Citizen is releasing 2 models of photovoltaic atomic watches in its “ATTESA” line in a limited quantity. Only 1,500 watches will be available for each model.
Because it’s a photovoltaic atomic watch, battery changes are not needed on a regular basis. It receives time calibration signals from 4 points in the world (Japan, China, the U.S. and Europe). Titanium is used for its case and band, which resists rust and makes it light and kind to the skin.
Need to know what time it is in one of the major cities of the world? Just check the Time Traveller watch and you’ll find your answer. With this unique timepiece, you won’t need to reset your watch’s time or consult an app on your phone in order to know what time it currently is because the answer will be staring at you at all times.
You won’t find the usual hour, minute, or second hands on the Time Traveller watch. Instead, you’ll see decorated one giant meta-hand in the form and shape of renowned landmarks moving around the face. They’re not just there for show, because they actually indicate what time it is in various major cities using the landmark that certain city is known for.
For example, New York City’s time is displayed by the Statue of Liberty, while the Eiffel Tower indicates what time it currently is in France. It might take a little time to memorize all of them, but it’s still a really clever idea.
The Time Traveller watch is available in a limited edition of just 100 pieces from Mister Jones Watches, and sells for £145 (~$200 USD). There aren’t many left, so if you want one, you’d better move quick.
The popular health and fitness tracking app RunKeeper has updated for both iOS and Android. One of the biggest new additions to the app is support for the new Pebble smartwatch, which now allows users to check their wrist to see if they’re keeping up pace, rather than having to fish out their smartphone to check their stats while on the go.
Both the iOS app and Android app also have some new features coming their way. The Android app now includes easier methods to enter in non-GPS activities manually, such as running on a treadmill or cycling on the stationary bike. The Android version also received a new widget that you can add to your home screen, letting you start and stop activities.
As for the iPhone app of RunKeeper, more users in more countries now have access to the fitness app, thanks to additions of several new languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Japanese. The app’s developers note that they’re continuously adding new languages, so we can expect more to come in the future.
Other than that, the updated app comes with the usual big fixes and performance enhancements. As for the Pebble watch, we reviewed the wrist device back in February, and it’s been going out to Kickstarter backers these last few months. While the watch is somewhat cheaply made in a way, third-party support is growing, making it even more tempting to take advantage of the new device.
Pebble and its developer partners have been working at a manic pace in recent days, and they’ve just released a flood of status updates that prove they’re not easing up. Along with confirming that the first red watches have shipped inside of the past week, Pebble is now claiming one of its first notable golf apps through an updated version of Mobile Software Design’s Freecaddie. Would-be PGA stars can check the hole distance and par when paired up with an Android phone, with iOS support due soon. At least some owners can look forward to a bright future, too. An SDK update within the next month will allow two-way interaction between apps and watches, albeit only with Android devices in any realistic way — iOS releases bound for the App Store won’t support bi-directional use “at this time.” That’s certainly an unfortunate discrepancy, although we may be too busy perfecting our swings to notice.
When it’s time for that mid-life crisis, you’ll look to the Ferrari of course. It’s beautiful and expensive and you think it will make young girls dig you. But now there’s a matching watch that you have to buy too. Who cares if you will spend the rest of your life paying for them right?
The Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari is designed to be a complimentary timepiece to the car. The LaFerrari was announced in March with a hybrid V12 engine with nearly 1000 horsepower. The car will cost you $1.3 million (USD). There are only 499 limited edition units after all. The MP-05 watch will be even harder to get. Hublot is only making 50 of them. The watch will cost an estimated $300,000, which is more than many new Ferrari models. It’s still cheaper than the LaFerrari itself, so that’s something.
It features a sapphire crystal facade sculpted to imitate the lines of the automobile. The casing is made of tough PVD titanium. The movement is powered by 637 individual components. The MP-05 has a 50-day power reserve too.
This watch is so awesome that it is wound with a special power drill that spins a series of 11 barrels arranged down the center of the face. As the barrels wind down, a cylindrical indicator on the left face counts down the days.
So, you’ve made a fortune, bought a sports team, own a spaceship and drive a neon pink Batmobile. If you were worrying that there were no more extravagant purchases to be made, you were wrong. Luxury timepiece maker Hoptroff has just teased details of its latest method of parting you from your money — a pocket watch with its own atomic clock. Rather than your average radio-recieving watch, the Hoptroff No. 10 will apparently contain a Symmetricom caesium gas chamber (pictured after the break), developed in partnership with the Department of Defense. The watch will be available in November and, if you get lost at sea with just a sextant, will double as a marine navigation device. Priced at £50,000 ($78,000), only twelve are to be produced, which you’ll be able to buy provided you can pass the security checks necessary to carry “sensitive materials.”
While there are signs HTC’s fortunes might turn a corner through the launch of the One, few would doubt that its finances could use some streamlining. The company has just outlined one of the ways it will be pinching pennies: it’s closing its Watch movie stores in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden by May 31st, with some Italians reporting a shutdown on the 15th. As the company explains to us in a statement (after the break), it’s concentrating on supporting Watch in those regions with the “highest engagement” while dropping those with “less application traffic” — in short, markets with poor performance get the boot. HTC stresses that Watch isn’t going away, however, and it’s delivering a steady stream of content. We’re glad to hear that the company is sharpening its focus rather than cutting the cord. Still, that won’t be much consolation to movie-loving Europeans and Scandinavians.
Whether you’re a Trekkie, a Trekker, or just a Star Trek fan, you’ll love this watch design that’s inspired by a Federation starship.
Watch designer Peter Fletcher’s latest concept design arrives just in time for the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness, though I doubt it’ll be available to wear in time for the movie’s premiere in less than three weeks.
The Excelsior watch features an analog dial which resembles the upper saucer of a Federation starship. Time is displayed on two rotating discs (one with hours, the other with minutes), which appear in a window at the back of the LED illuminated saucer.
The typeface on the dials has a decidedly science-fiction-y look to it, which could also be replaced with Klingon numbers for a more cryptic look. Since the watch features a simple analog dial mechanism, it shouldn’t be too difficult to produce either.
While the watch isn’t official Federation issue, I’d be proud to wear on the bridge of my own starship.
Peter has submitted his watch design to TokyoFlash for consideration, and I’m hopeful that it will eventually be produced.
It’s easy to forget that almost nothing you eat was grown remotely near you and plenty of it wasn’t even grown recently. And for that miracle of modern day life, we have gigantic metal plates, frozen to subzero temperatures to thank. Or at least that’s how it all started. More »
Most of us increasingly read digitally—and the book store industry is in decline as a result. But can you imagine a future where book stores had died out completely? More »
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