Howdy,
Lately with all of the interest in smartwatches, I've found myself drawn to a small number of modern "dumb watches" with notable styling and build quality. I thought I'd post a photo of a few favorites to show how they compare in size and styling (sorry about the dust - I should have been more careful):
Braun BN10:
The Braun BN10 has minimalist styling, easy click wheel operation, and a high contrast negative LCD display with a light blue LED backlight. The display has a pretty light green tint and the font used for the digits is super readable. The crystal is mineral glass as opposed to sapphire, but this also makes it less reflective and probably slightly more readable against its wide black face. The backlight is not very bright but it's perfect for dark adapted eyes. It also has a stopwatch, timer, and alarm, if you like that sort of thing. It's a bit less comfortable than most watches due to its faces and edges and significant mass, but sacrifices must be made for fashion.
Hamilton Pulsomatic:
The Hamilton Pulsomatic is a tribute to the 1970s era LED Pulsar models and shares their retro futuristic styling. The first thing that one notices is the massive, wide stainless steel TV case surrounding a huge domed sapphire crystal. At first, the Pulsomatic seems almost comically large but I've grown to like it and it's actually quite comfortable with the wide strap. I have a tendency against rubber straps on principle since you expect a watch like this to last for decades while the rubber strap almost certainly will not. However, I have to admit, it is comfortable and I like the sporty look and the parallel grooves match the stepped sides of the case nicely. The photo hints at the way the sapphire and high contrast negative LCD display combine to produce some interesting subtle optical effects which combine with sparkly reflections from the outer convex and inner concave sapphire crystal surfaces. The nice italic slant and spacing of the digits reminds me of the P2/P3 displays and the thin segments lend a refined look.
Ventura Sparc Rx:
The Ventura Sparc Rx is in a class of its own - amazing build quality, great design, and super readable ultra simple display. It's constructed of beautifully machined stainless steel throughout. When you pick it up, it's quite heavy but when you put it on, it smoothly hugs your wrist. The high contrast display and domed sapphire make it a joy to look at with its ultra bold digits. The wide contrasty digits occasionally have a slight color shift varying from a slight copper sheen to slightly blue green depending upon the angle. You can also rotate the watch to whatever angle you prefer which is kind of nice if you ride a bicycle or motorcyle (or for no logical/practical reason whatsoever).
They may not be super smart, but they make up for it in other ways!
-abe.
Lately with all of the interest in smartwatches, I've found myself drawn to a small number of modern "dumb watches" with notable styling and build quality. I thought I'd post a photo of a few favorites to show how they compare in size and styling (sorry about the dust - I should have been more careful):
DSC_6261 (900x600).jpg
Braun BN10:
The Braun BN10 has minimalist styling, easy click wheel operation, and a high contrast negative LCD display with a light blue LED backlight. The display has a pretty light green tint and the font used for the digits is super readable. The crystal is mineral glass as opposed to sapphire, but this also makes it less reflective and probably slightly more readable against its wide black face. The backlight is not very bright but it's perfect for dark adapted eyes. It also has a stopwatch, timer, and alarm, if you like that sort of thing. It's a bit less comfortable than most watches due to its faces and edges and significant mass, but sacrifices must be made for fashion.
Hamilton Pulsomatic:
The Hamilton Pulsomatic is a tribute to the 1970s era LED Pulsar models and shares their retro futuristic styling. The first thing that one notices is the massive, wide stainless steel TV case surrounding a huge domed sapphire crystal. At first, the Pulsomatic seems almost comically large but I've grown to like it and it's actually quite comfortable with the wide strap. I have a tendency against rubber straps on principle since you expect a watch like this to last for decades while the rubber strap almost certainly will not. However, I have to admit, it is comfortable and I like the sporty look and the parallel grooves match the stepped sides of the case nicely. The photo hints at the way the sapphire and high contrast negative LCD display combine to produce some interesting subtle optical effects which combine with sparkly reflections from the outer convex and inner concave sapphire crystal surfaces. The nice italic slant and spacing of the digits reminds me of the P2/P3 displays and the thin segments lend a refined look.
Ventura Sparc Rx:
The Ventura Sparc Rx is in a class of its own - amazing build quality, great design, and super readable ultra simple display. It's constructed of beautifully machined stainless steel throughout. When you pick it up, it's quite heavy but when you put it on, it smoothly hugs your wrist. The high contrast display and domed sapphire make it a joy to look at with its ultra bold digits. The wide contrasty digits occasionally have a slight color shift varying from a slight copper sheen to slightly blue green depending upon the angle. You can also rotate the watch to whatever angle you prefer which is kind of nice if you ride a bicycle or motorcyle (or for no logical/practical reason whatsoever).
They may not be super smart, but they make up for it in other ways!
-abe.
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