Android Powered: I'm Watch

Check out the Italian-made smartphone-compatible watch, the I’m watch. It is powered by Google's Android o/s and comes in two versions: the I’m Color and the I’m Jewel. The I'm Jewel is the high-end version crafted from precious metals like gold and titanium.


The watch can connect to both iPhone 4 and Android smartphones via Bluetooth and features basic phone functions like making and receiving calls, sending text messages, and a user speakerphone for hands-free use.  Via its 1.54” 240×240 pixel color TFT touchscreen, you can view Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare notifications, as well as a photo gallery!  It has 4GB of built-in storage, 64MB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support and a Li-Po 600 mAh battery. 

It's not only stylish it's functional. Niiiiice!

[via NewLaunches]

Google Inspired: Chrome, Android and Google Watches

Google has partnered with Modify Watches to roll out a bunch of watches featuring Google-inspired designs like a Chrome watch, an Android watch or a regular Google watch. These watches feature analog faces with interchangeable color bands.  The Android watch would coordinate well with my Android phone and my Android tablet!

[via NewLaunches]

Trademark Snafu: Apple iPad iOS 6 Clock

SBB, a Swiss railway operator, and a Swiss watchmaker are weighing their options with regard to the Apple iPad iOS 6 watch app. The iOS 6 watch app (top) looks startlingly like the emblematic clock designed by Zurich-born engineer Hans Hilfiker in 1944 (bottom).

"We now have to agree on the legal framework between SBB and Apple," SBB spokesman Reto Kormann said as SBB still holds the trademark

Mondaine Group, the company that has held the license since 1986 to make clocks and wristwatches for consumers based on the 20th-century design classic, said it would also challenge Apple.

The Swiss clock was designed for the national rail service to help travelers check the time at a distance as they hurried to catch their trains.
In 1953 Hilfiker added a red second hand, which pauses briefly at the top of each minute "to enable trains to depart punctually", as he put it.
The second hand with a circle at its end is based on the device a station manager on the platform would wave for a train's departure, and SBB holds the rights to the design.

Apple has not yet responded.

[via Reuters]

A Cult Watch is Born: HD3 with SLYDE

From the press release:

A single case for a luxury watch with an infinity of components, movements and complications. Sounds unthinkable? Think again. This amazing concept of Time, born in the fertile mind of celebrated Swiss designer Jorg Hysek, has become reality: SLYDE. The perfect fusion between the latest design trends and cutting-edge electronic technology – revolutionizing our vision of Time at the dawn of the Third Millennium.

SLYDE takes the underlying principle of the smartphone – the possibility to change applications by merely sliding a finger over a tactile screen – and adapts it to the world of timepiece perfect for modern, aesthetic, instantaneous time-reading.

Jorg Hysek was inspired by the automobile world ('which influences our entire aesthetic approach') in crafting the watch's streamlined appearance. He came up with a 21st century watchmaking.

[via SwissTime]

Edit 08/31/11: The HD3 Slyde is due out in September 2011. Check for retailers here.

Stunning Additions: Casio Edifice EQW-M710-1AER and EQW-M710DB-1AER Watches

From Casio: Introducing Casio’s latest additions to the Edifice high performance collection - the sporty EQW-M710-1AER and classically styled EQW-M710DB-1AER chronograph watches.

With detailed bezel engraving, the stunning watches feature must-have sports functionality, including a triple sequential chronograph and water resistance to 100m. Each watch incorporates tough solar power technology, which uses an intelligent solar charging system which means there is no need for battery replacement. The solar cell provides the watches with a supply of energy and any additional energy is saved to a back up battery within each timepiece.

Using Casio’s cutting edge radio controlled Wave Ceptor technology, the watches are updated up to six times a day from international radio transmitters, resulting in the most precise atomic timekeeping. If perfect timing was not enough, the watches keep time for 29 cities worldwide.

Key features include:

• Multi-Band Atomic Timekeeping (US, UK, Germany, Japan, China)


• Receives time calibration radio signals which keep the display time accurate


• Auto receive function up to six times per day (up to five times per day for the Chinese calibration signal)


• Manual receive function


• Signal: US WWVB, UK MSF, Germany DCF77, Japan JJY40/JJY60, China BPC


• Frequency: US 60kHz, UK 60kHz, Germany 77.5kHz, Japan 40/60kHz, BPC 68.5kHz


• Neo-bright luminous hands and markers


• World time


• 29 time zones (29 cities + UTC), city code display, daylight saving on/off, home city/world time swapping


• Daily alarm


• Countdown timer


• Measuring unit: one second


• Input range: one minute to 24 hours (1-minute increments)


• Other: Auto-switching to elapsed time measurement (1-second units) when the end of a countdown timer operation is reached


• 1/100th second stopwatch


• Measuring capacity: 23:59'59.95"


• Measuring modes: Elapsed time and split time


• Full auto-calendar (pre-programmed until the year 2099)


• Low battery warning


• Storage battery: Solar rechargeable battery


• Power saving function


• Approx. battery life: five months on full charge (without further exposure to light)


• Analogue: hour, minute (hand moves every 10 seconds), second, day, date

They truly are stunning!

