The Suunto Ambit offers almost everything you need to track your outdoor performance, including a full-featured GPS with 3D Compass that lets you pinpoint your location using multiple coordinate systems. It features an altimeter that determines your altitude and logs your vertical gain should you go mountain climbing and a heart rate monitor that works in combination with a chest strap.

The built-in SiRF IV low power GPS chipset allows for a long battery life of up to 15 hours with continuous GPS tracking and 50 hours with GPS tracking every 1 minute. The watch is water resistant to 100m and comes in either black or silver for $550 or $600 with the optional heart rate belt. It will be available starting in March.

[via Gizmag]

The touchscreen was very fluid, and the watch is estimated to get 2-4 days of battery life on a single charge. Running Android, one would expect fast battery drain, but once the SmartWatch becomes inactive – the screen turns off. When you where a watch, don’t you expect the time to show as long as you’re wearing it? Having to press a button to wake the SmartWatch may prove to be a reason why watch pioneers don’t convert.

Those of you interested in the watch will be able to buy it for $149.99 near the end of Q1. The strongest feature going for the SmartWatch is its ability to access Android Market apps. The ability to read texts, Twitter, and Facebook alerts pushed from your phone have all carried over from the LiveView and are still features available on the SmartWatch. We’ll have to find out what version of Android is on it after its official release.

E Ink has the incredibly advantageous nature of extending battery life as none of the backlighting or power that is usually needed for conventional displays is needed for the World Time Sport watch’s E Ink display. And the fact that your watch usually goes with you everywhere, either inside or outside, all the time, makes the application of this technology even more relevant and useful. The World Time Sport makes it Phosphor’s second commercially available E Ink digital display watch to date.

Furthermore, the World Time Sport is able to select from 24 time zones from one display mode, while being able to simultaneously display a second time zone, which is easily configurable by the user. It’s initially available in three colors of your picking, black white and orange. The Phosphor watch also features a lightweight silicone band and a durable plastic casing. Pre-order the watch now for $79, or at retail later for $99, available from Phosphor online and select retailers nationwide.

[via Phosphor Watches]

Hardware

Tiny display and tiny chassis: the WIMM One is certainly compact. The 32 x 36 x 12.5 g case weighs a mere 22g, and is fronted by a 1.8-inch 160 x 160 capacitive touchscreen. The display panel itself is actually a bimodal one: it can operate as a regular LCD, in full color, for indoor use, or as a monochrome transflective panel for low-power and outdoor use, visible even in direct sunlight.

Inside, there’s a 667MHz processor paired with WiFi, Bluetooth, an accelerometer and digital compass, speaker and a vibration alert. The case itself is splashproof, and has only one physical control: a recessed power button on the right side. On the back, there’s an 18-pin proprietary connector, which matches up to a microUSB sled that the WIMM One magnetically latches to for recharging and synching with a computer (where it mounts as an external drive, showing 2GB of onboard storage). We did find the watch could shift around on the charger base and lose contact if we weren’t careful with how we placed it, though there’s an LED to show when it’s actually charging.

WIMM One Hardware Overview:

WIMM also includes a microUSB cable, a USB power supply and a rubberized watch strap. The latter – which has a frame into which the WIMM One slots – is a chunky, oversized thing, bulky on the wrist and hardly shows the smart watch off at its best. WIMM has plans for alternative options, like lanyards, clips and third-party watch straps, but for the moment this is your only option.

Battery life is billed at a whole day’s use, and we found – with a persistent Bluetooth connection to our smartphone – the WIMM One lasted well into a second day. The low-power screen mode helps on that front, switching into transflective mode automatically after a few moments of sitting idle. When left to sync over WiFi, battery life was worse of course, though we still got a day’s casual use out of it.

Software

Setup of the WIMM One is through a web-based interface, shown in your desktop browser and in a browser-based tab of the Android and BlackBerry smartphone apps. WIMM is working on an iOS app, but it’s not ready for release yet. Initial setup requires a WiFi connection and then punching a code shown on the smart watch’s display into WIMM’s site: that pairs the watch with your account.

