Tag Heuer Meridiist Mobile Phone Is Official: Costs More Than Your Tag Watch

This could be an answer to a question the market did not ask, or it could be a great device that is (economically) ahead of its time. When Vertu came out with their ultra-high end phones, the mobile phone enthusiast world scoffed. A) why pay so much money for a phone that is going to be obsolete before I can finish paying it off, and B) why again am I paying $5000 for a phone that isn't solid gold (and even if it were...). The answer to these questions is probably obvious to most people who like cell phones, but that isn't who the Vertu or the new Tag Heuer Meridiist phone is aimed toward. Didn't see a Vertu at your local AT&T dealer? That is because you can only find them at high-end watch stores, and the same will be true for the Tag Heuer Meridiist phones. I will spare all the marketing hype and tell you what is important to know about the Meridiist. Tag Heuer decided it wanted a mobile phone. Finding success with other branded products such as eyeglasses, it felt the brand was strong enough to enter other markets. Vertu proved that at least someone was buying super expensive phones, and LVMH (Tag Heuer's parent company) felt that Tag Heuer was probably the best bet for the endeavor. About three years ago, Tag Heuer teamed with a company called Modelab, which helps companies build branded mobile phones. Tag Heuer could likely offer lots of input and engineering as to the materials and construction of the phone itself, but the actual electronics inside and software were things Tag Heuer has had no experience with. Better leave it to the experts.

Linde Werdelin Land Instrument (discussed here)

However, unlike most diving computers that go on your wrist, the Sea Instrument has a very inviting display. Well spaced information and charts take the 12 week training course out of diving computer use. Suunto for example, has an excellent range of diving watches. The top ones connect to your computer to sync all types of data. While this is interesting, I don't see how it helps you in dire situations. If the Sea Instrument has its use, it will be in easy of use and legibility. That is where Linde Werdelin can expect to collect such a high premium, not on looks and materials alone. Despite the above, one has to ask themselves what market this watch is made for. Tech couture divers? Sure. Movies wanting to depict futuristic diving tools? Sure. Mainstream divers with enormous diving equipment budgets? Sure. That seems to be just about it. Liden Werdelin will be happy selling 1000 of these watches a year. Watches like this are not designed to be mass produced. In fact most watches are not. That is part of the beauty of many watches, ownership is entrance into a small selective club. Here however, you best like the Sea Instrument from the bottom of your heart, which you may. Just don't expect to find a ton of use for it on the surface.

New Linde Werdelin Sea Instrument: Luxury Computer Diving Instrument

As if the existing range of diving computers was not enough, Linde Werdelin felt it necessary to expand their "Instrument" lineup with the Sea Instrument to compliment the Land Instrument. Sounds reasonable enough. If you recall, the Linde Werdelin Land Instrument (discussed here) is a high-end computer that sits on your wrist either in a little watch harness or on top of a Linde Werdelin Biformeter watch (they don't come together). While the Land Instrument covered such areas such as weather, altitude, and heart rate (among other functions), the Sea Instrument is meant to be a diver's companion thus showing different important pieces of information related to being underwater. Included among the Sea Instrument's features are depth gauges, dive times, decompression times, temperature, and other important data. Unlike the Land Instrument, this new model has a color display, and shares the nice sapphire crystal. The case itself comes in anodized aluminum, as well as a limited edition 18k gold case (just what every styling diver needs). The module itself has a battery rated to last for 28 hours, and presumably can be shut off when not in use. The unit comes with harness so that i can be worn like a watch along with a recharging station. Prices are high, but not "crazy" high. The aluminum version will run you about $3,000 - $4,000, and I don't really want to think about the cost of the limited edition gold version. Well, then again, prices are high for diving computers, roughly 3 to 4 times the prices of other well featured units out there. The pricing is more inline with other luxury designed watches, not diving computer watches.

The Wearfone is the first watch phone for the masses

To promote battery life, the Wearfone will not be a 3G phone, but use more traditional frequencies instead. Regardless, you'll still have to charge it every couple of days at least. They also boast the ability for the Wearfone to connect to computers and other mobile devices (meaning other phones as well?). I tend to take this to mean the watch will have Bluetooth, but not specific reports on this yet. The TV screen looking case and face are apt for the purposes this watch is designed for. While not a small watch in size, the Wearfone is humble, and makes for a respectable piece of wrist technology. I like that it features a metal (probably aluminum) bracelet, which ups the style a bit. A rubber strap would have made the thing just look cheap. Expect a number of colors and options to be available. The Fins know how to make computer based watches. Suunto is Finland based, and has been making excellent watches for years with dizzying amounts of technology that still manage to look good. If the people behind the Wearfone have their way, they should be available by the end of the year for purchase. Pricing is between about $700 - $1,500. This price, while high for a mobile phone, is reasonable for a watch that does this much. Look forward to more information as it becomes available.

Finnishly Styled ‘Wearfone’ Is Another GSM Phone Watch

From Finland comes the Wearfone, a GSM based watch phone, that is more than a concept. This production ready (with pricing) watch with built in phone paves a new direction for watch phones everywhere. Last week I talked about Chinese watch phones that follow a similar principle here. While the Chinese watches are designed with a more "techy" direction in mind, the Finnish Wearfone, has minimalist elements, attempting at a highly functional watch with a build in phone, that won't have you branded "nerd." Thats not to say they aren't cool. but you can really only show them off in selected nerdling cirlces; myself included. The Wearfone is the first watch phone for the masses. The bright OLED screen displayed has a traditional analog watch face as a default. It is unclear what the specific touch screen input method may be (keyboard on screen, etc...) but suffice it to say that you'll be able to make calls and SMS text message with the Wearfone. The designers indicate that the clock screen would be the default input screen for accessing functions of the phone, meaning that you'll probably have to use the tip of your finger or some stylus to input data and use the device.

Chinese Cell Phone Wrist Watches For US

"Support incoming calls with big head sticker..." "Support incoming call vibration..." "Personality design and delicate craftsmanship, having flown line figure." These are some humorously translated and hefty promises for these quirky Chinese made phones that will operate on some US GSM phone carriers. All you need to do it place in your SIM card and you are good to go. Make sure your carrier is on the correct GSM frequency. I would have whined up a storm for something like this when I was a kid. Totally secret agent kind of stuff. I mean, its not just a phone on your wrist, but the little color touch screen, pull out stylus, promise of media play back, Bluetooth, and other features just about makes me want to sink the under $200 into one of these phones to play with it. Prices start at about $130. Wearing one of these will make me look like a dork socially (note to Bluetooth headset wearers everywhere), but my young relatives would love it! You can visit the spec pages to read about the long list of features these wrist watch phone purportedly have. Don't count on it all, but it is probably safe to say that they at least work. These aren't going to be streamlined tools having gone through testing, but the low cost and ability to swap SIM cards might make them worth it for those interested enough. Check the links for an eBay seller who has a good deal of them. They each come with chargers and data transfer tools. I'd imagine the English translated software is about as good as the English on the eBay pages.

Linde Werdelin Biformeter watch making it pretty slim in reality

Everything is displayed on the Land Instrument's surprisingly sharp gray four-tone 128x128 pixel LCD screen. There is a backlight that can be activated during low light situations for a few seconds at a time. Linde Werdelin's other Instrument, the Sea Instrument, features a color screen. I don't really think that a color screen is necessary on a device such as this. To properly display different colors the backlight would need to be on too much and significantly reduce the battery life. A gray scale screen is just fine here, and accordingly, it has a good level of battery life with about 60 hours of standby time. This will give you a good day or two of usability, but it will need to be recharged. It is important to note that Land Instrument is not a watch per se, meaning that it is not made to be worn all the time like a watch. If you do, you'll need to charge it pretty regularly (makes me think of the Microsoft SPOT watches). Right out of the box, the Land Instrument cannot be worn on your wrist by itself. However, a special wrist strap can be purchased separately from Linde Werdelin that you'd probably want to get if you don't have a Biformeter watch. The Land Instrument also comes with a world charger. If you take your Land Instrument on adventures, it'll be a good idea to bring along a solar charger or other types of charging equipment. The Land Instrument is a nice feeling device, and is built to be light (41 grams) yet durable. The body is constructed from aircraft grade aluminum, with a mineral glass screen. While the device looks thick, most of the underside in concave allowing for it to fit on a Linde Werdelin Biformeter watch - making it pretty slim in reality. Size wise, it is about 44mm long, 52 mm wide, and 18mm tall at its highest point. Two little hinged clips on the side of the case allow for it to be clipped on to a Biformeter watch, charger, or the Land Instrument's accessories that come with it or can be purchased from Linde Werdelin.

