Japanese Digital Watch Guide Book - Available in English ?

[planetlcd]

I have come across this Guide Book about Digital LED/LCD Watches but its in the Japanese language, looks like it has so much info about Digital Watches.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LED-LCD-DIGITAL-WATCH-GUIDE-BOOK-/320693606619?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aaad418db#ht_1647wt_918


Its great doing research about our hobby online with more info than you would get from a book but sometimes I prefer a good book and a cup of coffee just like the pre-internet days. I cant seem to find other copies online or any info if its available in the English language. Anyone know if its available in the English language ?

Thanks

[Huertecilla]

. Anyone know if its available in the English language ?

Yes.It is not.

The problem with the 2141 characters of jōyō kanji style is that it is véry challenging to get a scanned machine translation.
I know; I tried on a museum publication on some special Grand Seikos.

We are stuck with the Swiss marketing imposed perception of horology not writing much about anything not mechanical.
Apart from the Pieter Doensen book there is nothing much about the modern watches or japanese watches in non Japanese.

[rewolf]

....
Apart from the Pieter Doensen book there is nothing much about the modern watches or japanese watches in non Japanese.

Not to forget HAL's book: http://dwf.nu/viewtopic.php?t=3543
http://mondowatch.blog88.fc2.com/

[Huertecilla]

....
Apart from the Pieter Doensen book there is nothing much about the modern watches or japanese watches in non Japanese.

Not to forget HAL's book: http://dwf.nu/viewtopic.php?t=3543
http://mondowatch.blog88.fc2.com/

You are right and I didn´t; I wrote ´hardly´
I have some more but a book comparable with Doensen´s is abúndantly availeable by the hundreds dealing with mechanicals and mainstream brands. Just look for Rolex on amazon. You will get 100 times more hits than for books about digital- or evene quartz watches in general.
There is only one book about Seiko in western languages: The Journey in Time by Seiko themselves.
There is even more on Rússian watches in western languages

[planetlcd]

Thanks for the info guy's, I won't bother with the Book just for the Photos......

I have Doensen's Book (it's Excellent) & Both of Hals LED Books and hope he decides to write the LCD Books he once mentioned

I also have a Book (The History and Development of the Quartz Watch) also worth a read and to add to your Quartz Watch Book Collection. I just found one on eBay for a good price compared to Amazon.

I have some general watch books that mention The Quartz Watch but only little is written.

Huertecilla, the Seiko book you mentioned is hard to find online but found one in PDF, looks like a good read.

Thanks Again

[Huertecilla]

Thanks for the info guy's, I won't bother with the Book just for the Photos......

I have Doensen's Book (it's Excellent) & Both of Hals LED Books and hope he decides to write the LCD Books he once mentioned

I also have a Book (The History and Development of the Quartz Watch) also worth a read and to add to your Quartz Watch Book Collection. I just found one on eBay for a good price compared to Amazon.

I have some general watch books that mention The Quartz Watch but only little is written.

Huertecilla, the Seiko book you mentioned is hard to find online but found one in PDF, looks like a good read.

Thanks Again

I have a hard copy but the info is all there on pdf too offcourse.
Expressing your wish in the WTB section of some watch fora will probably get you a hardcopy.

About the technology of early electronic digitals the best buy is the Digital Watch Repair Manual by Louis Zanoni which can still be bought dirt cheap from Zantechinc.com on line.

Second is the Digital Electronic Watch by Tom Hyltin which is easy to find through Amazon. The weird bit about thís book is that it tótally excluded all mention of Optel and watches using it, which is strikingly obvious as they were very much among the leaders in the game.

For geeks only is Crystal Oscilator Desing and Temperature Compensation by Marvin Frerking which is also possible to find through Amazon.
Since the basics have not changed, this gives you very good inderstanding.

[planetlcd]

Huertecilla, I will look into getting the first book you mention, thanks

[retroleds]

I like Doensens book, but it has a few glaring errors and some disappointing omissions on the overall digital market. It's my understanding he went light on the coverage of the Synchronar because of a disagreement with Roger R. Sr.. But why he left such a glaring hole regarding the Texas Instruments contributions is truly mysterious - their contributions prior to them entering the market as a watch manufacturer is possibly more interesting then what they did After. Doensen choose to ignore both. E.g. He could have easily clarified the TI-WELLS-BENRUS connection with very minimal research. Instead, we are stuck with a bunch of people thinking the Wells was a separate company or a product of TI. Wrong, Wells was a division of Benrus, TI made the display and circuit for the Men's Wells(Hughes the ladies) and for the early Benrus'(like the pop-up). The book is Graphically beautiful, but journalistic-ally weak because he let his personal likes/dislikes interfere with his presentation of the genre. I'm glad to have a copy, but don't consider it "the bible" of digital horology anymore.....more like the Sistine Chapel. One man's [beautifully rendered]version of reality.

