Hasta La Gadget!

While everyone is going a bit nutty speculating about Apple’s potential iOS smartwatch, Japanese watchmakers are pumping out their own interesting watches. This one includes a sound sensor making it work like the bar graphs on a digital VU meter.

Based on a design concept by Sam Jerichow, the Tokyoflash Kisai OTO Watch allows you to read the time vertically across two centrally-located lines. The four digits on the left represent hours stacked on top of minutes, while the two digits on the right display the seconds.

Above and below the numeric displays, you’ll find the bars, which actually move based on ambient sounds. The bar graphs can be switched off if it’s too distracting, or you can also just switch off the time and just show the VU meter.

The watch comes in blue, green, red or amber LCD versions, with matching color LED  illumination. Each one is then set into a sleek black anodized aluminum case. Power is provided by a built-in USB-rechargeable battery.

The Kisai OTO watch is available for an introductory price of $99(USD) through Thursday 2/14 at 4pm Japan time, after which time, the price will increase.

This watch looks interesting, but I wasn’t surprised to learn that it was quite expensive. Apparently, fans of the Sparc MGS watch hounded Ventura to produced a newer and improved model, which is where the Sparc Sigma MGS watch comes in.

Compared to the original, the Sparc Sigma MGS watch has got a more curvy and organic design, which was created by Paolo Fancelli. The watch is still powered by a micro-generator system housed in a sapphire crystal case, and has a 12-digit LCD. There’s LED backlighting and Ventura’s iconic scroll wheel controller. It’s also got dual time zones, alarm, chronograph, timer, and a 100-year perpetual calendar which will surely outlive you.

Limited editions of the Ventura Sparc Sigma MGS Watch will be available this March, while the production models will be available for $5,400 to $5,550(USD) in April.

[via Uncrate]

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