Watchismo Times

New Releases - Linde Werdelin SpidoLite

Published: March 05, 2009 | 14:00

Gadget and horological aficionados trying to balance durability with weight have a stylish new option. The SpidoLite, from Danish watchmaker Linde Werdelin, employs a titanium casing that drastically reduces the overall weight. Reportedly made at the request of mountaineer Morten Linde before he climbed Mount Everest, the casing is drilled into an "exoskeleton" form that further lightens the load while giving it a striking, incomplete appearance.

Particularly exciting for vintage watch fans, the SpidoLite uses a 1970s automatic movement that was personally modified by founding member of the ACHI, Svend Anderson.

The SpidoLite is produced in a single batch of only 44 and will officially hit the market at BaselWorld 2009. It's expected to retail for €9,000 and will be available in April.

Black DLC SpidoLite with detachable "instrument" and yellow Sapphire crystal

via Coolhunting & KronosBlog

Linde Werdelin website-->Link
Svend Anderson website-->Link

Previously featured Linde Werdelin Bifometer Watch->Link

Read these other unusual watch stories from The Watchismo Times;
Horological Weaponry
Shoot To Kilfitt - Subminiature Camera-Watch
Subminiature Camera Watches
Steinheil Camera Watch
Victorian Camera Pocket Watch
1950s Minifon Spy Recorder Watch
Compartment Scroll Watch
Victorian Wrist Horn
Rolex Lipstick Watch
Omega Ring Watch
Rolex Ring Watch
Walking Stick Watches
History of Calculating Devices
James Bond Movie Gadget Watches

Not Enough? More Odd Watch Stories-->LINK

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Oddities of the Day - Vintage Certina Biostar Biorhythm Watch

Published: September 17, 2008 | 00:36

Maybe the first and hopefully the last Biorhythm watch in history. For those of you lucky enough to not know what Biorhythms are, Wikipedia describes it; "The theory of biorhythms claims that one's life is affected by rhythmic biological cycles, and seeks to make predictions regarding these cycles and the personal ease of carrying out tasks related to the cycles."

Certina made a few varieties of this pseudo-scientific electronic watch all featuring a rainbow of three rings marked with random numbers for love, health and some other nonsense. Oh those silly dirty hippies...

1970s Certina Biostar Varieties

Biostar Caseback

And now for something completely different...

Below is a cheapo vintage watch by Continental from the late sixties/early seventies. A fellow collector Ruud has pointed out an oddity that we can not figure out. Perhaps you might have a guess? The watch has three seconds hands. Two in the center that appear forked and then the sub-seconds at six. This is not a chronograph, there is no stopwatch function, just the time and three indications for seconds...

Update:
Here is one opinion...from Fook in Singapore;

"Is the white hand luminous? Maybe its for the use when its dark. Looking at it now, when surrounding is bright, the red hand is very prominent whereas the white one is less so."

And just in from inventor Greg Blonder with what I believe to be the correct answer;

I'm pretty sure the two hands are used to start a race. As they get close to "12" you say "on your mark". When the first hand hits 12 you say "set", and when the second hand, three seconds later hits 12, say "go". A cheap version of a sailing or track and field watch.

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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Look at Legendary LEDs of Lloyd's Large Collection

Published: April 27, 2008 | 17:31

Video-->Link

With the recent release of the $350,000 Opus 8 ->(link) and the de Grisogono Meccanico dG ->(link) with their mechanically mimicked LED digits, I wanted to also share this video and photos from the collection of UK LED collector, Lloyd "Theledwatch". He was recently featured on Antiques Roadshow (see video above) where he shared some of the best examples of early 1970s digital light emitting diode watches like the Pulsar Hamilton P1, Girard Perregaux Casquette, Omega Time Computer and my one-of-a-kind favorites by the Royal designer Andrew Grima.

Some highlights of Lloyd's collection including the rarest and most valuable vintage digital LED watches of the seventies; (text also from theledwatch.com)

The Hewlett Packard HP-01 LED Watch calculator was a marvel of miniaturization and intelligent design. It was HP's first watch and their first small algebraic calculator but it was more than just a wristwatch and a calculator in the same package.

It combined them to do things that neither could do alone. Its user interface combined the best of both worlds. For example, to change time zones, the user displayed the time, added or subtracted the appropriate amount and stored the result.

Three styles of the Hewlett Packard HP-01 Calculator Watches

In the late 1960's and throughout the 1970's, Andrew Grima was commissioned by various members of the British and Scandinavian Royal family including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, to make various items of jewelry.

