19 May 2006, 23:57
I never liked the EZ scroll, I found it very inconvenient to use. It was one of the reasons I sold my Alpha. Perhaps by now they've gotten the kinks worked out, but on my v-tec Alpha, it was not smooth at all. I would have to turn it by different amounts to get to the next function - with the result that I would always skip past the function I was trying to get to, or have to keep turning the scroll further than I expected. I think there may have been a delay problem too; where I would keep turning the scroll, but the watch would be displaying where I was half a second ago, then jump ahead to where I was, skipping over whatever was in between.
The fact that v-tec is also using an industry standard self-winding mechanism from a mechanical watch (instead of something solid state, like, say, a solar panel) to power their digital watches is just too trapped in the mechanical watch mindset for my taste.
It's too bad, because the watches look absolutely fantastic and wonderfully high-tech. I just wish there was more substance and innovation inside that expensive and durable high-quality case.
LED watches are quiet and polite. No ticking, no tocking, no beeping, no buzzing; they will only tell you the time when you ask to see it and they will do so instantly with no attention-seeking animations. A more civilized watch for a more civilized age.