[Casio]

A Sense for Scent: Venexx Perfume Watch

The Venexx Perfume Watch may look like a fashionable timepiece but it's more than that. Each watch features a flacon inside. A soft turn of the bezel downward and the sprayer appears. The perfume is sprayed by pushing the atomizer. The watches are available for men and women and are resistant to 30 meters.

Changing Faces: UNI Watch by Takemura Ori

The UNI watch by designer Takemura Ori features a customizable digital face. Fonts, colors, backgrounds and hand designs are selectable with just a few clicks in the included software. The display is a full color OLED. A built-in accelerometer turns the display on only when your wrist turns and the mini-USB port makes it easy to connect to your computer. It’s made of soft touch plastic.

[Yanko Design]

Ecologically Friendly Timekeeping: Citizen Eco-Drive Watches

Citizen's Eco-Drive Men's Chronograph watch features ecologically friendly, solar powered Eco-Drive movement, a durable military green nylon strap, date/calendar display, 1 second chronograph, 12/24 hour time indicator, luminous hands and hour/minute markers. It is water resistant to 100 meters.





Citizen's Eco-Drive Perpetual Calendar watch features solar powered Eco-Drive movement, a titanium case, a deep blue dial, a leather strap, 12/24 time, dual time, perpetual calendar, 1/20th second chronograph, unidirectional rotating bezel, alarm, and date.

For the Golf Enthusiast: Ballersteros Golf Watch

The Seve Ballesteros golf watch is made of the bits of the golf clubs that ol' Seve used in his five under par victory at the Chunichi Crown Open in Japan back in 1991. Of course, there's only so many clubs that Ballesteros used back then, nine irons, a pitching wedge and a sand wedge, to be precise, so the watch comes in a limited edition of 50. It's got a hole counter and a stroke counter, though the stroke counter only goes up to ten. It'll be released in November, and cost a whopping $18,500. Each comes with the name of the club used to make it engraved on the back.

[Tech Digest]

Celebrating Watchmakers: 1010 18k Gold Pen

The 1010 is a limited edition 18k gold pen from Swiss maker Caran d'Ache that's built to "cele-brate the special genius of watch-makers." Called 1010 because of the balanced look of a watch's hands at that time of day or night, this exquisite writing instrument has non-working gears mounted on a sleeve, nestled underneath the pen's transparent surface.

It's rife with design cues alluding to a fine timepiece, including its clip that looks like a watch hand, a decorative balance wheel mounted between two rubies under a sapphire dome, and tiny tick marks etched around its barrel. It even has a special ruby-encrusted piston pump to move the ink from its interior to its gear-festooned nib.

The pens sell for $19,000 (and up, depending on your choice of rhodium-coated silver or gold).

[DVICE]

Very 007-Like: Storm London MK V Watch

Storm London’s MK V watch is very 007 in style - but not because it doubles as a cell phone, or works as a super special gadget of some sort. Rather, what makes it so Bond-like is its shutter mechanism on the watch face that opens to reveal the time. That shutter is iconic to the branding of James Bond over the years. The MK V is available in slate, rose gold or black. Niiice.

[Chip Chick]

Thinking Outside the Box: Draught Watch

Inspired by HR Giger’s amorphous designs, the Draught Watch by Benjamin Wysk carries the idea of symbiosis by proposing the watch and the wearer are one. It kind of looks like a Disney watch, doesn't it?

[Yanko Design]

Predicting the Future: Oracle Watch

Based on the ancient Chinese I Ching philosophy, the Oracle Watch by Andy Kurovets helps you identify the order of chance events by way 64 digital hexagrams. Press the button 6 times to generate a hexagram correlating to your future.

"The I Ching has been used for more than 5000 years as an aid to making decisions, predicting the future, etc. The text of the I Ching is a set of predictions represented by a set of 64 abstract line arrangements called hexagrams. Each hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked from bottom to top there are 64 possible combinations, and thus 64 hexagrams represented. Each hexagram represents a description of a state or process."