Mr. Grima's work is very highly sought after and collectors pay many thousands of pounds for his rare and beautiful pieces.. During the 70's his work was sold in an exclusive gallery in Knightsbridge (LONDON) and would range form many thousands to a million pounds plus.

Another one-of-a-kind Grima LED!

The rarest calculator watch by Uranus

Girard Perregaux's perfectly designed sideview "Casquette"

GP Casquette in Macrolon (also avail in gold)

The first solar powered watch by Synchronar
Invented by Roger Riehl in the late sixties
(Read previous post about history of Solar watches-->Link)

Rare Synchronar Ad for Women

Roger Tallon's original 1975 asymmetric LIP Mach 2000 models
(above and below)

The first electronic digital watches on the market by Hamilton-Pulsar

1973 Pulsar P2 for Tiffany & Co.

The ultra-rare Pulsar P1 in solid 18k
Only a few dozen in circulation valued at around $20k

Pulsar Calculator watches in steel and solid gold
The original 18k models sold for $3950.00 in 1975

Original Pulsar Advertising

Before going under in 1978, Pulsar introduced their very rare "Greenie"

1973 Omega TC-1 in solid 18k gold

1975 Longines LED

1976 Breitling Navitimer
(only produced one year before the LCD version)

Very rare Benrus "Pop-Up" LED Sideview
(case physically pops up when button is pressed and time is displayed)

Visit Lloyd's site-->Link

See Other Related Vintage & Modern Digital Watch Posts;
One-of-a-kind LEDs of Andrew Grima
History of LED Calculator Watches
History of Dynamic Scattering LCD
History of Solar LED Watches
$350,000 Opus 8 Mechanical Digital
Mechanico Mechanical Digital of de Grisogono
LED-LCD Watch Combos
Zenith Analog/Digital Hybrid
Other Analog-Digital Posts
Alternative Displays
All Digital Watch Posts
All LED Watch Related Posts

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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Living Vicariously Through Other Watch Collectors - 1977 Heuer Split Lap Unit

Published: January 26, 2008 | 15:13

I can't have everything I want, and that's okay (for now). With fellow collectors detailing their acquisitions in such detail as Jeff Stein of OnTheDash and Chronocentric has done with his recent purchase of a very rare 1977 Heuer Split Lap Unit made for the Ford RS Motorsports Team, I can live vicariously through him. The images might even be sharp enough for me to print out a paper version and assemble it on my wrist.

Heuer Split Lap 77-->Link

The varied reactions Jeff received upon wearing it for the first time;

one bad ass watch

the ugliest watch I have ever seen [his wife's reaction]

a statement . . . a very loud statement

a cool-looking machine

one rock-solid watch

I thought you were getting into the Bubble-backs?

what in the world is it?

Original 1978 advertisement

Partial ad translation; "Built for those with the higest of expectations. With the ambitious standards of motorsport, - with obsession, with the love of perfection & measuring equipment. If you want to wear a timecomputer, that will remain a styling & technology rarity"

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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The AlarMe - Personal Wrist Alarm Concept

Published: January 15, 2008 | 10:21

Designer Nikita Golovlev has created a watch for the hearing impaired. AlarMe has the ability to alert those who cannot hear an audible alarm by vibration on the watch. The watch has two built in multidirectional microphones that measure the surrounding ambient sound levels. Once the sound changes frequency, the vibrating alarm alerts the user that there is a situation going on and they need to leave the area. The LED lights and face alert the user as to what the alarm is, and if it is a serious situation or one where only caution needs to be had.

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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More Accurate Than God! Two vintage 60s Bulova Accutron Commercials

Published: November 23, 2007 | 11:21

1960s Clocktower Video-->Link

Fantastic vintage 1960s television commercials for the Bulova Accutron. The humming transistorized electromagnetic coil tuning fork watches invented by Max Hetzel in the fifties.

Original 60s Accutron Commercial-->Link

Thanks to devout Accutron enthusiasts Horst Knebel and Hummin Georgie Stalzer for digging these out of the dusty vaults.

Max Hetzel - ACCUracy through ElecTRONics

"When the Accutron was introduced in 1960 it was described as the first electronic watch but it also had another revolutionary feature, the time keeping was controlled by a tuning fork. The tuning fork vibrated 360 times per second and the vibrations were maintained at a constant amplitude by means of a transistor, dispensing with the mechanical contact which had been a source of trouble with earlier electric watches. The tuning fork was made of Elinvar, for temperature stability, and Bulova was able to guarantee that it would not gain or loose more than a minute a month thoughout its life. It was designed by a Swiss engineer, Max Hetzel, and manufactured in the USA. It remained in production until 1976, by which time five million watches had been sold." --via Science Museum

"Bulova Accutrons were also subjects of the other famous space era rivalry with Omega Watches for being the first watch on the moon. Ultimately, the Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph wristwatch (known as the "Moon watch") was designated by NASA for use by the astronauts in all manned space missions, becoming the first watch on the moon on the wrist of Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin.

