EleeNo EG5 Turning Wheels

My Friday watch is one that takes a little getting used to for reading the time.

As is often the case with the unusual designs, this watch is one of the Japanese watches in the SeaHope family. To be more specific, this watch is part of the EleeNo range who are there to produce watches showing 'handles time'. The EleeNo range was started in 2008 by the SeaHope founder Yasushi Kimura. There is more on the SeaHope family on my SeaHope summary page.

This model is in the EG line which is part of the Cyber family of EleeNo watches. The Cyber watches are the EleeNo digital range, while EG means that it tells the time with segmented LCDs.

This is the EG5 and has the additional name Turning Wheels. It works on the 12-5-9 principle, meaning it has 3 LCD wheels with segments that cover hours (12), 10 minutes (5), and individual minutes (9). The watch actually has 10 segments on the minutes wheel, with the last one just flashing to show the seconds progressing. Pressing the button causes the el-backlight wheels to show a turning animation before displaying the time. Time setting is done through the inset button and needs the tip of a pen (or similar) to press.

The design has a rectangular case in silver with a mirrored inverse LCD with a coloured background, and a black leather strap. It was available in a few different LCD colour and strap combinations. Many sites I've found quote this as being an LED watch with LED segments, but as far as I can see, this is purely an LCD watch with a backlight.

The back just has the text "Turning Wheels, EG5, Graphic Art by EleeNo" and the SeaHope website address.

It seems that this watch came out around 2010, and had an initial price somewhere around the $70-80 range. Outside of Japan, it has been available through the usual sites Tokyoflash and Intelligent Watches.

EleeNo Graph BL Round

Today's watch is a dial watch which I will struggle to read at a glance, even though it's similar to another model I own.

As you might expect for a difficult to read dial watch, this is another by the EleeNo brand. The EleeNo watches specialise in what they call hand-less time, meaning that the watches show what time it is without using hands in the regular way. The brand is part of the SeaHope family of watches, who are a good start if you want an unusual Japanese watch (and they are linked to Tokyoflash for the overseas distribution).

This model is one I've not been able to find the model number of. It has the same style of display as the ART005 BL TF version, but that is square while this is round. The hand style and case shape is also the same as the ART014 Graph, but the face is a little different.

This design has a round face with two windows for reading parts of the time. In the top half there is a triangular window taking up the middle third which has a faint blue surround, while the bottom half is fully open and has a faint red surround. Down the middle of the face is a black line with the time markers on either side, hours on the top half and minutes on the bottom half. To read the time, you look at where the hands (actually leaf shapes on a rotating clear disc) cross the line, with the colours of the hands corresponding to the window which you use. Either side of the centre line in the bottom window are two pairs of other lines with markers on. It seems that these cover the other minutes so that when the line meets a marker on one of these, it shows the minute (as the centre line only covers 5 minutes increments accurately).

The ART014 come out in the late 2000s, and so I would reckon that this is also a 2000s model.

EleeNo ART007 Rings

Today, I decided that the watches I'd been using recently have been too simple for telling the time, so I went for a bit more of a challenge.

The watch I chose is from the EleeNo range of watches that are known for turning telling time into an art form. The brand was founded in the 2000s by a long term Tokyoflash collaborator Yasushi Kimura, and is one of the SeaHope /Tokyoflash family. One of the principles of the EleeNo designs is 'handless time' where even the analogue watches don't use traditional hands for pointing out the time.

This model is one of the analogue watches with an unusual design and is called Rings. It has a round face under domed glass in a rectangular silver case with a thick black rubber strap. In the centre of the face is a silver circle with the EleeNo logo in the middle. Around this silver circle are two rings which are not concentric with the circle or face. They are positioned such that it looks like the ring touches either the middle circle and is spinning around it like a hula hoop, or is going round the inside of the edge of the face. At the points of touching, there is a gap in each circle, and this is where you read the time, hours around the outside and minutes in the middle.

