Android USA Interceptor AD449

It's been almost 3 years since I blogged my last Android USA watch, so it was about time I blogged another.

The Android USA watch brand was started in 1991 by the now CEO and lead (only) designer Wing Liang. The brand has the philosophy "high-quality production of cutting-edge designs with forward-looking technology and the support of excellent service.". The brand started with fashion watches, and now has a global reach from their base in Florida. The watches have a mix of materials to suit the design, and the movements are sourced from around the world.

This watch is a called the Interceptor (which may have been a range rather than just this watch). It is an analogue chronograph with a 3 jewel ISA Swiss quartz movement inside (based on information on the back). The design has a 3 hand design with two small dials. The small dials are at the 2 and 10 o'clock positions (which is unusual), and there is also a window showing the date running between the 3 and 5 o'clock positions. The seconds hand on the main dial is the one for the chronograph (and has the Android USA logo on the back end), along with the top left dial, with the clock seconds on the top right dial. Other information on the back is just the material (solid stainless steel), the serial number, the water resistance (100m/330ft), and that it was designed in the USA.

This model has the model number AD 449 (or more correctly AD449BBU with this colour combination), and came out in 2013.

Biaoka S017 Automatic Skeleton watch

Today I'm wearing a fancy looking watch from a brand I've not come across before.

The watch is by a brand called Biaoka. From what I've found online, the brand is Chinese and seems to specialise in mechanical watches. I've not found a website for the brand themselves, but the watches are sold at many different sales sites across the Far East. It doesn't look like the brand has spread much beyond the Far East though, as there is limited information on English language sites. The watches they produce seem to be in the low/reasonable price range, with many for sale in the $20-$50 range, but I've seen some models being sold for up to $360.

This model is the S017 and is a mechanical analogue watch with an automatic movement. The movement is a sweep hand design with a beat frequency greater than 14,400 beats per hr (-it looks to be around 17,000 bph from my crude counting). It has a 3 hand dial design with a small extra dial at the 6 o'clock position. The unusual thing is that the small dial covers seconds along with the seconds hand on the main dial, so there are two seconds hands running in sync.

The watch has a skeleton design with the gold and silver movement showing through the holes on the black face. Where the face isn't cut away, it is engraved with a fine pattern giving a high-cost feel. The brand name and small dial are in a pink colour, and there are also jewels/crystals at the hour markers. The back of the watch is also clear so you can see the spinning weight, and there is the text 'Biaoka' and 'Time Concepts' printed on the glass. The strap is metal, but very light, so I think it is a mix of stainless steel and base metal.

I don't think the brand is that old, so I'd guess that the watch is from this decade. I found one for sale on a Malaysian website for around $35, so I don't think it is a high cost model, although everything apart from the strap seems well made and high quality.

Casio W-220 Alarm Chronograph

Today's watch is another of the many designs of Casio LCD watch.

This model is the W-220, and is the 3rd of the Casio W series that I've blogged. It is an LCD model housed in a rounded resin case with the shape and design being continued into the resin strap.

The LCD has two lines of digits covering the day and date along the top and time (6 digits) below. Above the time, in the top left corner, is a round LCD window with 10 segments that fill and empty with the seconds. To the right of that are 3 indicator mark for the alarm, chime, and split function on the stopwatch. Apart from the stopwatch, this watch also has alarm and dual time modes, all powered by the Casio 2963 module.

From what I've seen, it appears that this design (or similar) has been around for a while, and is still shown on the Casio website (with a full model number of W-210-1BEVS).

Nike WR0105 Imara Keeva watch

I'm wearing a sporty model today with a watch from Nike (which technically is a ladies watch).

The watch is the WR0105 and appears to be called the Imara Keeva. I've tried to find the name Imara Keeva to see if it means anything, but I only found references to the watch in my search. The Nike watches seem to have started in the late 90s and are now discontinued.

This model keeps with the Nike tradition of a large and easy to read LCD display. It is an inverse style LCD with two lines of numbers. The time (4 digits) takes up about 2/3 of the display, with the day and date as the default display below. When changing mode, the watch shows the name of the mode in the bottom line before that mode starts. The modes covered by the watch are alarm, dual time and chronograph. The design in unusual with a small rounded rectangular face, but in a quite deep case. It has a very narrow rubbery strap which mounts into the back of the case.

