Deadman Pcychoroid GV8695

My watch today is another of the wonderfully varied Deadman watches. The brand was released in the late 90s and seems to have sold many different styles, but seem quite rare. 

This time it is model number GV 8695 and has the name Psychoroid. 

The watch has a standard Japanese miyota module powering a rotating disc design in a quite elegant looking rounded case.

EleeNo Lite ART009 Wheel (variant)

A quick blog post today as the watch I'm wearing is a variant of one which I've blogged before.

The watch is by the 'Handless Time' watch brand called EleeNo which is part of the SeaHope group of watches. I first blogged their 'ART 009 Wheel' watch in 2012, and that post can be found here.

This version has a white disc with red segments showing behind the black face, and comes with a black leather strap.

Nixon - The Iris

Two days running, and I'm blogging!
Today's watch is one of the most bright pink watches I own, and is by the Nixon brand.

This model is called "The Iris" and is sold as a womens watch (although the 39mm case is large enough for it to be unisex).
It has a rounded square design with a tiny window in the centre, where the rotating discs can (just) be seen for the time. There is also a second window at the right side of the face which has a second dial rotating with the seconds, but this only shows different shades of pink as it rotates. This means that inside is a little cramped, with the watch having 2 separate quartz movements, one for each dial! The rest of the face is pink, only broken-up by the mirrored silver Nixon name in the bottom corner, but in the right light you can just about see the two sets of discs through the face. The two movements also makes the placement of the crown a little unusual, with it being on the left side of the watch (so the watch is especially good for people who like to wear their watch on their right arm).

The strap is a clear rubbery design (which seems to have faded to yellow here), and has the Nixon logo cut into the lower half of the strap.

The case is shiny stainless steel, and the watch is 50m water resistant. The back has the Nixon name and the watch name, as well as their usual short catchphrase for the watch, "Eye of the Storm".

From what I can see, it was released in at least 3 different colours, and this one is 'bold pink' with a model number of A106-971

The original retail price was ¥16,000

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.

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.

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.

S'SQURE 48605G

It's been a long while since I posted anything from this brand (-the last one was in 2013), so I thought it was about time!

The watch is by a company called S'SQURE (or sometimes written as SSqure or S-Squre). Looking at the logo in detail actually shows that the real name is S²SQURE, but this is hard to see when it's normally written so small. The company seems to be based in China, and makes all manner of interesting low cost watches with interesting and colourful designs. Over in Tokyo i saw many of these watches in the watch cabinets of toy shops.

This model is a rotating disc watch with a left side display. It has a round case with an oval design in the middle, and a circular window for the time display. Overall, the design of the face is very similar to (and possibly inspired by) one of the Citizen Independent 1481010 models.

The back shows that the watch has a model number of 48605G, and also states that. The movement inside is Japanese (- I have seen it written that the S'SQURE watches mostly use Citizen movements), and the back also states the watch is 1Atm water resistant. Also on the back is the brand name (large enough to see it is really S²SQURE) along with a picture of a stick man swimming.

I know that this brand has been around since at least the mid 2000s, and I think they are still active today, so I guess this is a pretty new model.

Deadman GV8292

I seem to have been blogging the Japanese fashion watches a lot recently, and I'm going for another one today.

Today's choice is one of my Deadman (or Dead Man) watches (the 15th on the blog), which is one of my favourite mystery brands. As mentioned in previous posts, they were around in the late 90s, and produced many different designs of watch (over 30 at my last count), but lot much more is published about them.

This model is the GV8292 and is one of their disc models. It has a left sided rotating disc design (meaning the discs are arranged on the left side of the spindle with the hours on the outer dial), which is like the old jump hour watch designs. The watch case is the what tends to change between the models, and this design has a metal case (in black) getting wider towards the middle, except for a narrow band across the middle where the time is. The band is in gold and has the Deadman Quartz text next to the time display. The strap is metal, and in a matching black coating. The back has the usual Deadman info (model number, stainless steel back, name), but also has an 'Assembled in China' sticker.

I have no firm idea on the date, other than knowing that the brand was active in the late 90s, and that they were a low cost manufacturer.

J-Axis iXa Modern Space Age Multiple Disc Indication

Today's watch is another in the ever popular rotating disc style.

This model is by the J-Axis brand is one of their iXa marked watches. The J-Axis brand begin in 1987 by the parent company Sun Flame Co Ltd, and it seems that iXa is one of the lines/styles that produce. This is also one of the watches they call the Multiple Disc Indication design, which I first blogged about last year. This model also has the text Modern Space Age which I assume refers to the watch design, however the style looks more like a retro take on what a futuristic watch would look like.