The watch has a model number of ART007 (or ART 007), and the first mentions of this model online are from 2008, making it one of the early designs from the brand.

EleeNo Bingo

I'm glad I don't have any appointments today where I need the exact time as today's watch it not the easiest to read.

The watch is one of the EleeNo handless time designs, and as normal is slightly unusual. The EleeNo watches are from the Japanese company SeaHope, and were normally distributed in the west by Tokyoflash (or Intelligent Design). I have a bit more about SeaHope in my overview page.

This watch is called the Bingo, and so far I've not been able to find the ARTxxx model number. The display is made up of 16 circles laid out in a square grid pattern on a mirrored face. Behind the circles are two rotating discs which cover the hours and minutes. The hours are covered by the outer 12 circles, but as it's a square grid, the 12 o'clock is in the top right corner. Minutes only get the inner 4 circles, so it's much harder to be exact. On the hours disc, there is a shape which fills the current hour, but is shaped such that it will part fill the coming hour. For the minutes disc, there is a circle with an orange line through, so the circle fits the circular window on the quarter hour, with the line acting as a regular hand.

The EleeNo Bingo came out in 2006 and had an rrp of €79.

Twelve 5-9 - Q Version

I'm out to a club night again tonight, so wanted something flashy. Although, it's going to be rather difficult to tell the time at a glance.

This is another of the SeaHope 12-5-9 or Twelve 5-9. The SeaHope brand are specialists in LED watches which are often limited release. The 12-5-9 refers to the LEDs which are arranged in 12x hours, 5x ten minutes, and 9x minutes.

This is the Q Version, which is one of the newer design models. It has a more organic design with curved metal surfaces, and looks like some sort of alien technology. The hardest part with this design is working out which line is which, and which direction the bar fills. Starting from the 12 o'clock position and going clockwise it fits with the order of the name, and as there are a maximum of 6 LEDs per line, the first two are hours, next is the 10 minutes, and the last two are the minutes. Showing the time is done by pressing the button (at the 2 o'clock position), and there is a short flashing pattern before the the time is displayed.

This model is not available anymore, but was originally sold for around $190 through the Tokyoflash website. It originally came out around December 2007.

Gold R'Police (Tokyoflash Retrofit) LED watch

Today's watch is a rather heavy one, and a bit bling too.

The watch is by R'Police - or that is what I assume as the ' is actually a small rectangle on the real logo which can be found on the back of the watch. The history is a bit of a mystery, as it is also referred to as a Tokyoflash Retrofit watch too, and I've seen pictures with that on the back instead. I guess that there were different versions released for different markets.

The case is a heavy steel construction, and in this case in gold, but you could also get silver and gunmetal versions. It is made in the style of a drivers watch with the display on the side, but not so useful for drivers as you need to press a button to show the time.

The display is a dot matrix of green LEDs. When the button is pressed, there is a quick animation and then the time is shown. Time display is in 4 digits, but it is more unusual in that you can choose 12 or 24 hour display (the 12 hr display showing a little p when it's afternoon). Date is also a display option, but not seconds. Power comes from a CR2032 battery.

LTD EDN x SeaHope 12-5-9 B Version - Jon Burgerman

It's the opening night of the NuArt festival in Stavanger tonight, so I had to wear an arty watch. It's also the music festival, so I need something bright, so today's watch fits both needs.

This watch was actually designed by an artist called Jon Burgerman who I had the pleasure of meeting at last year's festival. Jon is an English born artist living in New York who has a vibrant cartoon-like style, and never seems to stop doodling.

The Jon Burgerman design is part of a collaboration between the SeaHope watch brand and Love Through Design. I've blogged quite a bit about SeaHope, and you can find much of the info on the SeaHope summary page. The Love Through Design company work with various key artists through all areas, and act as a consultancy, organizing events and exhibitions, and art licensing. They also work to produce very limited edition watches with the profits going to charity. This range with the 12-5-9 B Version watch was done for the War Child charity and featured 6 designs by 6 different artists, with only 100 of each design being produced.