Linde Werdelin Land Instrument Review: More Than A Watch

"Instrument" is probably the best term to describe this nifty little device. It packs a lot of functionality, probably more than you'll ever use. The best way to describe it is a multifunction wristtop computer (term borrowed from Suunto) suitable for extreme conditions that can actually help you survive if you use it properly. The Land Instrument is made by Linde Werdelin, a manufacturer of primarily... luxury watches, and interestingly enough, the Land Instrument is more reasonably priced than you might suspect given its pedigree and functionality. The current price is about $1,100. The name really sums it up: "Land Instrument." It is meant for land based operation as opposed to Linde Werdelin's upcoming Sea Instrument. Specifically, the functions are focused on cold weather, high altitude exploration. For example, it features such notices as an "avalanche warning" or "frostbite warning." This might seem gimmicky, but using the external thermometer and internal barometric pressure gauge and altimeter - as well as its logging functions - the Land Instrument can actually give you accurate information that is worth paying attention to (and can save your life in dire situations). To help you understand the full functionality of the Land Instrument, it is best to go over everything it does and what it comes with. Let's start with what is actually contained inside the instrument itself, and then move on to the included accessories which contain external sensors. Inside the land instrument is a 3 axis compass with a tilt sensor (this provides you with a compass as well as ascent and descent monitoring), and an atmospheric pressure sensor (for barometric pressure and altitude reading). There is also the internal low power consumption 16 bit RISC computer with 4Mb of storage that has wirelessly upgradeable software. While the storage might seem scant by today's device standards, this is plenty to store the log data for all the sensors. Then there are the external sensors. First is a carabiner clip with a temperature sensor built in. This accessory does two things rather cleverly. First, it serves as a connecting point for the Land Instrument itself. Meaning you attach the Land Instrument to the clip and it can hang off of a belt or bag. Second, the internal thermometer in the clip communicates wirelessly with the Land Instrument. Not having the temperature sensor in the Instrument itself is helpful because it allows you to get an accurate reading of the ambient temperature. If the sensor was included in the Land Instrument itself, it would potentially be influenced by your body heat (as is the case with virtually all other temperature reading watches). The other included sensor is a heart rate strap that goes around your chest. This also connects wirelessly to the Land Instrument and provides you with accurate heart rate data every 5 seconds.

Simple Surfer: The Nixon Lodown Is An Ideal Tide Watch

If you surf, you know that having an idea of what the tides are like is important. Tidal ebbs and wanes guide the size and position of the waves, and you don't want to waste your time wading in the sea. Tides variation occurs each day and is totally seasonal. In short, it is almost impossible to simply "predict" the tides. For that reason, it is a good idea to have some type of tide chart or indicator. Well tidal watches have been around for a while, but the Lodown from Nixon is a particularly good one. It had 15 years of tidal information pre-programmed for 200 cities. The watches also have a full calendar, dual times, alarm stopwatch, countdown timer, and of course light. The best part is that all of these features, literally are accessible at "a glance." The sizable LCD screen features a daily tide chart where you are. You can easily tell what the day's tides are going to be like, and what the best time to hit the waves are. For novice surfers, that is usually at low tide, unless they are a particularly strong swimmer. The Lodown watches come in a ton of different colors, and some different materials. There are also men's and women's sizes available. There are all polyurethane (plastic) models in a many colors, as well as a titanium model, and limited edition gold treated steel model. Each is very inexpensive at under, or just over $100. What makes the Lodown watches ideal is that they are rugged little work horse watches. You don't need to work about them getting slashed and thrashed in the water, they fit on your wrist or over a wetsuit, and they offer all the information you need at a glance. No tedious button pushing for the tide information. If you are a surfer, or just like exploring tide pools, the Nixon Lodown is an excellent choice. Oh, and I am sure they have a color that is right for you.

la Montre Verte City Pulse Pollution Detecting “Green Watch”

Here is a cool idea that is more than just a concept, but actually being done right now. Pictured above is the "Green Watch" and it is part of the la Montre Verte City Pulse project currently taking place in Paris France. It was started by the FING (Fondation Internet Nouvelle Generation) The project's goal is to create a system to measure air and noise pollution in urban centers, eventually learning how to create environmentally sustainable cities. There are currently three prototype Green Watches being worn that have air and noise sensors. The watches collect information and use a mobile phone that the wearer has to transmit information back for the database. What you get is map as seen below that measures in extreme detail the areas of the highest noise and air pollution in the city. The project aims to have 1000 Green Watches in Paris that will constantly be measuring the environment. The Green Watch contains a few pieces of technology including a GPS chip, Bluetooth chip, and the ozone (o3) and noise (dB) sesnors. In addition to telling the time (see the little hands on the watch), the dial has color coded sensors that change depending on the environment. Thus, the wearer knows whether the air quality is good or bad, and (if they are deaf) if it is a loud area. To have the watch itself send data over mobile digital networks would be too burdensome on the battery. Instead, the device connect via Bluetooth to a nearby mobile phone which relays the data in real time. In the event there is no mobile phone, the wearer can have the Green Watch auto synchronize with the City Pulse network by connecting it to their computer in a manner similar to an iPod. City Pules' data collected from the Green Watch will be available to anyone. You will be able to visit the interactive map located at la Montre Verte City Pulse here to see the most polluted areas in Paris (in French). You can also download the data on the website. The project literally just started in May, so it is brand new. I do think it is quite cool, and the watch looks like an eye on purpose. It is there to always "view" what is going on with the environment. Leave it to the French to build in the symbolism - I love it. Eventually the project will have thousands of people, hopefully all over the world who are using this type of cloud sourcing concept to battle the problem of having always up to date information on environmental conditions.

num8 GPS Locator Watch By LOK8U, For Kids

Are you the obsessively protective type of parent? Do you want your toddler or pre-teen sporting a watch? Do you think they won't notice the fact that you bring a WiMax or other Internet equipped laptop when ever you follow them out to play? Well, if you can say yes to any of these questions, the num8 might be a good purchase for you. British company LOK8U ("locate you," yes, very clever...) is about to release this GPS equipped digital watch in the US with a debut at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. If you look past some obvious flaws, the num8 is a really awesome piece of technology. Oh, and LOK8U... here in America we have no idea when or what 14:42 is unless we are in the military, and no GI would be caught dead wearing this. Actually, I can totally see the military making soldiers wear these, so they might actually be caught dead wearing them. Lets go over the major flaws right away. 1) You need to use the Internet (probably ok via a smart phone too) to locate your brood. 2) Any rascally (or semi independent kid) who is able to count jelly beans is gonna figure out really quick that for mommy and daddy to stop playing big brother, they just need to take the big plastic thing on their wrist off (LOK8U note to self, "make next version attach with single handcuff, not plastic, no big goofy key"). 3) This device is not going to have a battery life long enough to find your child who has been kidnapped by criminally disabled ransomers. Aside from these issues, the technology is pretty cool. The included GPS tracking system is viewable on a Google Maps like map from the Internet. You'll see a beacon of where the wearer is, and you can even set "notice parameters." Meaning if children stray out of a predesignated area, you can get e-mail and SMS (text message) alerts. The device says that it can also send you a text message when the watch is removed. Meaning that if your youngster takes the watch off you should be sent a text message. I'd have to see how this works. It reminds me too much of the beginning of Running Man with the neck collars. Remember? The open prison where if an inmate strayed too far their head would explode. Well your kid's wrist won't blow off, but your phone will blow up ("device separation alert!"). All sorts of "security" features are built in apparently. This is going to make for some very safe, very sad children.

LG GD910 Watch 3G HSPDA Phone; Tells Time, Makes Calls

You might be thinking that this is just some gimmicky concept, or another of those skepticism filled no-name Chinese watch phones, but you'd be wrong (it is Korean, not Chinese). And it is from large manufacturer LG nonetheless, which signifies a new era for Dick Tracy wannabes. With an official announcement due at CES (the consumer electronics show) soon, the LG GD910 is a fully functional 3g (and 7.2mps HSPDA) watch phone with most of the bells and whistles in its non-wrist worn counterparts. LG calls is a "wrist phone." It even supports voice-to-text commands as well two way video conferencing. Talking on the phone is done in one of three ways. You either hold the watch phone up to your ear like... well, an idiot, use the speaker phone function, or more logically Bluetooth. All in all, the people using this wrist phone at CES have been loving it. In what is likely to be a device with abyssal battery (well maybe not that bad), the LG GD910 features a touch screen and microphone, as well as a few buttons on the side as its data input options. Yea, you might need small hands to operate it, but don't you carry a stylus around with you anyway? I have a feeling this little watch phone is going to be easier to use than people predict. I stress that this is a bid deal because it is the first time I can tell that a major electronics manufacturer is taking watch phones seriously enough to mass produce them. The LG GD910 will be available in Asian and European markets only, but that isn't to say that a few stray units will make it to our shores. More importantly is what these watches represent for the future of computer watches and mobile phones. We haven't heard the term "convergence device" in almost a year, but don't worry, the concept is still strong. This is a real convergence device that makes sense. They just need to work out the practicality kinks. Think of it though. This little device actually delivers two way video conferencing on your wrist. While this service has been available in advanced Asian nations for a while, it is something that we haven't received here in America on any wide scale, even though it has been promised to us since childhood. LG has promised full production with US distribution for the LG GD910 is North America starting this year.