This design has two windows for the time rather than the usual one. The left side window covers the hours and minutes, but the second window is on the right side of the watch. Overall, the watch has a round design, but the glass is moulded so that there is a flat square in the centre, with the other faces on the glass tapering down to the bezel.

The back just has the regular J-Axis information: logo, Japan movement, assembled in China, water resistant, stainless steel back, and "Modern Timepieces". The strap is not the original (and is a universal strap I have made to cover all of the watches whose straps are too destroyed to use).

The brand generally has low cost models, so I'd guess this was less than ¥5000. For the date, I think it is likely to be a 2000s model, as it isn't a new design, but I don't think it predates the late 90s fashion watches.

Medistore Concentric Wheel Watch

For a while now, I've been blogging a brand of watches called Eccentric Classic. These watches were made (or commissioned) by a company called Medistore, and from the few web hits I got, it appeared that this company was linked with body piercing.

The watch I'm wearing today is also by Medistore, but this time, instead of a brand name, the Medistore website is quoted directly www.e-medistore.com (which is a little unusual). This website is the same one as I had found when searching for the Eccentric Classic watches, so I guess they are by the same company. Looking more at the web link, it seems that the company specialises in piercing accessories, but there are other items too. Following the links reveals that they also sell fashion items, including watches and clothes, and they have, or are linked with, various shops around Japan. I still haven't found this watch, or the Eccentric Classic models, but there are other similar looking brands on sale there.

This particular model is a quartz analogue design based on rotating discs. It has a square case with silver face, and 3 concentric windows where the time is shown. Most rotating disc watches just show a portion of the discs, but this design shows the whole of all 3 discs, with a red line at the 12 o'clock position to mark where the time is read (hours on the outside and seconds in the middle). The back of the watch tells me the watch is water resistant with a stainless steel back and Japanese (quartz) movement. The brand name is also there, but as 'medi store' in two words.

There are no distinguishing features on the watch to tell the date, but it looks like a modern low cost design, so I'd guess late 2000s, or early 2010s.

Module GV9121

Today's watch has a design which seems really popular as this is the 3rd different brand with an almost identical design.

This watch is by the Module brand which has featured a few times before on this blog. The brand is made by a company called Poll Position Ltd Co, who seem to be a watch distributor (and manufacturer?) in Japan.

The watch is a rotating disc model with a left side display, and the brand logo on the right. The face only seems to be a thin horizontal rectangle as the strap is connected on the front of the case, hiding most of the case behind it.

I've blogged this exact design from two other brands which I collect. The Deadman GV 5766 seems to be the earliest of them with this design (as I've confirmed the brand existing in the late 90s), and also have a model by Deep called the 5766 NW. This model by Module doesn't share the same 5766 number as the others, and is a GV 9121. I've had the suspicion that these brands are linked in some way, for example being from the same overall owner, or branding watches from a 3rd party supplier. This watch keeps up that suspicion, but the face that it has a Deadman style model number (GV xxxx), but a different number is a little confusing.

I know that Module and Poll Position Ltd Co are still around, so I think this is a new model, and I'd guess early 10s.

Neff Daily Wild NF0208 Lime

Today is my second from the Neff watch brand, and has a nice unusual design.

The Neff brand started in 2002 with the name Neff Headwear, initially specialising in skate and surf wear, before starting the Neff Vision eyewear and Neff Time watches.

This model is part of a range called Daily Wild, which has the model number NF0208. The Daily Wild watches are all 2 hand dial analogue watches with a large plastic case and thick silicone or rubber strap. The watches come in all manner of different designs, but all of them have the same model number.

This design is called Lime, an at first glance looks like it is only a 1 hand watch. The artwork which seems to be on the face of the watch is actually a disc which represents the hour hand, and has caused a few people to need a while to spot what time it is. The hours disc is slightly transparent, so you can see hour markers through the yellow part, but there is a clear window with a pointer which indicates which hour it is. The strap follows the same colour scheme as the face and is in lime green, yellow, and white, with a Neff branded black buckle.

The watch back has the word Daily in large letters as well as the Neff round face logo, along with some basic information. For materials, it says that the back is ABS reinforced stainless steel, and that the case is 5atm water resistant. It also shows that inside, the quartz movement is from Singapore, which you don't see that often.

This design isn't for sale anymore, so I think it is an older design (late 00s, or early 10s), but the others for sale are around $35, so I'd guess the same rrp for this watch.

Mary Maison F-96005 Rotating Disc

As I build up my watch collection, I have become more and more aware about the number of different watch manufacturers /brands which exist. It's also been quite eye-opening about how many of these brands have little or no internet presence.