[Yanko Design]

Counterfeit Proof: Vacheron Constantin Quai de L'Ile Watch

In New York City you can find plenty of places in Midtown or down around Canal Street, where you can get a "Rotex" that looks kind of like the real thing as long as you don't get too close. For those willing to spend a little more for their phony bling, you can even get replicas that require an expert's eye to reveal their deception.

To separate these fakes from the genuine article, top Swiss luxury watch maker Vacheron Constantin has created the supposedly counterfeit proof Quai de L'Ile watch. Using security features borrowed from the printers of Swiss currency and passports, the Quai de L'Ile has secret markings using high security polymer papers and inks, and special hidden images that can been seen only by using a UV lamp. In the picture you can see a tiny UV sensitive sun image between the 1 and 2 on the dial.

[DVICE]

Scope the Target: Scope 2 RGB LED Watch

The Scope 2 RGB LED watch features red or green horizontal lines which depict the hours, and a contrasting color targeting box displays the current five minute interval. Dot clusters on the side and lower segment display the individual minutes. Quite the learning curve on this one.

[ubergizmo]

For "Iron Man" Movie Release: Casio EQW-500DBE-1AVER Watch

To coincide with the October 27th release of the "Iron Man" DVD movie, Casio is releasing the Casio EQW-500DBE-1AVER watch.

The "Iron Man" watch features two separate stopwatches, a countdown timer, an LED light, automatic adjustment thanks to radio transmitters, an alarm, world time for 29 cities and a stainless steel casing and wristband. It's water-resistant up to 10 bar.

[Tech Digest]

Holy Timepiece Batman! More Batman Watches

The DC Comics Original Collection Joker watch features silvertone accents, analog quartz movement, black strap, Joker graphic dial and maniacal laughter, silvertone indices at the quarter hours, green sweep, luminous hands, and analog quartz movement. Creepy.

New from Gotham, the Fossil Vintage Batman watch features a distressed black genuine leather strap with a silver stainless steel case, rectangular case with vintage Batman logo on the brushed silver dial, silver and blue indexes, silver hands with a blue second hand. It is packaged in a zipper tin (6.5 in x 9.5 in) with scenes from old Batman comics on both the outside and inside. It comes in a limited edition of only 2,000 pieces.

Bluetooth Watches for Women: Sony Ericsson MBW-200 Watches

Supplementing its men’s line of MBW-150 Bluetooth watches, Sony Ericsson intoduced a women’s line called the MBW-200. Made in conjunction with watchmaker Fossil, the timepieces use Bluetooth to connect with compatible handsets and display caller ID and vibrate when the phone is ringing or a text message is received. Users can then mute or reject the call via the watch. Either of the three distinctly styled timepieces will also act as a remote control for the music playing from the handset.

The MBW-200 watches will also vibrate to let users know when they get out of Bluetooth range with their phones, which is about 30 feet.

The three designs are called Sparkling Allure (shown), Contemporary Elegance and Evening Classic. Each includes a monochrome OLED display set into a traditional analog watch face, both under a mineral crystal glass with an anti-glare coating. Each watch is water resistant up to 100 feet and comes with a rechargeable battery.

[electronista]

Time to Take Over the World! Swatch 007 Villain Collection

From the Swatch site: "Like Bond himself, true villains live on forever,
remembered fondly by their fans - and now by Swatch.
Celebrating the legendary British secret agents most memorable adversaries, the 007 Villains Collection explores 22 Swatch watches inspired by the best... of the worst".

[Swatch]

Cars and Watches: Frederique Constant Austen Healey Limited Edition Watches

After having successfully sponsored the 2nd European Healey Meeting in 2004, the Dutch Healey Anniversary in 2005, the Healey Le Mans Challenge in 2006, the Healey Heidelberg Challenge in 2007, Frederique Constant,an independent family owned watch manufacturer based in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, is very proud to be the main sponsor of the Third European Healey Meeting in Sweden in 2008, a unique event reuniting over 250 Austin Healey sports cars dating from the early 1950s including an amazing 30 cars coming all the way from Australia, and 500 enthusiasts from over 18 different countries!

Frederique Constant automatic watches are Swiss Made and have a two-way winding system that is activated by movements of the wrist. The turning rotor of these wristwatches is visible through the sapphire glass on the back of the watch. A high quality miniature Austin Healey car in a luxurious wooden box will accompany each Swiss watch.

[Frederique Constant, EON businesswire]