Japanese Watches Test Marketable Features

One of the wonderful things about Japan is the wealth of gadgets and electronics they produce. There, they have a totally different mentality that the US when it comes to new technology or products. In Japan, it seems as though they release some items to market and watch and see what occurs. Sometimes things catch on, other times they don't, but they realize that markets are incredibly hard to gauge. The US on the other hand will take forever before releasing a product to make sure that marketing, advertising, and consumer opinion all align. And still the result is often unpredictable. Lucky for watch fans, Japan takes this same approach with the watches it makes. Japanese and European watches share very little in common. Other than accepting the quartz movement, there is probably little the Swiss or Germans took from the Japanese, but the same is not true in the reciprocal. Japanese designers and engineers are masters of borrowing styles, ideas, and implementation from other sources, and often improving on them. Along with that, Japan's electronic obsession has resulting in some outstanding technology.

Citizen Campanola Tonneau Perpetual Calendar

It is easy to love and admire Citizen watch company for all their other ventures, but the Campanola line is really the top of Citizen's game. A watch that combines the best computerized quartz movement Citizen can offer (hand assembled by the way), with highest level of watch craftsmanship available in Japan, results in a line of watches each stunning in their own way. None of the Campanola watches resemble anything out there, and Citizen has achieved the rare feat of being able to produce something unique yet classic looking at the same time. Here we have a Citizen Campanola Perpetual Calendar with the tonneau shaped case. The tonneau shape is common among high luxury watches for the presence it makes along with the surface area within the case to house extra complications. Looking inside the face of this watch you see a dazzling array of dials and hands, each perfectly polished. I have mentioned in other articles and the review of the Citizen Campanola Grand Complication that I own, the level of quality and craftsmanship that goes into the production of each Campanola watch. Each is handmade, and uses the finest watch parts available. Read the full review of the Citizen Campanola Grand Complication to learn more.

Japan takes this same approach with the watches it makes

On the quartz side, there are many improvements that Japan is making that the US is not likely to ever see. Part of this reason is that the watches showcase a technology without having the aesthetic value of a Swiss or German watch. Take the Citizen Chronomaster, which is accurate to within plus or minus 5 seconds a year! That is by far the most reliable watch I have ever heard of. Yet seeing the watch within which the movement is housed, and you are left a bit empty. This is Japan for you. Spend enough effort to get the product to market, and see what the people do with it. If consumers feel that their existing quartz movements are just not accurate enough for them, Chronomaster movements will start showing up more often. There are many examples of such interesting watch concepts and technology. The most interesting of which I will showcase from time to time. The wonderful part is that they are not priced like Swiss watches. While Swiss watches are often in the tens of thousands for new or interesting complications. A Japanese watch, while not matching the beauty or quality, will only be a few hundred dollars for a solid and highly versatile watch.

Grand Complication And Perpetual Calendar

Two beautiful Citizen Campanola watches available on eBay now. Each a rarity and not often available in the US. I have discussed the Citizen Campanola line at great length on this site. You know of my affinity for them. I never thought I would love a quartz watch this much. The bottom line is that you can get an amazing level of complication and beauty for a price so far below what a comparable mechanical watch is that it makes Swiss watch producers stutter. The Grand Complication is my favorite of the two, and of the watches I have reviewed here as I own one! Check out my review of the Citizen Campanola Grand Complication here. It is the watch I am wearing as I write these words, and brings me continuing joy each time I gaze upon it. Forget the generous compliments I get on this large and attractive watch, it does just about everything you could ask for. The Citizen Campanola Perpetual Calendar model takes a different approach, with a full perpetual calendar and an indicator of the elapsed years. It will keep an accurate calendar for over 100 years. Each watch is hand made with meticulous precision. I always get a smile on my face to see these as they represent the pinnacle of what Citizen Watch Company can produce in Japan.

Citizen Campanola series of watches represents the highest

Common to many of the Campanola watches, this minute repeater also offers a full perpetual calendar and two alarm functions along with its minute repeater function. A minute repeater is watch with a chiming complication. Meaning that at various time intervals, the watch will chime. The Citizen Campanolas are quite adept at this, and use the chiming function for a variety of purposes. These include, telling the time without looking at the watch or indicating specific times of the day or hour. The chiming sound is really a pleasure to hear, and is worlds beyond the beeps you might be used to hearing coming from a watch. I recall the smile which appear on my face the first time I heard my Citizen Campanola sound its little bells. This Citizen Campanola minute repeater is a rare appearance on eBay. The watch sits large on the wrist and makes a stunning appearance with its hand painted face and deep blue dials contrasted against a classic white textured background. One of the major draws of the Campanola series has been the affordable nature of the complications you are getting. The Campanola watches each utilize the absolute highest grade quartz movements available. A mechanical watch with similar complications would cost upwards of $70,000. It is my hope that Citizen Campanola watches represent a new trend in where design and functionality are going, offering sophisticated functionality and aesthetics, at prices which are not astronomical.

Citizen Campanola Minute Repeater Regulator On eBay

I am always happy to share when a Citizen Campanola watch is available. Here is a relatively rare version which incorporates a true minute repeater, with a regulator face. A regulator is watch that has a separate dial for the hours and minutes. Here, the larger main dial indicates the minutes, while a smaller sub-dial indicates the hours. Of course there is a lot else at play on this watch, and the selection of the dials and gauges is quite fascinating. As most of you already know, the Citizen Campanola series of watches represents the highest level of watch making from Citizen. Each is hand assembled and lovingly detailed. The craftsmanship is really top-notch and the materials used spare no expense. To visit Citizen's Campanola home page here.

Looking for Citizen Campanola Watches

I often talk about the Citizen Campanola line of watches; one of my favorite lines from the popular Japanese watch maker Citizen. As you know, Citizen Campanola watches represent the very finest in watch making that Citizen can achieve, and their efforts are worth noticing. The Citizen Campanola series serves a very important purpose for watch enthusiasts. It is one of the first line of watch models that is able to provide high quality cases with beautiful designs, and provide a high number of complications at very reasonable prices. The key to this is providing top of the line, hand assembled quartz movements, instead of their mechanical counter-parts. As you likely know, the watch world is sometimes split in to the quartz side and mechanical side. Purists will always stick with the charm of a mechanical watch. They enjoy the idea of wearing a machine on their wrist. However, the quartz movements used in the Citizen Campanola series are nothing to scoff at, and certainly not cheap. They provide far greater accuracy than most mechanical movements, and the amount of complications you receive in a Citizen Campanola is on par with those in mechanical movements costing almost $100,000 and above. With the Citizen Campanola however, you are getting this level of complication at 1-2% of the cost of similar mechanical movement. De Fine Time is an eBay store that often has a couple of Citizen Campanola watches available for auction. As the watches are becoming more popular, more people are bidding, but you are still getting an amazing deal compared with retail prices. Having purchased from them before, I can say that their products are as described, and they are pleasant to deal with.

Citizen has been marketing the Campanola

Pictured above is a rare Citizen Campanola Grand Complication with a cream face, roman numerals, on a metal bracelet. This watch features the most complications of any Citizen Campanola watch, including a perpetual calendar, chronograph, minute repeater, moonphase, and 24 hour indicator. A truly lovely example of the aesthetic beauty of Japanese design along with its everyday wearability. In fact, Japanese watch makers hardly make any watches not suited for everyday wear. This is contrary to many Swiss watch makers who often design watches that are only meant to be worn on occasion due to their fragile construction and use of exotic and expensive materials. It is exciting to see such widespread interest in high-end quartz watches, especially the Citizen Campanola. The signal is clear to watch makers; Americans are declaring that they want high quality watches without the obscene price tags usually associated with them. Watch makers be on notice, your American market exists and is waiting.

Increasing Interest In Citizen Campanola Watches

Unlike most watch companies, Citizen has been selling watches in large volumes for sometime and understands the importance of advertising. So when they began to sell their high-end Campanola line of watches, they advertised it in watch magazines and other places interested consumers might have eyes. The Campanola line is vastly different than anything Citizen has offered before, and it represents a pinnacle of watch making achievement by the Japanese company. Taking everything people want from a hand-made Swiss watch, a number of desirable complications, and using a high-quality quartz movement, Citizen is able to make a luxury watch that stands out and is more affordable. Affordability has never been much of a concern when it came to "luxury goods." Worrying about price is somewhat of a paradox when an item is designed to be expensive. However, when you consider that luxury watches are often more expensive that automobiles, it is not a matter of price, as it is a matter of even being able to consider entering the market. Most luxury consumers in the US do not want to spend exorbitant prices on a single watch. Thus the Citizen Campanola is an attractive offering because it undoubtedly a luxury watch, costing a fraction of the price that other luxury watches command. $80,000 to $3,000 is a big jump, and enough to allow more consumers to pay attention.

