I got mine 2 days ago (the SS bracelet version), and thought some of you might be interested in a short review. Markus was faster
Download PDF manual
First impression
It is
HUGE! The face (crystal) alone measures 37mm x 32mm.
It is heavy: 160g (with 2 links removed).
I like it :D :D :D
Really good design - the trapezoid-shaped light button is just one example of a nice detail.
Satin dark grey finish, titanium-like.
Workmanship is absolutely perfect.
Stiff massive bracelet, double folding clasp. Adjustment is possible in 8.5mm steps by removing links (by pressing out the pins; tool is not included).
The display contrast is ok, but viewing angle is a bit narrow. The Ventura vtec alpha display is definitely better.
Very good blue EL backlight.
Functions
Time (up to 3 time zones; 5 display modes, one of them shows the week)
Chronograph up to 99:59:59.99, 10 lap times
Contdown timer, max 99:59:59
One-time alarm (reconfigurable daily alarm, see "Undocumented features")
The alarm is 2-tone and stops after 10 sec. Not long enough to wake ME up
.
Time signal reciever
I have 2 radio-controlled digital alarm clocks, and there are some places in my appartment where neither the Mega 1000 nor the clocks can receive a signal. I'd say the Mega 1000 is just as good as the clocks.
Interesting note: I manually synchronized both clocks and the Mega 1000. Afterwards, the clocks showed absolutely the same time, but the Mega 1000 was about 0.2 sec later. I repeated it - same result. Now who is right - the clocks, or the Mega 1000?
Operating the watch
Easy and straightforward.
The right buttons are for setting up and down. To set the timer or alarm time, you needn't activate a setting mode, but simply press one of these buttons to change the time.
But:
1) The buttons sometimes grind a bit when pressed, they don't run smootly. I guess this is due to the satin finish.
2) Timer setting can take quite long (see "Setting details"). I prefer the method of setting minutes and hours separately, it is generally faster.
Undocumented features 8)
In Timer mode, you can reset to 00:00:00 by pressing both setting buttons for 2 sec.
In Alarm mode, press both setting buttons for 8sec. "SET AL 24" appears. You can then toggle between "SET AL 24" and "SET AL --".
It took some time to find it out, but the effect is:
With "SET AL 24", the alarm is not automatically disabled when it goes off, so it will repeat every 24hrs.
With "SET AL --", the alarm is disabled after going off, it will not repeat after 24hrs (one-time alarm). This is the default setting, and the behaviour mentioned in the manual.
The change is permanent, so you don't have to make this adjustment every time you set the alarm.
Addition 2005-10-09:
Factory reset and version readout (refer to manual for button names T1..T5):
1. Press T1+T2+T4 altogether until the LCD switches off.
2. Release T2+T4, then T1 (it's important not to release T1 before the others). The watch beeps and all segments are on.
3. Now press T5. The display shows "VER 01 JH" in the top row. I guess this is a version number. The "0001" in the time display seems to be a test sequence number (pressing T4, T1, T2, T3, T5 in this order advances it up to 0006).
T3 instead of T5 in step 3 starts a different test sequence, again you cycle through it with T4, T1, T2, T3.
Pressing an out-of-sequence button restarts the watch with default factory settings and starts synchronization. I found no way to read the version without restarting the watch.
Conclusion
Heavy chunky stunning beauty.
Highly recommended!
On time setting
I spent some time with analyzing the setting mechanism. I guess it's not very interesting (or even boring) for most people, but why not share the results:
When you press a setting button, auto-incrementing starts after 1 sec at a rate of 8 steps/sec. The rate is constant, but step width increases if you keep the button pressed for a longer time.
Timer setting
After 1 sec, it starts advancing in steps of 1 sec, 8 steps/sec, i.e. 0:00:08 h/sec
After another 11 sec (@ 1sec + 11*8*1sec = 0:01:29), step width changes to 16 sec, 8 steps/sec, i.e. 0:02:08 h/sec
After another 12 sec (@ 0:01:29 + 12*8*16sec = 0:27:05), step width changes to 451 sec, 8 steps/sec, i.e. 1:00:08 h/sec.
Say you want to set the timer from 0:00:00 to 0:10:00
1. Press UP button and release after exactly 16.0 sec. The display shows 01:29+4*02:08 = 10:01.
2. Press DOWN button once - voil? 10:00!
Now if you release the button a bit too early in 1., e.g. after 15.75sec, you'll be at 01:29+3.75*02:08 = 09:29. Then you'd have to press for another 4.75 sec to reach 10:00.
So practically you'll need minimum 25 sec to set the timer to 0:10:00!
Worst case: set timer to 50:00:00
1. Press UP button for exactly 61.5 sec. Display will show 50:03:41.
2. 0:03:41 to much, so press DOWN for another 13.0 sec. Display shows 50:00:04 (only 0.125 sec longer, and it'd be 49:59:48 )
Altogether, it will take about 80 sec to set the timer to 50:00:00.
Alarm setting
After 1 sec, it starts advancing in steps of 1 min, 8 steps/sec, i.e. 0:08 h/sec
After another 8 sec (@ 1min + 8*8*1min = 1:05h), step width changes to 6 min, 8 steps/sec, i.e. 0:48 h/sec
After another 6 sec (@ 1:05h + 6*8*6min = 5:53h), step width changes to 16 min, 8 steps/sec, i.e. 2:08 h/sec
To advance by 12:00h: press button for 17.75 sec -> 11:45, then another 2.75 sec -> 12:00.