toy company in the mid 80s. The toys were actually licensed from Bandai and reverted to their ownership when Hasbro bought Tonka. The original toys were developed by Bandai division Popy of Japan, the same as the Tokima watches, and were Tonka's competition to the Takara toys entry into the American market (-the American versions of yesterday's watch). The line was eventually phased out in 1991.

The watch is a square model (like the Kronoform watches) with arms on the side and legs that fold up and cover the arms. The most unusual part of the watch is the connection to the strap which is magnetic (same as the Voltron watch from last July which was also by Impulse). Unfortunately, I'm missing the strap for this one, so I'm using it as a fridge magnet.

It uses a 4 digit basic LCD module. It has just time, date, and seconds modes, and is controlled/updated by the two buttons on the front.

500th Watch - Tokima Digirobo Blue

Today, my blog hits it's 500th watch (if I include a couple of pocket watches and a clock designed as a watch). For each of the hundreds, I've blogged a robot watch, and so today I'll keep up that tradition.

This watch is one of the original 1980s Tokima Digirobo models which first came out in 1983. They were released by Bandai after having been developed by the Popy Kikakushitsu company, and all of the details can be found on my Tokima Robot Watch Overview page (link).

The one I'm blogging today is perhaps the rarest version of any of the Tokima Digirobo watches. I have only seen this blue one once in the last 10 years, apart from in a 1985 catalogue. Unfortunately, this one had been stored in the sun and faded to green (but the original blue can be seen on the strap and the bottom of the box) - but it may mean I have the only green one out there ;-).

The watch has a basic 3.5 digit LCD module which has a time, date, and seconds display. The box gives much more detailed information, saying it is a "Field Electric Efficiency (FE) type nematic liquid crystal 3 1/2 digit display", and has a 32768Hz tuning fork type quartz movement.

As with all of these models, the watch head is released from the strap with two clips, and then pulling out the robots feet releases the arms too.

Bandi Tokima PII Robot Watch

It's time for watch number 400, so keeping tradition, I'm blogging a robot again :-)

This is the last of the Tokima robot designs to be blogged (but don't worry I've got a few more variations to blog ;-)).

This model is the PII, and it is a variation on the Steam Head model. The main difference is purely in the head design, with this model having only 1 eye. As with the others, the key to transforming the watch is to pull out the legs and this releases the arms. It has the same dot matrix LCD display that shows the time (in 6 digits), or a random message in Japanese (or occasionally English). It too can be set with your name and birthday and will give you personalised messages.

It was released as the last model type in the Tokima range, and came out in 1999/2000.

Quintel Robot Watch

Over the years, I've amassed many different watches, and a fair amount of them are robot watches. From these, there are the main known names such as Tokima and Kronoform/Watch-Q, and there are many brands that are variations on the main brands.

Today's watch is one by a company called Quintel. They are a Hong Kong company who were around in the 80s (at least - but some links suggested much earlier instances of their existence).

The watch looks almost identical to the Kronoform watches (which I'll blog somepoint soon), being a rectangular watch which transforms into a robot. The name printed on the front of the watch states Quintel Robot Watch.

The robot head is just rotated round when in watch mode, and to transform it from the watch into the robot, you just fold out the arms and pull down the legs to get the robot. Sliding the hands out of the arms is the last step (assuming you turned around the head at the start. The robot is held onto the strap by two hooks, and squeezing the two buttons at the back releases the watch head. Compared to the Tokima watches, these are more angular, and have hinged legs as well as arms (making them a little more unstable on their feet).

As for the watch part, it is just a standard 4-digit basic LCD display with two buttons. One button switches the display between time, date, and seconds, and the other is for setting the watch. Unfortunately, this one has a damaged module and so won't work anymore :-(

Bandai Tokima Steam Head Special Edition

Today marks the first anniversary of my blog!! And to mark the occasion I'm wearing one of my Tokima robot watches (as I tend to do for each celebration). Also, as a blog birthday treat, I'll be posting an overview page covering the whole story of the Tokima robots.
UPDATE: It's now up and can be found here: link

The Tokima robot watches were made by Japanese toymaker Bandai, and were first seen in the early 1980s as plastic kids watches. In 1998, Bandai resurrected the line with a set of larger metal watches which must have been aimed at adults who had the watches as kids 15 years earlier (as it's too big and heavy for most children). Two designs were released and included a new design called the Steam Head.

The Steam Head watch was a transforming robot watch as the others, but with a more steampunk feeling, and was released in a few different colours and strap variations. In late 98 or early 99, they released a special limited edition of the watch, and that is what I'm wearing today :-).

The special edition was released as a numbered limited edition of 3000, and to make it extra special, this particular watch is number 0001/3000!!! The shape of the watch is the same as the standard model, but came in shiny silver with a swirling pattern on the robots head (and a special white box).

The watch uses a dot matrix LCD display, which normally shows the time but will also show random, mainly Japanese, messages. It has time, date, and stopwatch modes in the module, and is powered by a CR2032 battery.

The watch head is also the robot, and once released from it's holder (by the spring loaded fittings at the top and bottom) it can be transformed. Transformation happens by rotating the part covering the display and moving it onto the top to make the head, and then pulling out the legs to release the arms.

Bandai Alarm Tokima Silver

If I've been keeping track of my posts, today marks the 300th watch I've posted.

To mark this occasion, I'm blogging another Bandai Tokima watch. I had planned to wear the watch as well, but unfortunately the straps of these watches suffer from the brittle strap problem as the plastic ages, so it's too fragile to use (with the original strap).

The Tokima robot watches were originally released in 1983 by Bandai. After a year, Bandai released two new versions; the Aquaboy, and this one, the Alarm Tokima.

The Digirobo Alarm Tokima is slightly different in style than the other two with a head that pops out of the body rather than being the cover for the LCD display. To see the display, you press a small button on the bottom in front of the legs and the front panel flips open.

To turn the watch into a robot, you first take it from the strap by squeezing the buttons on either side. To make the transformation, you pull down the legs and the arms and head pop out. In order to return the robot back to the watch, you push in the feet first, and then the arms and head will latch in.

As the name suggests, this has a more complex module than the other Tokimas as it includes an alarm as well as the time, date, and seconds displays.

More can be found on the Tokima watch range in my overview page: link

Inside view of module