A third model makes due in polished steel without DLC

Is that vanilla I smell? Yes it is. Clerc supplies the Hydroscaph Limited Edition Chronograph with a scented rubber strap, but the pungent smell never removes from the piece's masculine allure. The modern style with classic Swiss sentiment really does feel like what Clerc was founded on and continues to produce to this day. There is a fun masculinity and sobriety in this brand... and this piece in particular adds a good sense of visual balance to the equation. It is like a big chunky watch that you can justify to anyone by calling it a piece of art. As a chronograph and GMT watch the Hydroscaph Limited Edition Chronograph makes sense, but I wouldn't call it a a perfect traveler's watch because a subsidiary GMT dial can be hard for some people to read. On this watch I found it OK actually, and you can even see that Clerc used two colors for the dial to indicate day and night - a nice little touch. It is possible for people to not like the dial style, but I personally like the mod-retro angles and bold indexes. The luminant is bright and the style seems to match with the case. Clerc has produced 500 pieces (each) of these watches which by my calculations means there are about 2000 of them floating around. Priced here at around $11,220, the watch starts at $9,350 in non-DLC coated steel and goes up to $17,100 in rose gold and DLC. They are on the pricey side but not a let down for what you would spend on something else.

Hydroscaph Limited Edition Chronograph watch available

A central chronograph optimizes legibility by using the central dial for the chronograph seconds and minutes. When the chronograph is not activated the hands literally sit right on top of one another. Using the central dial for both the chrono seconds and minute ups the readability factor by a lot. Further, Clerc's design of the hands makes it so that the hour and minute hands for the time don't blend in with the chronograph hands. Having a central chronograph means you can get away with having just two subdials. This offers an elegant symmetrical dial and two large, highly stylized, useful subsidiary dials. Like many people I am intrigued by all the new GMT watches that use subdial GMT hands versus ones on the main dial. This isn't the first time Clerc has used a subdial for GMT indication and I am glad that this manner of indicating a second timezone seems to work. One of the coolest design features of this updated Hydroscaph watch case are the chronograph pushers. Wing-like in their form, they pivot on joints near the crown. and offering a neat look and are easy to operate. For this model the bezel rotating crown is placed on the left side of the watch.

Clerc Hydroscaph Limited Edition Chronograph Watch

I said it before and will confirm it again now, this is probably the best dial that Clerc watches has designed in its modern life. I first covered this very nice Hydroscaph Limited Edition Chronograph watch here. Now after some time on my wrist I can discuss it a bit more. The basic Hydroscaph watch case has more or less remained the same for Clerc since its inception a few years ago. Though each model has little differences such as were pushers or crowns are placed. The 44.6mm wide case is highly impressive not only for its visual design, but its level of comfort as well as ergonomics. There is also the matter of the 1000 meters of water resistance. I spent more time discussing the base Hydroscaph case here when I reviewed the GMT version. The only reason I can think that Clerc made this good looking chronograph a limited edition is because they couldn't get more movements. Though I can't be sure. Inside the Hydroscaph Limited Edition Chronograph is what Clerc calls their Caliber C608 automatic. The C608 is a base movement with a custom chronograph module done for Clerc. I am guessing that it was made by Dubois-Depraz or someone similar in Switzerland. The chronograph is a central minute chronograph - which I love. Not just that but it is also a GMT movement.

New Flavors of Citizen Campanola Eco-Drive Watches For Basel World 2008

I call any watch a "new flavor" when the look and feel change a bit, but overall the watch is the same, being part of a series. This is a watch maker's way of sprucing up a line a bit, or adding a few more color schemes. Don't let this practice fool you into thinking it is a lazy attempt at a new watch. Watch companies would be unwise not to allow a watch to fully realize its potential. A slight change of design can drastically change a watch's character, and move it into your favored versus dismissed pile. For 2008, Citizen is releasing a handful of interesting offerings at Basel World. None the least of which are two Eco-Drive based Citizen Campanola watches. The Eco-Drive based Campanola watches represent a small segment of the entire Campanola line, and of course different movements. The challenge has been in allowing for the watch dial surface to be penetrated by light, yet still maintain an attractive look, befitting the Campanola moniker. Eco-Drive movements are light powered (almost all light, not just sun-light) and must have special dials as the photoreceptors lay beneath this surface. Most Campanola watches have beautifully ornate dials which are hand painted. The amount of pigment and lacquer on the dials makes it impossible to implement an Citizen Eco-Drive movement, but as you can see, this is not the case for all Citizen Campanola watches.

Citizen Campanola related articles I have written

Nevertheless, this watch retains the beautiful hand painted dial that makes every Citizen Campanola watch stunning to behold. The Grand Complication has the richest feature set of any Campanola watch. The watch has perpetual calendar, moonphase indicator, 12 hour chronograph, synchronized 24 hour hand, and a minute repeater with a beautiful chime pattern that indicates the time. The steel case is 38mm wide with a steel bracelet. You can really appreciate the details of the Citizen Campanola watch at every angle. Citizen really put their all into these watches. The available AH4010-58L on eBay right now is lightly used and over $500 off the retail price. I would recommend viewing it soon before it is purchased.

Citizen Campanola Grand Complication Watch Model AH4010-58L Available

The Grand Complication line of Citizen Campanola watches houses the most complex movement that Citizen has to offer in the Campanola range (their highest range). I glowingly mention the Citizen Campanola range of watches with frequency, and hope that more of these watches become available. Until that point however, we are limited to the limited offerings that show up online. I've had a wonderful experience with my own Citizen Campanola Grand Complication which I review here. In fact, if you would like to see a list of all the Citizen Campanola related articles I have written, you can view them here. The Citizen Campanola Grand Complication Ref. AH4010-58L is an interesting watch. Similar to the larger Campanola watches that share this movement, the AH4010-58L is more conservative in appearance and arguably more rugged looking. While it is a benefit to most people wearing a Citizen Campanola, they can be described as a flamboyant watch. The Grand Complication AH4010-58L Retains all the beauty and functionality of the Citizen Campanola line, but dispenses with a bit of the "showy" factor.

Citizen Campanola Month: Grandaddy Of Campanola Grand Complication Watches

I know what you are thinking. With all these CItizen Campanola watches that I keep talking about, how could they be as rare as I say they are? Well they are rare, but great ones seem to be showing up alot lately. So lets be fortunate for that. If it was November, I would say it is a harvest/Thanksgiving treat. So after all is said about Citizen Campanola watches, this Grand Complication is by far my favorite version. I of course have one, which I reviewed here lovingly. The Citizen Campanola Grand Complication ref. AH4000-01X is the finest example of what Citizen can produce in terms of case beauty, and fit and finish. There is little I can reiterate here that I have not expressed in my reivew of the watch, which I encourage you to read. On eBay right now, is a brand new Citizen Campanola Grand Complication in my favorite flavor. With the comfortable brown alligator strap, hand polished case, and hand painted Japanese rosewood dial. No watch I own gets complimented more often. And I have never had a luxury watch that is so legible, with so many functions, and so elegant to look at. The auction price starts are under $1,400, which is great for a watch that retails for between $2,500 - $3,000.

Citizen Campanola Grand Complication enough outside Japan

The biggest difference of course is the watch case, which is shaped differently in the Japanese version, and slightly smaller. The world model is a slightly larger watch, but some considered it too large. Personally, I love the size, but 45mm for some people over does it. The nature of the Japanese case makes it smaller and more "traditionally" round in size. You'll notice the world model is a bit more of tonneau shape (even though the dial is round), further it is comprised of two highly polished pieces of steel. In contrast with the uniquely organic shape of the world Grand Complication, the Japanese version features beefy lugs on a wide smooth bezel. These two seemingly similar watches thus have a multitude of differences when you take a close look. The Japanese version is a highly desirable example, and one is available right now on eBay at a good price from a US seller, as the watches have sometimes been imported here. It is worth checking out, as is the rest of the Citizen Campanola lines of watches.

Citizen Campanola Grand Complication Available: Different Than US Version

Us watch lovers prefer focusing on the minutiae rather than the big picture sometimes. Which is probably why I love this watch, even though I basically already own one. This is the Japan only version of the highly popular Citizen Campanola Grand Complication with the Japanese rose wood lacquered dial. The model number of the Japan only edition is: CTR57-1001. However, you can read more specifics and a review about this model right here of the "world" model Citizen Campanola Grand Complication. The Citizen Campanola series is rare enough outside Japan, but the "world" Grand Complication model differed in a few major ways from this Japan only model. First, the globally sold model used Arabic numbers versus the Roman numerals on the Japan edition. This is really a measure of taste. Some prefer the astute classiness of Roman numerals, while others prefer the modern legibility of Arabic numbers. I see the Arabic numbers on this model as having a beneficent fantasy like character due to the font, while the Roman numerals provide for a more serious looking watch. The second difference are the hands used, and this dichotomy will mean a lot to some people. The Japanese version uses hands bathed in luminant for night viewing, while the world model has cutaway hands that provide a bit easier viewing for the functions underneath. Both versions of the hands have their pluses and minuses of course. The Japan version also has a tachymeter on the inside bezel, which the world model lacks. The alligator strap used is slightly darker in color and has brown (as opposed to white) stitching; a minor difference but worth noting.

