Just bought one of these

[redled]

http://www.tokyoflash.com/viewwatch138W3Scope-LED-LCD.html

Opinions?

...and guess which color...

[richard_uk]

I love that watch, one of my favourite of the new breed, I'd have gone for green, it just seems to fit the theme.

[edit] one thing I don't get... why didn't they make it the other way around, so the display came out from your sleeve :?

[redled]

I love that watch, one of my favourite of the new breed, I'd have gone for green, it just seems to fit the theme.

[edit] one thing I don't get... why didn't they make it the other way around, so the display came out from your sleeve :?

Hi Richard, I agree; I couldn't resist this. A very original, creative concept, well executed and apparently quality construction. I love the recessed setting button 'o' in 'scope', a nice, refined touch.

My guess as to why the display extends backwards is for protection: it's probably slightly less likely to smash into something this way - just a guess.

The display on all models is green (any other color wouldn't be appropriate imo). I was referring to the case color: stainless or gun metal. Which do you like?

Steve

[redled]

C'mon people, critique this sucker! Cat got your tongue?

[Fitron]

If you type in "scope" on the search function at the top of the page you'll find a few short threads on it. In conclusion it appears to be comfy, well built and good value from Tokyoflash. It has had accusations of being gimiky and of limited life appeal on the forum but I like it. What put me off was the short time that the scope appears 'cos otherwise I like it as it's fairly unique and how many products can say that now. It's also much better than any binary watches - I'm sorry but life is too short to work them out.

010000100110100101101110011000010111001001111001001000000111011101100001011101000110001101101000011001010111001100100000011000010111001001100101001000000110000100100000011000110111001001101111011000110110101100100000011011110110011000100000011100110110100001101001011101000010000001001001010011010100100001001111

http://nickciske.com/tools/binary.php

(It also appeals to the james bond in me as well - make it track your kids and I'll buy three! - oh and where the wife is when there are chores needing done!)

[rewolf]

...010000100110100101101110011000010111001001111001001000000111011101100001011101000110001101101000011001010111001100100000011000010111001001100101001000000110000100100000011000110111001001101111011000110110101100100000011011110110011000100000011100110110100001101001011101000010000001001001010011010100100001001111...

ROTFL

Yes, I like the Scope, but I have decided not to buy any more watch that has no DECIMAL DIGITS (and 24h, please)!
Hard enough I have to press a button to read time, but also having to THINK to know the time is not my pair of shoes :wink:

[redled]

Fitron & rewolf, I think you're mistaken to see this as a binary watch. I guess you're identifying it as such because 'binary' is seen as synonomous with 'gimicky', and this watch has gimick written all over it but this watch is not in the same category. This watch has hands!. What's the difference between two grid lines pointing to printed numbers and two hands pointing to printed numbers? Not much!

The 'gimicky' aspect of this watch is more like a theme that provides coherence, consistency, and direction to the design, rather than a radical and obscure way to tell time. You tell time on this watch pretty much like you tell time on an analog watch, the one exception being the minutes LED's, but that's a small concession which adds considerably to the charm of the design without deviating too much from the standard way of telling time.

This watch is much closer to a 'divers themed' water proof chronometer (99.99% of the wearers of which are not and never will be divers) than a watch so overrun with gimick that it makes telling the time difficult.

This watch has art, it has good design. It uses gimick to make a statement, while not interfering (too much) with the primary purpose of telling time. And what is that statement? It's the same statement that every watch has been making since the beginning: that a watch is essentially a machine, technological artifact, a tool to use and interact with. It just says it in a new, fun, and playful way, but that's what makes it art.

Edit: Apologies Fitron and rewolf, having reread your posts I see you're not calling this a binary, but rewolf, as I said, it does have 'hands' of a sort. I guess I was thrown by the binary translation, assuming it was in reference to this watch. The rest of things I said are still valid, I think.

[rewolf]

Wow, I see you really love this watch :wink:
I agree with *all* your points.
Yes, it has "hands". It is similar to the Esprit Digital Line. But still, I cannot read this watch intuitively, at a glance. It is simply not what I'm used to. I learnt circular hands as a child, and at the age of 14 I swapped to digital. There was an analog intermezzo from 1988 to 2000, but since them I'm all digital again.

The point is: I wear about 20 different watches regularly, so I can't really get accustomed to any new way of reading time. I tried the "pimp" watches (and others). Not intuitive. I'd have to wear a watch for several weeks to get really used to it, but I don't want to do that. That's why I decided not to buy anything without decimal digits any more.

Now the scope is a very nice watch, and it was really hard to resist when I first saw it (BTW: I'd prefer the "silver" version). I know it'd end up getting no wrist time, and it doesn't deserve such a fate :wink:.

[redled]

Wow, I see you really love this watch :wink:
I agree with *all* your points.

Thanks rewolf. I've been accused of being too analytical, but when I like something, I like to know why I like it. People sometimes use the metaphor of good design speaking to them. I thnk that's accurate, but I like to take it one step further and understand what it's saying.

Your point is well taken about the extra effort needed to tell the time on this watch, but I weigh it a bit differently, so the scale ends up tilting slightly the other way.

Without having used it, it's hard to tell how much of a chore reading it will be, so I didn't let that become a deciding factor in whether to buy it or not. I figured if this were the only watch in the world I would use it, and love it, all the time, so I should buy it.

Of course this is all just clever justification for I want that watch!!

P.S. Yep, bought the silver.

[rewolf]

..., but when I like something, I like to know why I like it. People sometimes use the metaphor of good design speaking to them. I thnk that's accurate, but I like to take it one step further and understand what it's saying.

I'd like to be able to do that too, but usually it's the other way round: I can tell you quite exactly why I don't like something, but not why I like something (speaking of design). That would make it difficult if someone asked what the perfect watch should look like - I have to see before I can tell (obviously I couldn't work as designer :wink:).
Anyway, the Scope is SQUARE, which is one thing I know a good looking watch HAS to be...

[redled]

Oh, i'm with you on that; I can't design worth a damn - but then neither can most designers!

I definitely need to see it right in front of me, can't pluck it out of thin air.

We're on the same page with regard to square(ish) designs as well, with few exceptions.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[collector]

'Just a quick question, I think I get how you read the time to 5 minute increments. Can / how do you tell the time to the exact minute?

[redled]

'Just a quick question, I think I get how you read the time to 5 minute increments. Can / how do you tell the time to the exact minute?

That's where the circle off to the right comes in. It's split into 4 quadrants, an LED in each quadrant , each one representing a minute. You only need 4, because 5 minutes would move the green bar on the scope over to the next increment.

[Fitron]

I certainly seems a convulted way of getting the time but you'd get used to it and it would become second nature - like taking a breath underwater with SCUBA gear - weird at first but then instinctive.

Hmm convulted ? :? I have to press a button to see the time. Pot, kettle black I think. Wear it 'cos you and only you like it. 8)

[redled]

You're right Fitron, i'm very curious to see how it performs in the real world. I'll post the results here.

[zpaulg]

I don't have the time to work out the time!

I need simplicity......a.....b....k...etc

[redled]

Well, it's not hard to read if you have good eyesight. Even if you don't you can still read it fairly easily once you learn what hour/minute markers the placement of the lines fall on. BTW, you don't have to wait for the animation if you don't want to. A quick second press of the button bypasses it and jumps directly to the time.

Overall i'm happy with it. It's very well made and the slight additional effort to read the time is more than offset by it's uniqeness and cool factor. They even took parrallax error into account in the design. It's made so that the scan lines and LEDs line up with the time markers at the appropriate wrist-to-head angle.