Today is a new brand to the blog, and also one which has been difficult to find anything about.

This watch is from a brand called Mary Maison. There have been many different bits of conflicting information about the brand, with a lot seeming to be pure speculation, so I've tried to pull together what I could find. The Mary Maison brand doesn't seem to have any website relating to watches, but I did find a Brazilian shop website called Mary Maison which sold clothes. This could be the source of the name, however with no watches being shown, and a different logo, I'm not convinced. Two other sites have suggested that the watches are American or Japanese. Out of those, I think Japanese is the most likely, as there are not many English language sites with the watches (apart from eBay), and there are several Japanese sites which refer to the brand. As for date, there has been speculation online that the watches were from the 80s, but the oldest website reference was from 2002, and it is well known that there is very little Japanese online info out of Japan in the late 90s, so my best estimate is that they are early 2000s and onward (with a chance for a late 90s appearance, but they don't appear in the magazines of that time).

This particular watch is the F-96005, and is a quartz watch with a rotating disc design. It has an oval face with a time display on the left side for hours and minutes, and right side for seconds. The face is brown with a large white pointer to indicate where on the discs the time is shown, as well as a mirrored section at the top right. On the face is the Mary Maison name in a script font as well as a logo which is a circle containing what is probably overlapping M's made to look like mountains.

The case is black painted/coated metal and is an oval shape with flattened top and bottom where the extensions for connecting the strap are. There are good screws on the case front which look like they are for the strap, but are just decorative. The strap is an extending metal bracelet in a matching matt black colour. The back has the brand name and logo, the model number, and states the back is stainless steel. There is also a phase saying the watch is "Urban traditional quartz".

Deadman E.S.P GV4094

Today is another Deadman watch, and another different design style.

One of the reasons that the Deadman (or maybe Dead Man) watches have become a favourite of mine is that they have one of the most diverse line-up of watch designs I've come across. The brand itself is still a mystery, but I've seen over 30 different designs, and I keep coming across more. The numbering system suggests there are a lot more I haven't seen yet, and it is still rate I'm seeing duplicates (which suggests statistically that they made a lot of designs, but each in only a small quantity). The brand was around in the late 90s, as it was featured in magazines of the time, but there is no record of when they stopped. The designs have also been seen in other, potentially more recent, brands so I don't know if they merged, we're copied, or commissioned designs from another party.

This model is called the E.S.P, and is a quartz rotating disc design. The disc system is shown on the left side and is a continuously rotating 3 disc design. The time is set into a blue panel which is an upside-down house shape (that has a name which currently escapes me...) and the brand and model name is also printed under the glass. The case is chunky and metal with a mixture of brushed and shiny surfaces in a hard to describe shape. Below the face, the Deadman logo is engraved into the metal in its retro computer writing font.

The back just has the usual limited information with the logo, statement on the stainless steel back, and the model number. This model number is GV4094 (or GV 4094 as it seems to be written).

As the Deadman watches have only been confirmed to be around in the late 90s, I guess that is the date for this model too. The brand was a low price design, and the watch would have been around ¥3,800.

Person's V535 - Eiffel Tower

It seems like the big watch companies have worked for many different fashion brands over the years, making lines of watches for their sale. Today's watch is another of those.

This watch is by the Japanese clothing brand Person's. The Person's name/clothing was first seen in 1977, when the name and logo was first used by Takaya Iwasaki, before becoming a brand in 1979. The brand produces clothes (as well as shoes, hats, watches, bedding, glasses, and cosmetics) which mix eastern and western dress culture, and are "people orientated". The Japanese Person's brand and logo was also used by an American company I'm the 80s, but these items are not related to the Japanese company (and there was a legal trademark dispute about this).

The watch appears to be a Seiko collaboration based on the model number V535-6A50. Inside it shows that the V535 module (which uses a 927 battery) and the case was made by the Seiko linked Shiojiri company. I blogged another Person's watch in November 2014, but there, it doesn't seem to have been a Seiko style, so it may be that there was not an exclusive link between Person's and Seiko (at least for the whole time they've sold watches).

The watch itself is a 3 hand dial design which also has a 4th rotating item - a disc which follows the hour hand rotation. The face features a stylized sketch of the Eiffel Tower and the Person's logo. The rotating disc is visible on the top half of the dial, behind the tower, and has pictures of an aeroplane and stars (so they look to fly past the tower). The case design reminds me a little of the Boy London watches, with a round case with the Person's name moulded into the bezel.

From the serial number, it appears the watch could have been made in 1989, 1999, or 2009, and I would think that the 1999 or 2009 dates are the most likely.