Attention Citizen Campanola Fans: Excellent Price For Accessorized

Here is one of those very classy Citizen Campanola watches that I would love to own. This is a model number AG6210-03E, sporting a curvy tonneau case, and a full perpetual calendar laid out in avant garde Campanola fashion. Like all excellent Citizen Campanola watches, this represents the best Japanese watch company Citizen has to offer in these hand decorated and handmade watches. I've discussed these watches at length, and you can read my many thoughts on them in these articles. Aside from the meticulously polished case and attractive face, the features in this Campanola are useful. This version focuses on the calendar providing the month, year, date, and date of the week. Further, the calendar is perpetual, meaning it takes into consideration leap years and the different amount of days months have. Lastly, the watch has synchronized 24 hour hand built into the the seconds subdial. Citizen is able to lay out this information in a way with lovely intrigue.

Citizen Campanola Grand Complication AH4000-01X Watch

This is the current best of the Citizen Campanola line up in my opinion, and a watch that I have and reviewed here. It is one of my favorite watches in my collection. I see maybe 1-3 of these watches that show up a year for sale on the regular channels. Buying them in America is more or less impossible, although there is a small handful of authorized dealers. You really can only get them imported via online dealers and even then it is hard to find the watch. You've probably read my words on the Citizen Campanola line of watches pretty often; but I will indicate again that the Campanola line is highest quality luxury line of watches from Japan's Citizen watch group. The Grand Complication houses the most popular complications that are desired, but in a hand assembled quartz movement instead of a mechanical movement. I've commented before on the cost of a mechanical watch that houses all of these complications. Figure at least $80,000 and up, and up, and up. The retail price of the Citizen Campanola Grand Complication is about $4,000, and on eBay it can be had for less than half of that right now. The available piece is in mint condition and was likely originally purchased from an overseas Campanola dealer, even though it is being sold from the US. I highly recommend this watch, and you can read all about it if you click on my review above.

Citizen Campanola Meets Chronomaster For Super Nice

Oh man, this one is rare, but you've got to love it. I think this is a perfect combination of style and technology that is bested in few places. Further, this particular Citizen Campanola is extremely rare. Probably only a handful are in the US. One of these is available right now on eBay. There are only 2000 of them in the entire world. You'll notice that this Campanola barely resembles the other highly styled ones that Citizen offers. While this model (the CTS57-0701) is not as avant-garde, is certainly retains the high level of build quality in a more classic, almost military look. Citizen chose to endow this model with a highly polished and thick steel case, brightly luminated hands and number markers, and a level of detail and finish almost never seen in Japanese watches. The star of the CTS57-0701 is the movement that is the super accurate quartz caliber A660H. This movement is taken from the Citizen Chronomaster (not sold in the US). One feature the movement has is a perpetual calendar with an individual date setting button. You can't see the buttons as it is recessed into the case, but it is in the 1 o'clock position and is used to adjust the date without messing with the time (as this movement also has a hack seconds function that stops the seconds when pulling out the crown for precise setting).

Citizen Campanola Lovers Get A Cream Faced Grand Complication Watch

I can hear you collectively rejoicing out there Citizen Campanola lovers. This is one of the nicest Campanola watches I have seen in a long time and represents two things. First, a beautiful cream colored dial with the signature Citizen Campanola high quality application with rich textures and deep gloss. I have a feeling its hard to truly appreciate the face of this watch without seeing it. There is almost a sunburst pattern in the design. The cream colored dials are very new and only began production this year. The other major difference in this Citizen Campanola is a new branding technique. Prior Campanola models all had "Citizen" logos on the face, and "Campanola" was only written on the back. This is no longer the case. Apparently someone at Citizen had the idea the Campanola name is now brandable. The motive is likely an attempt to separate the several thousand dollar Campanola watch from the several hundred dollar mainstream Citizen watches. The impetus from this likely comes the popularity in global distribution of the watch outside of Japan. Inside Japan, people can accept that one company produces very high end, and very low end products, but elsewhere this does not play. For this reason you have Honda and Acura, Toyota and Lexus, though in Japan you merely have Honda and Toyota without the brand segmentation. Other watch brands such as Seiko have done this with their "Credor" models. Enthusiasts such as us will always know a Campanola is a Citizen, and that is not a bad thing. I am sure this new branding method will increase sales and overall perception of the watch. For me, I don't need additional convincing, I know how much I like these watches.

That will be helpful during everyday endeavors

Because watches these days tell you so much more than the time, you should probably focus on a watch with other features. The watches I will list each do more than just tell the time and date. Some of the most desirable functions are; a chronograph, temperature gauge, tide graph, equation of time, moon phase, GMT indicator, perpetual calendar, and a rotating bezel. Next, there is the distinction between an automatic and quartz movement. If the watch needs a battery, it is a bad option. Batteries run out, and then the watch is useless to you, unless the right type of batteries seem to wash shore often enough. The only type of quartz movements which are even feasible are those which are solar powered (such as the Citizen eco-drive, or certain Casio watches), or movement powered (Seiko Kinetic or Spring Drive). There are a few such quartz watches, but perhaps they cannot stand up to the powerful mechanical automatic watches. On the other hand, a completely digital watch has no moving parts. If the case is study enough, it can take almost any amount of beating. This is a plus compared to mechanical watches with delicate insides. In terms of the automatic mechanical movement, you have an mechanical movement that winds automatically when you wear the watch. This means that you need to be wearing the watch most all the time to ensure that it is accurate, otherwise the watch will stop. There will be deviations however, and it is impossible for almost any watch to remain fully accurate. Even the best mechanical movements lose or gain a couple of seconds each month. Unless you have some very accurate sundials, it will be difficult to maintain the right time over a period of years. Which brings up two good points. One, that you should have a sundial. They are easy to make as long as you can accurately mark the circle around the stick which draws the shadow. Using this in conjunction with a wrist watch will help you ensure your time keeping is accurate. The second point this brings up is that you most likely do not need a watch that is so accurate. While it would be nice to know when 10am is each day, what is more important is being able to measure time intervals, not the time itself. Life on an island is contingent on many things which have cycles, from tides, to weather, and wind cycles. It is important to able and measure long measurements in time to allow you to anticipate what your actions ought to be; when to fish, when to set sail, when it will rain. This does not mean that your watch needs to have a full calendar, but you need to have the ability to measure out the days and months in preparation for daily or seasonal changes. This can most likely be done by combining some system of marking a makeshift calendar with your watch in indicating the passage of the days and months.

Japanese Watches Test Marketable Features

One of the wonderful things about Japan is the wealth of gadgets and electronics they produce. There, they have a totally different mentality that the US when it comes to new technology or products. In Japan, it seems as though they release some items to market and watch and see what occurs. Sometimes things catch on, other times they don't, but they realize that markets are incredibly hard to gauge. The US on the other hand will take forever before releasing a product to make sure that marketing, advertising, and consumer opinion all align. And still the result is often unpredictable. Lucky for watch fans, Japan takes this same approach with the watches it makes. Japanese and European watches share very little in common. Other than accepting the quartz movement, there is probably little the Swiss or Germans took from the Japanese, but the same is not true in the reciprocal. Japanese designers and engineers are masters of borrowing styles, ideas, and implementation from other sources, and often improving on them. Along with that, Japan's electronic obsession has resulting in some outstanding technology.

Kobold watches are getting very popular

You are going to be in the water, a lot. Whether it is swimming, bathing, rain, or just sweating. You watch needs to withstand all of this. Watches with diving in mind are a good idea because they anticipate this and will be the best job of keeping the elements out of your watch. Further, diving watches are known for being rugged. More so than most pilot watches, which can provide lots of information, but don’t always take that much abuse. So lets get on to some watches I think would do a good job in helping the island lifestyle. This is by no means a complete list, and you are encouraged to bring up your own suggestions and thoughts. Remember, for this exercise, price is no consideration, but the choices below range for several hundred dollars to many thousands. Kobold watches are getting very popular for their ability to take a beating and look good in the process. An American company, Kobold seeks to outfit adventurers and enthusiasts alike with top quality watches. The Kobold Polar Surveyor is an excellent example of the best type of mechanical watch to have on an island. The modified Valjoux 7750 movement provides you with a calendar, chronograph, GMT (for second timezone), as well as AM/PM indicator. With this watch you can go anywhere and beat the thing up while still being able to rely on accurate time keeping. For over $5000 (for most models), it is pricey, but a wonderful watch that ought to see you through the years. Down side is that it doesn’t have the functions of the digital models, but you still have a lot to work with. Kobold watches are getting very popular for their ability to take a beating and look good in the process. An American company, Kobold seeks to outfit adventurers and enthusiasts alike with top quality watches. The Kobold Polar Surveyor is an excellent example of the best type of mechanical watch to have on an island. The modified Valjoux 7750 movement provides you with a calendar, chronograph, GMT (for second timezone), as well as AM/PM indicator. With this watch you can go anywhere and beat the thing up while still being able to rely on accurate time keeping. For over $5000 (for most models), it is pricey, but a wonderful watch that ought to see you through the years. Down side is that it doesn’t have the functions of the digital models, but you still have a lot to work with.