There is also a lot of information about the watch on the back. It is copyright to Nike USA, and covered by US patents D528439 and D528441. The watch is made in China from a mixture of stainless steel and performance polymers, and is 5atm water resistant.

For the date, the main hint I'm working from is the start date for the watch module. This begins at 2005, and as the Nike watches haven't been active for a while, I'd assume this was first released in the late 2000s.

Michael Kors MK-5036

After yesterday's post, I decided to keep up the theme of blogging a fashion brand I'd not featured before.

This model is from the American fashion brand Michael Kors. The brand was started in 1981 by an American, Michael Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr), who started making clothes from his parents basement. The Michael Kors brand is known for creating classic American sportswear for women, and has become best known for their high end fashion accessories (including watches).  

Today's watch is the MK-5036 (or MK5036), and is quartz analogue chronograph model. It has a 3 hand dial with three small dials, and a date window at the 4:30 position. The main dial only uses two hands for the dial, with the seconds being shown on the bottom small dial. The seconds hand on the main dial is part of the chronograph function along with the left hand small dial, so the chronograph measures seconds up to 60 minutes. The last small dial on the right side is for 24-hr hours.

The watch has a round mother of pearl face in a gold coloured case. The watch bezel around the glass is covered by a ring of small jewels/crystals, and the design is finished off with a padded brown leather strap.

The back has the brand name and model number, as well as the CE mark. It also has the usual info on materials (all stainless steel) and water resistance (10atm /100m).

Ive not been able to find much about the release date or price online, with most of the sales being on eBay or from the far east. The lack of current references suggests it is at least a few years old.

Bossini Z-Gear B-623

Another different watch, and another different designer today on the blog.

My watch today is by the Hong Kong based fashion retailer Bossini. The Bossini brand was founded in 1987, selling casual wear and apparel for men, women, and children, and they have released a few different watch designs over the years. The company has over 1000 stores spread across 40 countries including Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and India (which is an interesting mix of locations).

This watch is part of a range called Z-Gear, and is a quartz analogue watch with an unusual case shape. It is a 3 hand dial designed watch, with no markings on the face apart from the bossini name (without a capital letter). The case is silver and gold, and has an unusual shape on the right side where the round shape of the rest of the watch is cut-off and has a design looking a little like a screwdriver or bottle opener. The tab that sticks put hides the crown, and is marked with a 'b' logo, with the bossini name is engraved on the other side of the face as well.

The watch came in a range of different colours, and this model has a dark red face and tan coloured leather strap. The back is etched such that it is split into 4 quarters, either having etched text on a shiny background, or an etched background with shiny letters. The back shows the bossini logo and Z-Gear name, along with the model number B-623. It also states that it is a quartz watch with stainless steel back, and is showerproof.

The watch isnt available anymore and so I'd guess a 90s or 2000s release, but I've seen the sales tag for one that showed an original rrp of ¥8,500.

Adidas ADH4003 Alarm Chronograph

I decided that for today's watch I'd wear one of the models from one of the big sports brands - Adidas (a German brand which is the second largest sportswear brand in the world).

This model is one of their LCD watches with a retro style. Based on the style and the use of the shuttlecock/trefoil logo on the face, I assume it is part of the Adidas Originals line which began in 2008 and covers products with a retro 70s/80s feel.

The watch is the ADH4003 and is a relatively large resin cased watch with an inverse LCD display. The LCD has 3 lines of information, and the digits are made up of square and rectangular blocks. The top line is the smallest, covering the day and date, with the mid sized seconds display at the bottom, and the time in  largest digits in the middle. Pressing the mode button cycles through the modes, showing a text description on the top line, followed by that mode if you stop pressing. The modes included are dual time, chronograph, timer, and alarm.

The back reveals that the watch wasn't made by Adidas themselves, but that it was 'Made under  license from adidas AG'. The logo, brand name, and model number are also on the back, as well as informing that the back is stainless steel, and the watch has 5 atm water resistance.

It is still possible to buy this model online, so it is pretty new. It does appear to be a popular watch though, as I've seen a sales site where it was scoring 4.7/5 in the customer reviews.