The watch itself follows the same pattern as a normal 12-5-9 with LEDs in groups - 12 hours, 5 x 10 minutes, and 9 minutes. Pressing the right hand buttons sets off one of several patterns of flashing lights before settling on the correct time. The left button is just for setting. The strap is set into the edge of the face, so you only see the middle strip of the case. The back has the edition number, LTD EDN x SeaHope, Jon Burgerman's logo, and a quote from Martin Luther King Jr - "The time is always right to do what is right."

This version was released in late 2011, but the B Version design originally came out sometime in the 2000s.

PIMP Trip the Light Fantastic

I'm back out to the NuMusic dance night again tonight, so it's time for the LEDs to shine again.

I've mentioned the SeaHope brand before (and I've got a summary page for the brand linked at the top right), and this is part of their PIMP line of watches. The PIMP watches are released in limited quantities merging 70s style with modern concepts, and have a motto of "Trends are fine but being unique is better!". Even more limited numbers were released outside of Japan, and were exclusively distributed by Tokyoflash.

This watch is called Trip the Light Fantastic, and was the first PIMP watch (released in November 2003). It uses 72 LEDs in red, yellow, and green to show the time - red lights down the left side for the hours, and rows of 5 LEDs for the minutes (filling from the bottom, with the rows alternating between green, yellow, and red). It also randomly flashes some LEDs for a while after the time is shown.

It was sold originally for 18,000 yen, and is no longer made. A gold plated version was released a year later.

Jackpot LED Watch

It's been a while since I did a flashing watch, so I thought I'd remedy that today.

The watch I chose is the Jackpot watch. As with a lot of these types of watch, it is produced by Tokyoflash and SeaHope. More information about SeaHope can be found in my SeaHope overview page.

It has four arrays of LEDs of 3x5 lights, each one showing a character. When you press the time button (top right), the display seems to spin like a fruit machines wheels, before slowing down and showing the time. This is accompanied by beeping which also slows as the animation slows. Double pressing the button jumps straight to the time, and minimises the beeping. Pressing the button after the time has come on switches the display to date.

Pressing the left button 'spins the wheels' too, but this time it acts more like a fruit machine, displaying symbols at the end, followed by a score based on how close to a matching line you get.

Pressing the bottom right button displays a number, which cycles through the numbers 1 to 4 and sets the amount you want to bet on the spin. The total at the end then gives you the accumulated score based on your bet and the results.

Text on the watch isn't very detailed, as it only tells the material of the watch and strap (steel and leather respectively), and tells that is uses a CR2032 battery.

Twelve 5-9 G Version

It's day 2 in my 4-day LED watch marathon to mark a local electronic music festival!

Today's watch is also from the SeaHope brand, but part of their Twelve 5-9 range. SeaHope watches specialise in limited releases of unusual watches, and more information can be found in my SeaHope overview page.

The Twelve 5-9 range are named after the way of telling the time. They use 3 groups of LEDs 12 for hours, 5 for 10-minutes, and 9 for minutes.

This particular model is the G Version. It features a solid metal case with holes drilled down the front for the LEDs to shine through. There are actually 27 holes in the case, but only 26 LEDs (hence the confusion in some other articles) - the 6th hole in the middle section does not light in any of the patterns, and looking down the hole you can see there is no LED.

When the button on the bottom is pressed, the LEDs flash and then stop on the time. This version is silver metal with a metal strap and blue LEDs, but there are versions with black casing, and/or leather strap, and the LEDs can be in a variety of colours.

The G Version was originally released in 2005, and sold for 11,900 yen.

EleeNo Orbit Elite White ART004A

I'm back to the EleeNo brand again today. EleeNo is a subbrand of SeaHope watches, and produces what they call "handless time". They are usually sold in the West by Tokyoflash, and more information about the SeaHope watches can be found in my overview page.
This watch is designated ART004A, and is part of the Elite line of watches. The watch is called "orbit" due to the markers for hours and minutes showing in windows mimicking an elliptical orbit around the centre of the watch. It is made from a stainless steel case, inlaid with white resin (-there was also a black version). The strap is the same mixture of steel and resin, and is fastened with a butterfly clasp so it looks like a continuous loop when fastened.
The watch is actually powered by a Citizen movement (a Super 2035), and should last 4 years between battery changes. It was released in early 2007 and cost around £75.