Watch Choice For Survival: Top Pick For Deserted Island Scenario

If you are anything like me, you have seriously considered what you would do in a survival situation on a deserted island. Do I ever anticipate being in this situation? Well no, but as a dedicated lover of the survivalist genre (from Robinson Crusoe to Castaway), I do take the time to ponder such issues. Likely or not, it makes for good conversation, and an interesting tactical decision, thinking about what watch would be perfect. Let’s see what some of the considerations you need to take when choosing your island adventure watch. You’ll need a rugged, long lasting watch, with functions that will be helpful during everyday endeavors. Under the direst of scenarios, you are going to be stuck on this island for a long time, even forever. You can never anticipate what is going to happen to your watch, but you want something that can take just about anything, keep running, and provide you with as much flexibility as possible. This is not a job for a fashion watch, or even your base level diving watch. You’ll need something to survive; sand, water, heat, cold, moisture, shock, and years of constant use. Further, you need something easy to use and reliable. If it is losing too many minutes, or if it stops working, it is just another island trinket, or fishing weight.

Campanola is to Citizen as Lexus is to Toyota

The Citizen Calibre 3100 line has a few notable features making it very easy to live with. First, Citizen puts in a perpetual calendar. You might notice the omission of a month or day indicator, but that is not how this watch works. The important information is displayed on the prominent big date window. When setting the watch you use the 12 hour markers to represent the months, and set the date accordingly. This tells the watch when to have 31, 30, or 28 day months. Otherwise you would have to adjust the date manually on non 31 day months. It is possible that by pushing one of the pushers on the side of the watch, it will reorient the hands of the watch to show you the full date. Further, it is possible that movement is able to adjust for leap years when there will be a 29 day February. In addition to the Eco-Drive movement and perpetual calendar. The Calibre 3100 displays a second time zone. A nice feature to have when traveling. The classy uncluttered display is easy to read, and the hands have luminant for night reading. Citizen knows how to make a classy looking watch that is still practical. There are black and white faced versions in either steel or gold tone, and with metal or alligator straps. For way under $500 these watches are a great deal, as are all of the Citizen Calibre models. The 3100 stands out because of its attractive and simple design, as some of the Calibre models verge on the avant garde.

Citizen Calibre 3100 Watch: Perpetual Calendar With

While an adoring fan of Citizen's Campanola line of watches, I must pay attention to the bread and butter of Citizen, which their more mainstream line of watches. During the last few years, they are been evolving the application of their Eco-Drive (light powered) movements by placing them into a classy watches suitable for everyday wear. Not everyone wants a sports watch to wear to formal events, and does not want to shell out thousands for a formal watch. This leaves a large market open for nice, but sub $1000 (sub $500 in this case) watches. The Citizen Calibre line is a good idea. Citizen takes design cues and complications from popular luxury watches and mixes them in a no-hassle attractive design. The result has been a steam of attractively conservative watches that require no battery and are easy to live with. I fact, Citizen watches are much like Toyota cars (Toyota Sussex), both Japanese, and both something you can live with everyday. They might not exude passion or stand out as much as other watches, but you'll never complain and you cannot beat the price. Then again, moving upmarket, Campanola is to Citizen as Lexus is to Toyota.

Citizen Chronomaster Watches For Unrivaled Reliability Without

The Japanese market gets so much we don't. Good thing that there are still channels for the US to get most of the goods, even if the instructions aren't in English. The Citizen Chronomaster is a watch that would never be marketed in the US because the consumer interest would not match the costs of distribution. The Citizen Chronomaster is a type of watch that only the wearer will be able to appreciate because its value is all hidden. Seeing the Chronomaster doesn't evoke much. It is a classic and attractive watch with no frills. You would feel perfectly comfortable wearing it to a meeting, to a wedding, or on vacation. No one is going to ask you questions about where you got it. No, this is not a showy timepiece. Instead, the Chronomaster is about being a watch that is supremely easy to live with, and that is the whole point. The major selling point of the Citizen Chronomaster series is the movement. An extremely accurate quartz movement that is accurate to within 5 seconds a year! For those of you who do not know, this is about 15 times more accurate than a traditional quartz, and worlds more accurate than a mechanical movement. A certified Chronometer (COSC) mechanical movement is usually accurate to about 6 seconds a day (up to about 12 seconds). So compare these; Citizen Chronomaster high-end quartz accurate to within 5 seconds a year, or certified Chronometer accurate to withing 6-10 seconds a day. By no means should you love mechanical movements any less, but you cannot argue with the accuracy of a high-end quartz movement. The next step up would be a radio controlled watch that receives signals from the nearest atomic clock. You need to be in range, and this only works in the US, Japan, and parts of Europe. The Citizen Chronomaster is more self reliant and features a more sophisticated movement.

Citizen Calibre 3100 Watch: Perpetual Calendar

While an adoring fan of Citizen's Campanola line of watches, I must pay attention to the bread and butter of Citizen, which their more mainstream line of watches. During the last few years, they are been evolving the application of their Eco-Drive (light powered) movements by placing them into a classy watches suitable for everyday wear. Not everyone wants a sports watch to wear to formal events, and does not want to shell out thousands for a formal watch. This leaves a large market open for nice, but sub $1000 (sub $500 in this case) watches. The Citizen Calibre line is a good idea. Citizen takes design cues and complications from popular luxury watches and mixes them in a no-hassle attractive design. The result has been a steam of attractively conservative watches that require no battery and are easy to live with. I fact, Citizen watches are much like Toyota cars (Toyota Sussex), both Japanese, and both something you can live with everyday. They might not exude passion or stand out as much as other watches, but you'll never complain and you cannot beat the price. Then again, moving upmarket, Campanola is to Citizen as Lexus is to Toyota.

The major selling point of the Citizen Chronomaster

The accuracy of the Citizen Chronomaster is not the only admirable feature. Depending on the model, you can get a very nice case and bracelet that looks like steel, but is actually white ion-plated titanium, with an 18k gold bezel as pictured above. The effect is an understand watch with gold trim that is light and very durable. No one would know this fact save for the person wearing the watch. For this reason some people love or hate the Citizen Chronomaster. From afar it might appear to be just any ordinary watch, but for the esteemed wearer of the watch, it is a solidly reliable timepiece with a sophisticated movement and high grade materials. Citizen continues to sweeten the deal by giving the Chronomaster an unheard of (in the watch world) 10 year limited warranty on the watch and guarantees that parts for the watch will be available for the life of the watch. It is unclear how this warranty transfers to US customers, but the point is clear that Citizen is confident in its product and the Chronomaster line. A great addition to a collection or as your only watch, the Citizen Chronomaster is worth looking at for one to two thousand dollars.

New 2008 Citizen Promaster Diver Watches

There seems to be a constant feature ballet involving Citizen, Seiko, and Casio. The dance involves elegantly weaving in an increasing amount of technology into watches while making them look appealing at the same time. For a while Casio was prevailing in the feature category, but most of the watches succeed in looking "cool and techy" at best. No self-respecting watch lover would display their plastic endowed Casio G-Shock or Pathfinder in a meeting, or on a date. Over time Citizen and Seiko began to incorporate some technologies that made Casio watches so desirable, and likewise, Casio began to take styling cues advice from their Japanese brethren. For 2008, the Citizen Promaster line has some new looks, and incorporates and Eco-Drive and radio controlled movement. This means that they are powered by light, and accuracy is dictated by the radio signals sent from an atomic clock (if you are in Western Europe, Japan, or the US). The Eco-Drive movement has been around for a while, and works wonderfully as long as the watch is worn a few times a week, or is stored in a location with amble lighting. These models have no energy reserve indicator, but can hold a charge for months on end.

Complication Watch Model AH4010-58L Available

Nevertheless, this watch retains the beautiful hand painted dial that makes every Citizen Campanola watch stunning to behold. The Grand Complication has the richest feature set of any Campanola watch. The watch has perpetual calendar, moonphase indicator, 12 hour chronograph, synchronized 24 hour hand, and a minute repeater with a beautiful chime pattern that indicates the time. The steel case is 38mm wide with a steel bracelet. You can really appreciate the details of the Citizen Campanola watch at every angle. Citizen really put their all into these watches. The available AH4010-58L on eBay right now is lightly used and over $500 off the retail price. I would recommend viewing it soon before it is purchased.