However, all instrument panel clocks and time-keeping mechanisms in the spacecraft on those missions were Bulova Accutrons with tuning fork movements, because at the time, NASA did not know how well a mechanical movement would work in zero gravity conditions. The Bulova company currently manufactures a limited edition "Astronaut" model under its Accutron line of watches." -via Wikipedia

Related;
Other vintage watch commercials-->Link

Accutron enthusiast websites;
Accutron Spaceview
Accutron 214
MS Accutron
Rob's Accutron
Timezone Accutron

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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VINTAGE WATCHING - 1970 Prototype Concept Calculator Watch by Litronix

Published: November 08, 2007 | 02:02

This week's "Vintage Watching" presents an opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind chunk of electronic watch history. A 1970's concept calculator watch by Litronix.

Litronix, primarily an LED supplier to the other vintage digital watch brands including the first Hamilton-Pulsar digital watches. Featured here are these two experimental prototype calculator concept watches Litronix was considering for development.

But what makes this strange watch special is the unusual feature of sliders instead of buttons. Likely an attempt to improve the data entry from multiple miniature buttons to a more tactile sliding mechanism. The sliders move over a commutator which is a pc board segment. I assume you move them to the desired number and press down for selection but it sure seems like a waste of time. I guess that's why it never went into production, huh? Maybe someone can let me know if this slider function has ever been developed into another product from that time.

The second model shown here is just a block of metal, likely an earlier prototype of the one above.

The owner auctioning it (ends in less than a week), says he bought them a few decades ago a local watch and clock collectors' meeting. It is non-functional but nevertheless an interesting segment of calculator watch evolution.

Three battery compartments on back

Click here to see the Litronix auction
You're lucky, I was gonna keep this quiet and bid on it myself!

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Watch Redux

Published: October 18, 2007 | 11:44

It's time to introduce another new contributor here at The Watchismo Times! Jason Alan Snyder of EvilRobot.com has his time sensitive feelers deeply embedded in the ever evolving world of high-tech gadgetry. Today, he introduces the latest Sony Ericsson Time Masters Bluetooth watch...

"So, just yesterday I got my usual Sony Ericsson email update - but this one came with a special surprise. One of my favorite gadgets was inside - the bluetooth enabled wristwatch.

This time SE hits us up with not one but three versions of the this awesome gizmo. The three models have been given the monikers of "Classic," "Music," and "Executive." The only real differnce between the three is design. Something sporty with an orange bezel (Music), one with a metal band (Executive), and a leather strapped version (Classic).

So, what's it do?

- Vibrating call alerts

- Remote Control for your phones music player

- See what track is playing

- Handle calls using the keys on the watch (Mute or Reject)

I know, some of you are saying - "Wait a 'sec this isn't new." You're right. In many ways this is just a refresh of the MBW100 that cameout in late 2006 with some added display functionality. It'sbasically the same basic thing. But these look less like Tron's cock ring and more like something you might want to wear to work or the pub and not feel like total Poindexter with the ladies."

Visit: http://www.sonyericsson.com/timemasters3/

As a futurist, technologist and marketer, Jason Alan Snyder has spent more than a decade within advertising and media companies, innovating products and services that connect audiences to the people and things they care about. Jason led product design and prototyping for AOL Time Warner, redesigning AIM, AOL email and other consumer products. Before AOL, he also led the design for the community and collaboration products that have become Yahoo! music (LAUNCHcast) as well as the design for the user experience of TiVo. Jason is a published speaker and lecturer about technology, community and futurism.

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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Vintage Watching - The Bulova Accutron

Published: September 07, 2007 | 14:02

1962 Advertisement

A few vintage Bulova Accutron Tuning Fork watches (60's & 70's) I've come across this week;

Mint Bulova Accutron Spaceview

With original box!

1965 Bulova Accutron Astronaut

Backsetting time - No crown

Hexagon 14k Gold Accutron

1970 Blood Red Accutron

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

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Satellite Telephone Wristwatches of 1979

Published: April 25, 2007 | 15:03

A cell phone vision from the 1979 book "Future Cities - Homes & Living into the 21st Century". Page 12 foreshadows a telephone wristwatch (they even speculate the nickname "The Risto") connected by satellites and capable of electronic mail and most surprisingly, electronic voting. All activated by pressing the aerial pop-out button!