The Japanese book does have some reprints of English advertising blurbs, but the pictures are awfully cool, even if you can't read the text. Those books sometimes finish pretty high. I've seen that book go for $35-ish. I've also seen it go for in excess of $250....all it takes is two guys who both want 'her'.

[Huertecilla]

I'm glad to have a copy, but don't consider it "the bible" of digital horology.....more like the Sistine Chapel. One man's [beautifully rendered]version of reality.

The New Testament Bible is a collection of perceptions of single men too. Added to this it is an in the third century selécted!!!! (by a group of men with a subjective agenda) collection of perceptions of men sometimes writing a century after the rereretold ´fact´.

The Doensen book being whatever it may be, makes the fact that this is by far and away thé most complete and best book on modern watches in a western language all the more
It is what Mr.Doensen himself writes too; that it is no doubt possible to write a better book and may someone pléase do so.

The Japanese book does have some reprints of English advertising blurbs, but the pictures are awfully cool, even if you can't read the text. Those books sometimes finish pretty high. I've seen that book go for $35-ish. I've also seen it go for in excess of $250....all it takes is two guys who both want 'her'.

I have a few specialist publications on Grand Seikos and those were printed in a few hundred to 3000 only. The one on the GS45 and -61 goes as crazy as almost $300.

The best and sometimes only source for the more rare ones is Yahoo Japan.

The bottom line is that there is a difficult to grasp abiss between the watches sold in massive numbers and the subjects of bóóks about watches.
The electronic digital watch is probably the least covered of all.
This while the F91W and familiy outsells all Swiss mechanicals together.

Now Ventura and Hamilton are into digital watches fairly big time, there máy be publications forthcoming on thóse and that míght start a trend.

[retroleds]

The best and sometimes only source for the more rare ones is Yahoo Japan.

The bottom line is that there is a difficult to grasp abiss between the watches sold in massive numbers and the subjects of bóóks about watches.
The electronic digital watch is probably the least covered of all.
This while the F91W and familiy outsells all Swiss mechanicals together.

The only excuse for the vintages not being covered better might be the short time period the expensive LEDs were produced. I think once an item falls into the $20 range(entry level) it is hard to convince much of the public that, "something cheap is good". And all the embedded digital clocks blur the lines even more to the general public. I rarely get comments on the display of an LED(a lot of people 45+ don't seem to remember them?), more so on the case designs(old-school!).

[Huertecilla]

I also have a Book (The History and Development of the Quartz Watch) also worth a read and to add to your Quartz Watch Book Collection.

By Matz? That is a bit of an anti-climax with not all that much info and nothing breaking the surface. Véry cheaply made and published too.
I think $5 for anekdotal value.

[Huertecilla]

I think once an item falls into the $20 range(entry level) it is hard to convince much of the public that, "something cheap is good".

True.
The problem is that especially, almost exclusively, with electronic digital watches this extends to the higher end.

Mechanical movements are basically third world technology nowadays and the cheapest ones are sub $20.
There are mány more expamples of products that have a disposable bottom end and a highly exclusive high end.
This applies to shoes, belts; heck ´nay peice of clothing but also to complex apparatus like motorised vehicles.
Why is the lectronic digitla só ´contaminated´ with the image of cheapness that apart fom the very beginning with LED no 18 carat gold models are found. Nóne!
I just do not get it. It is thé most advanced, durable and most rugged, in fact superior watch technology thus an ideal match for the eternal luxury material.
I mean, there have been and are plenty of analogue quartz watches about; not barring luxury brands like Rolex, Chopard, etc.

It is also a very intersting story and history made in our life time, that electronic watch revolution.

[retroleds]

Why is the lectronic digitla só ´contaminated´ with the image of cheapness that apart fom the very beginning with LED no 18 carat gold models are found. Nóne!
I just do not get it. It is thé most advanced, durable and most rugged, in fact superior watch technology thus an ideal match for the eternal luxury material.
I mean, there have been and are plenty of analogue quartz watches about; not barring luxury brands like Rolex, Chopard, etc.

It is also a very intersting story and history made in our life time, that electronic watch revolution.

And that, my friend, is why we are here.

[Seiko Kid]

I just bought the Japanese LCD book, also the G shock catalogue. Im trying to find an app for my phone to translate but if you have any questions let me know