Citizen Campanola Grand Complication Watch

The Grand Complication line of Citizen Campanola watches houses the most complex movement that Citizen has to offer in the Campanola range (their highest range). I glowingly mention the Citizen Campanola range of watches with frequency, and hope that more of these watches become available. Until that point however, we are limited to the limited offerings that show up online. I've had a wonderful experience with my own Citizen Campanola Grand Complication which I review here. In fact, if you would like to see a list of all the Citizen Campanola related articles I have written, you can view them here. The Citizen Campanola Grand Complication Ref. AH4010-58L is an interesting watch. Similar to the larger Campanola watches that share this movement, the AH4010-58L is more conservative in appearance and arguably more rugged looking. While it is a benefit to most people wearing a Citizen Campanola, they can be described as a flamboyant watch. The Grand Complication AH4010-58L Retains all the beauty and functionality of the Citizen Campanola line, but dispenses with a bit of the "showy" factor.

Sporty Citizen Alterna Eco-Drive Watches

In America we get upset at the notion that cool objects are sold elsewhere and not here. We have had to deal with this for years in terms of cars, electronics, and especially watches. Japanese companies such as Citizen and Seiko are well known in the US, but don't exactly have the prestige that Swiss watches have. Regardless, in Japan these companies service the low-end and high-end markets equally. I'd say that most of the interesting watches that Citizen makes are never officially sold in the US. They are made in limited numbers and sold in places all over Japan. The market there seems to gobble up limited edition pieces that appeal only to a select few. Well some of these have much wider appeal in my opinion, and you should know about at least some of them. You can get a good deal of them on eBay or other places online. Here is one piece from the Citizen Alterna collection, model VO10-6662B. The all black watch shares a bracelet with certain Citizen NightHawk models. The look is highly angular and sporty, which makes for an interesting combination with the face which has style cues from mid 20th century formal watches. Shiny dagger hands pointing at large shiny squares number markers is a look not typically found in all black watches. It is what I would picture a Movado Museum Face watch to look like if it was at all legible for telling time.

Attention Citizen Campanola Fans: Excellent Price

Here is one of those very classy Citizen Campanola watches that I would love to own. This is a model number AG6210-03E, sporting a curvy tonneau case, and a full perpetual calendar laid out in avant garde Campanola fashion. Like all excellent Citizen Campanola watches, this represents the best Japanese watch company Citizen has to offer in these hand decorated and handmade watches. I've discussed these watches at length, and you can read my many thoughts on them in these articles. Aside from the meticulously polished case and attractive face, the features in this Campanola are useful. This version focuses on the calendar providing the month, year, date, and date of the week. Further, the calendar is perpetual, meaning it takes into consideration leap years and the different amount of days months have. Lastly, the watch has synchronized 24 hour hand built into the the seconds subdial. Citizen is able to lay out this information in a way with lovely intrigue. I really love the hands on this watch. With triangular geometric precision they travel around the face's rounded and squared shapes. Interaction with the roman numerals is good, and legibility is clear despite the intense level of information.

The star of the CTS57-0701 is the movement

More importantly, the A660H (aka A660) movement represents one of the most accurate movement types in the world. To within 5 seconds a year! That means if you sync this watch with an atomic clock, at the end of of a year, it will only be a maximum of 5 seconds off. That is pretty amazing. A typical quartz movement is accurate to within about 10-15 seconds a month, and a mechanical movement.. well it really just depends, but can be to withing 5-15 seconds a day. Having said that, you should really be able to appreciate the accuracy of the A660H. Other than the Citizen Chronomaster, Breitling uses similar movements in their "Super Quartz" watches. So although this particular Citizen Campanola packs a lot in a demure looking case, it is still very attractive and uses the finest quality materials. The strap is crocodile leather with a superb locking clasp, and the craftsmanship is top-notch. The case is antimagnetic (as all good military themed watches should be, and a 38mm in size with 20mm wide lugs. This is a good size for such a styled watch. I encourage you to check it out on eBay, the price at under $1,500 is less than what a lesser Citizen Chronomaster would cost in Japan. Check out this list of most Citizen Campanola watches here (in Japanese).

Citizen Campanola Meets Chronomaster For Super Nice

Oh man, this one is rare, but you've got to love it. I think this is a perfect combination of style and technology that is bested in few places. Further, this particular Citizen Campanola is extremely rare. Probably only a handful are in the US. One of these is available right now on eBay. There are only 2000 of them in the entire world. You'll notice that this Campanola barely resembles the other highly styled ones that Citizen offers. While this model (the CTS57-0701) is not as avant-garde, is certainly retains the high level of build quality in a more classic, almost military look. Citizen chose to endow this model with a highly polished and thick steel case, brightly luminated hands and number markers, and a level of detail and finish almost never seen in Japanese watches. The star of the CTS57-0701 is the movement that is the super accurate quartz caliber A660H. This movement is taken from the Citizen Chronomaster (not sold in the US). One feature the movement has is a perpetual calendar with an individual date setting button. You can't see the buttons as it is recessed into the case, but it is in the 1 o'clock position and is used to adjust the date without messing with the time (as this movement also has a hack seconds function that stops the seconds when pulling out the crown for precise setting).

I have discussed the merits of this watch

What I really want to talk about is why high accuracy quartz movements are important. Some people suggest their relevance is limited given the availability of radio controlled watch movements that receive local atomic clock radio signals. While radio controlled watches are very cool, they lack at least two important traits. First radio controlled watches are not fully independent. They require being in the vicinity of the atomic clock radio towers (of which there are six in the world currently). If you are not within range, they are just ordinary quartz watches. A thermoline quartz movement is fully independent. Second, radio controlled watches take a lot of battery power. For that reason they aren't in receive mode all the time. Only occasionally do the receive the radio signals so that they can update themselves. Thus, you'll find that most radio controlled watches are either solar powered, or need to have their batteries changed more often. The Citizen A660 thermoline quartz movement does not have a high energy draw, and is better suited to longevity that radio controlled watches. These are pretty compelling reasons in my opinion to consider thermoline quartz movements special. The Citizen Chronomaster watch collection starts at about $1,900, and this one is likely under $1000 (there is a reserve on the auction, but I promise it is likely less than $1000. Further, these watches are very hard to find in the US. I would certainly consider them great for everyday wear or as a collector's item.

Citizen often gets their Promaster line watches

Citizen often gets their Promaster line watches done right. Unlike Seiko, they get their professional watches in at under $500. Seiko has some seriously deceptive looking watch (good quality, but sometimes a $500 watch will look like a $50 one). Citizen on the other hand always looks a bit more expensive than they actually are, and I've never had a Citizen watch break on me (not that I have with a Seiko either actually). The Japanese really know how to put a quartz watch together! This particular model is the Citizen Promaster ref. JW0010-52E. I really like the layered look of the dial, and the many textures and colors. Despite it all, it remains pretty legible and handsome. The case shape takes some angularity and the hex shaped screws at a degree of strength to the look. That combined with 200m of water resistance, and an unheard of 5 year warranty, and you've got a real deal for $300- $400.

Citizen Promaster Split Second Timer

I read a lot about new advancements in mechanical watch timing technology. Stopwatches are chronographs, and come in probably 100 different forms. In my opinion the two most important aspects of a chronograph function is how long it times for, and in what increments. Most high-end mechanical chronographs measures increments of 1/8th of a second. Not bad, but they are hard to read for precision, and you'll certainly pay for the privilege. Add in such complications as split-second chronographs, and flyback mechanisms, and you get very complicated and outrageously priced timing tools. Funny enough, a cheap quartz chronograph only measures times in one second increments making them less worthy that their mechanical counterparts, but with a more complex electronic timer in a quartz watch, your timing precision is only limited by your trigger finger. Take the Citizen Promaster SST. It measures times with 1/1000 of a second precision. Honestly, your finger isn't even that fast, and the ultra fast timing is done on the LCD panel. This is actually one of the coolest looking Citizen Promaster watches I've seen in a while, and it does a good job of combining analog and digital readouts. Take for example the chronograph that is shared on both the dial and the screen. Actually, the subdials do most of the work, and while the watch is timing they move with blurred speed. Aside from the complex chronograph (that features split times, 20 lap memory and average time indicator) is a pretty competent watch overall. Inside is Citizen's Eco-Drive quartz movement that is powered by the light, which has a complete world time function that is available through the LCD panel. The easy to use features (comparatively, Citizen makes things really easy), also offer the date, alarms, timer, and a slide rule around the bezel. You'll probably never use that, but its fun to know it is there.

Then you have the newer Astrodea Moon Phase watch

The next step up is the Citizen Campanola versions of the Astrodea which are the Cosmosign watches (which according to the chart below actually were released before the current Astrodea line). This takes everything you love about the Astrodea watches and the quality of the Campanola line and puts them together. This is really the best of both worlds for me. You can see the impressive level of detail on the dial using all the Campanola charm. The blue star map rotating dial just looks so beautiful. Two versions are available in a round or tonneau shaped case. These models again are also very rare, but findable. These watches you can get for roughly double the price of the base Astrodea watch line. The chart below makes it a bit confusing as to when the Astrodea name actually came out. "Lighthouse" was apparently the name for Citizen celestial watches until recently. The newest Astrodea watches (you can get a glimpse of them in the chart at the bottom) that have a different case and bracelet design, but with what I think is the same face. There you have it, about as much as I can muster up about the Astrodea collection without my mind going 'orbital.' It is really a fascinating collection as I previously expressed, but not a watch for everyone. Though if you are one of the people who is taken by this concept, you'll know it immediately and have probably already decided that "one of these watches will be mine!"