Twelve 5-9 B Version SV Green

At the festival again today, but wanted something more sci-fi (to go with the Pet Shop Boys stage show).

This watch by Twelve 5-9 fits the bill, and it seems was also featured in the movie Avatar!

The Twelve 5-9 brand is released in the west by Tokyoflash and Intilegent Watches, and is another of the SeaHope watches. The brand is named after the way of telling the time with 12x hour LEDs, 5x 10-minute LEDs, and 9x minute LEDs.

This is the B Version (-all are lettered versions), and is one of the easier to read. When activated, the LEDs flash in a pattern (a second press bypasses this) before showing the time. The hours are in the left circle, with the top bar for minutes, and lower bar for 10-minutes.

The full model name is 1259B SV Green (due to the SilVer and Green colours)

Saishin Retsu by Tokyoflash Japan

Today I wore another of the LED watches by Tokyoflash Japan.

This watch is called Retsu, which translates to "violent" - something that I don't associate with the watch design at all!

The watch is very small and light (only 40g),and has a single column of numbered LEDs. When the button is pressed, the LEDs 'scroll' upwards, stopping at a number sequentially until all of the times digits have been displayed.

It seems to have been released in 2006, and was a limited edition.

Quiz - Alien DNA

It's been a while since the last Sunday Quiz, so I thought I should set one up again today!

The watch in question is the Alien DNA. It was released in the 00s (around 2006) in association with Tokyoflash Japan, with an original sale price of 15,900yen.

The display uses a back-lit multi-colour LCD to show the time, and the question, as usual, is what time does it say? I'll update the post once someone guesses correctly!

Nekura Cabriolet

Late update today!
This watch is an obscure watch to read by Nekura called the Cabriolet.

The Nekura brand specialises in unusual Japanese watches, and are distributed through Tokyoflash.
The watch has a normal minute hand, but unusual hour readings. The hour hand has two sections which are not quite at 180 degrees from one another. The shorter arm points to hours on the inner black dial which covers from 6 to 1, and the longer arm points to the yellow dial which covers 11 to 7. This means there is an overlap with some times showing with both hands.

The strap is a curved metal one piece band, similar to some of the 1481010s.

Sunday Quiz - Zero-G

Today's quiz is a little easier than the last couple - just let me know what time it says on the watch in the picture.
The watch is a Zero-G watch by Futara and was distributed by Tokyoflash. The watch was released around 2007. The time is displayed on a mirrored LCD, but there are no other features, only the time display. The watches two buttons are for setting the time (left) , and making the display show a short animation (where the markers showing the time sweep on and off).
I'll tell you how the display works once someone has guessed the right time.

[update] - the time was correctly guessed so I can fill in the missing details
The hours are indicated by the bar extending from the centre of the watch, and the minutes is indicated by where the line around the outside ends. So the time shown is 04:53

i-pattern by i-pattern at Tokyoflash

This is another of my strange LCD watches. It looks so unusual that two shop assistants at an art concept store in Tokyo (a home of interesting watches) were asking where it was from!
The watch is called the i-pattern and tells the time by filling up bars on the display. The top half of the screen is the hours and the bottom half is minutes (in groups of 5 which fill from the middle). The 60th minute marker flashes to show seconds, and the centre of the circle shows am (empty) and pm (filled). There is also an alternate display for date & day (using the markers), and day & seconds (two letters from the day, and numbers). The watch also has an electroluminescent back-light.
This watch was sold by Tokyoflash (but now discontinued) , and I purchased mine in the Tokyoflash store Two-0-Two in Yokosuka (south of Yokohama).