Citizen Astrodea Stargazing Watch Collection

It takes the right type of person to enjoy the Citizen Astrodea watch collection. Your typical watch lover or nerd might not get it. You might need to built-in celestial appreciation or a career in astronomy to get giddy about a star map on your wrist. I am not really any of these of these types, but I still find a lot of fascination in this watch. I am also not going to explain all the functions of the watches (as there are two main versions). One is a fancy star chart, while the other is one of the most comprehensive moon phase watches out there. Lets look at the celestial version first. Basically, the entire dial spins (slowly of course, in 'real time'). Based on this movement you can tell a lot of things. These include what you can expect to see in the sky given the time of the year, including distances of stars and planet and astronomic occasions. Oh, and while there are many versions of the steel watches out there (such as blue or cream colored dials and some with gold plating), there are also northern and southern hemisphere versions of the dial apparently available. In a nutshell here is what you will see on an Astrodea Celestial watch Then you have the newer Astrodea Moon Phase watch (Moonsign watch). This uses the same theme, but focuses on the moon. This watch really has a ton of information as well. You get the age of the moon, lunar cycle (moon phase) , the positions of the sun and moon, sunrise and sunset and the sun's position at those times throughout the year, as well as the positions of the starts Sirius and Arcturus. This watch features two discs, one large disc and a smaller inner disc for the age of the moon (each month).

Citizen Sportissimo Watches Jazz Up The Promaster Line

Sometimes you just need to spruce up a classic, and you have a winner. A Citizen Promaster was actually my first analog watch. It was uniquely designed and out of all my watches, got me the highest number of compliments with its bright red dial colors. These new Sportissimo Promaster watches from Citizen remind me of the first Citizen Promaster that that I owned. Both were chronographs and features a really cool and appealing styling. This is perfect for someone wanting something different, or a young adult or college student. The idea is that not all of the styling is functional per se, but the avant garde looks don't inhibit the functionality at all. The cases of the Citizen Sportissimo watches are an amble 43mm wide. It is big, but not too big. The cases are 12mm thick which is pretty manageable. I like that the crystal is sapphire, which is better than the mineral crystal used on some lower end Citizen watches. You have water resistance of 100 meters, which means the watches are rugged enough to be thrown around, but they should be having the "Promaster" label. The movement is the newer Citizen H500 quartz chronograph movement. Functions, in addition to time, include a 60 minute chronograph as well as a 24 hour hand, and the date. Both of the new Sportissimo watches are sport styled, with the rubber strapped version focusing more on a diving theme, and the metal bracelet version focusing on a racing theme. They are pretty hip, totally Japanese, and have cool red on black matte finished hands. A strong contender that will likely be priced at $300 - $500 bucks.

The watches are big, being 46mm wide

The watches are big, being 46mm wide, but don't feel as big on your wrist. Crystal is thankfully sapphire. The colors on the dial look nice, but not silly looking. The hands do stand out enough, so the watch isn't too difficult to read. One thing you'll notice is the large flatter crown. It has a nice inlaid Citizen Promaster logo in it. Most of the functions need to be read about to be used, but once you learn how to use the watch, it isn't that complex. When you have the nice looking timepiece on your wrist, it is nice to know that it never needs a battery replacement, and doesn't need to be set because it is atomic clock controlled. That and the easy to use world-timer function make it a perfect travel watch, or everyday watch. Plus the watch is sophisticated enough to keep you interested in it for a while. I like the steel version with the metal bracelet the best, but you can get the watch with leather straps (blue or black dials). Prices for those are $650-$750 retail, while the limited edition (of 2,50 pieces) version is gold plated and on a crocodile strap, that goes for $895 (not too bad for a limited edition over the standard watches).

Citizen Eco-Drive Chrono Time AT Watches

Functions! Functions! Functions! This is the newer line of Citizen Eco-Drive Chrono Time AT watches. Pictured are two of the models with the all steel version up top, and the limited edition gold-plated version below. Though other models are available. Breitling proved to the world that men like busy dials. With the advent of the Breitling slide-rule rotating dial, very world of busy pilot watches was born. I have yet to meet people who actually use the slide rule bezel, but they do succeed in making the wearer look more important. This isn't the first Citizen watch with a slide rule, but it may be of the nicest. One thing different about this Citizen Chrono Time At watch compared to a Breitling, is that the Citizen has many more functions. To get an idea of what they are all, see the little diagram with arrows showing what areas on the watch are meant to indicate. I am sure that simply looking at the dial didn't have you thinking it did all that. At first I assumed that it had the time, which was atomic clock based, picking up the radio signals, that it had a chronograph, a 24 hour hand, the inner rotating slide rule bezel, date, and was a world timer. Then you begin to notice other features that are less obvious. Just as a battery charge indicator for the light powered Eco-Drive quartz movement, alarm, a system for telling you whether you are in day light savings time, an indicator telling you what atomic clock radio signal you are picking up, as well as more information about the radio signals, that the watch is a perpetual calendar, oh, and that the watch kick's ass.

The Citizen Eco-Dive Dome started as a concept watch

The Citizen Eco-Dive Dome started as a concept watch in 2009, and was green-lighted (ins slightly different form) for production in 2010. The first of the watches should be available when you read this, and come in reference number BY0030-04E ( in titanium with white "pearl" coating) and BY0039-00E (in titanium with black DLC coating). One thing I can't say for sure is the exact size, but I believe it is 49mm wide. Big, but Japanese watches are getting bigger. Even domestically in Japan, young people like larger timepieces. While the dials are around, the cases are sort of tonneau shaped with a very interesting look to them. Fashionable, hi-tech, and futuristic all at the same time. In fact, being futuristic is a main goal of the Dome watch. From a technology standpoint, there is nothing new, just the audacity of the concept showings its face to challenge contemporary design. At its core, the Eco-Drive Dome watch has a Citizen light-powered Eco-Drive quartz movement that is atomic clock radio controlled (not sure how many bands, I would guess 5-6). Functions include the time, date, 1/5 of a second chronograph, alarm, world time indicator plus GMT time indication, and a power reserve indicator for the battery. The fun is all in the design and the case. Strap is a polyurethane black that is like rubber and uses a push-button butterfly clasp. Probably fine, but I hate straps like this where you have to physically cut it to size. With a case in titanium, the Dome is flanked by black or white plates that are very slick looking. The black one is DLC coated titanium with a fascinating finish that looks like meteorite. Never seen anything like that. It glistens beautifully, and represents one of the most sophisticated DLC applications around. Each particular watch is said to have a slightly different look to it. The white model is also amazing. While not DLC, it has a 5 layer white coating that looks as pure as white enamel. Only here the multi-layer look glistens a bit and is called "pearl" to its shine and deep luster. Crystal is sapphire, and I believe there is more sapphire in the multi-layer dial, though I am not sure. Citizen calls the dial "mirror silver" in tone. Even will all that is going on, the large high-contrast hands and hour indicators make the Eco-Drive Dome easy to read. There is gonna be one of those "oohh... look at THAT watch," timepieces in Japan. I am sure a few of them will reach our shores as well. I would totally wear one of these beauties. Price is up there, at close to $2,900 for each of the 500 pieces in this limited edition collection. Good to see more interesting stuff like this from Citizen and not sure Seiko.

Citizen Eco Drive Dome Limited Edition Watch

My love of interesting Japanese watches is greatly enhanced by my love of Japanese anime and related Japanese pop culture. Many people who design Japanese watches are likewise influenced by such media, so it is inevitable that once in a while the brass at the top will allow them to release watches with a techno-cool vibe from a very well established brand such as Citizen. This watch will likely never see the light of day officially in the US, but it is going to be offered as a limited edition of 500 pieces (250 pieces of each style) in Japan (and maybe a few places around there). Price is pretty high for a Citizen watch, but within Campanola standards though. The inevitable comparison people are going to make to a watch like this (especially the white and black one) is to Star Wars (storm troopers). That is the easy answer, and unfair given that the watch is Japanese. I see it more as a statement on types of organic looking anime characters and robots that have more curves than sharp angles. The skeletonized/open dial is not only trendy, but a comparison to the exposed robotics and electronics that many beloved anime mechanical creations are known to exhibit, from time to time. For comic style technologists, it isn't just the theme which is interesting, it is the plausible form that fantasy technology takes, which is so intriguing. So to compliment the Citizen Eco-Dive Dome watch, I am placing an image of the Guyver, as well as robot character from Ghost in the Shell called Tachikoma.