From there it’s a matter of setting time and date, choosing your home city and setting up sync frequency. Further tabs take you into a selection of different watch faces, which can be hidden and reordered, as well as settings for the Micro Apps. Again, these apps can be shuffled around in the order they show on the app carousel, or hidden altogether if you don’t find yourself using them. Some have further settings, such as choosing cities in the Weather and World Clock apps, or registering your Google Calendar or Exchange Calendar to be shown in the WIMM One’s Calendar app.

Under the hood it’s a modified version of Android keeping things ticking, though you wouldn’t know it to look at the smart watch. WIMM has customized the whole UI to suit the compact display, and in general it works well. The standard control scheme is tapping or swiping up to open an app, swiping down to close it, and using two fingers to pull down the watch face (with its date, time and weather information). A further swipe down shows the battery gage, Bluetooth and WiFi status, and whether the WIMM is in flight mode with all radios shut off.

WIMM One Functionality:

In general, the WIMM One proved responsive. We occasionally experienced issues getting the touchscreen to respond to taps or swipes first time, but there was none of the prolonged lag that leads you to wonder whether or not you’ve actually pressed a control. Apps load quickly and, while 1.8-inches and 160 x 160 is hardly spacious, do a reasonable job of showing sufficient on-screen information while also accounting for normal eyesight.

On its own, the WIMM Android app supports pushing SMS and Caller ID notifications to the smart watch. Receive a text message and it’s shown on the WIMM, complete with sender and the message body. Incoming calls show Caller ID – if you have the name of the person stored in your phone – and an option to divert to voicemail. It’s worth noting that you can’t respond to an SMS or answer a call from the watch; instead you have to pull out your phone in the usual manner.

Apps

Out of the box, there are six native apps loaded on the WIMM One: Weather, Calendar, World Clock, Timer, Alarm and Stopwatch, then the Settings page. Functionality is pretty much self-explanatory. The Weather app shows day by day forecasts for the cities you’ve selected, side-swiping taking you through each location, as with the World Clock. The Calendar pulls in your appointments from a single Exchange or Google Calendar, flagging up notifications on-screen. The Timer, Alarm and Stopwatch let you set count-downs, timed alerts and measure time respectively, including a lap feature on the stopwatch.

WIMM has bold ambitions for its smart watch platform, and key to fulfilling them is getting developers onboard. They’ll be able to release so-called Micro Apps, adding functionality to the WIMM watch that’s either an extension of your smartphone’s abilities, or standalone features that you might want easy access to on your wrist.

Eventually, there’ll be a WIMM Micro App Store – available online and in the companion smartphone app – through which users will be able to browse apps, read reviews and install/uninstall them. At present, it’s a case of downloading a .apk file, transferring it via USB to the WIMM One and then watching as it shows up in the app carousel. Uninstalling is a more tricky procedure right now – you can either use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to remove individual apps manually, or do a Factory Reset to get rid of them all – but that will be changed in the future.

Apps are currently distributed through WIMM’s forums, though there’s relatively slim pickings today. Currently there are five stable titles to try, though given developers are only just being allowed to buy WIMM’s hardware, that’s no great surprise. There’s a Coffee Card for Starbucks app that allows you to register your loyalty card and scan it when you grab your morning latte, and a News Reader app that lets you either choose from a preset list of RSS feeds (including news, tech, politics, sport, etc.) or log into your Google Reader account and see your own feeds. Stories are presented as headlines in a list, and tapping them takes you to the full article; swiping left and right moves through the articles in order. It’s a useful way to catch up on the latest happenings, though there’s no way to flag or share articles for the desktop or other people.

The Simple Calculator app does what it says in the description, giving a straightforward way to make basic calculations, while SportyPal Active is a companion app for the existing SportyPal Android software: you can track your current and past exercise from your wrist. WIMM is also working on a pedometer API to track steps and lifts, which should make fitness apps like these even more useful.

Finally there’s the app we could perhaps spend longest with, Balance Ball Micro, a Labyrinth style balancing game where the WIMM One’s accelerometer is used to navigate a ball through a maze. It’s a good demo of the sensor’s sensitivity. WIMM also has an area of its forums for untested applications, though given the early nature of the platform (and the difficulties in removing apps that potentially don’t work) we stuck to those titles the company thought were ready for primetime.

Unfortunately there are still some obvious apps that are missing in action. We receive far more Gmail, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ notifications than we do calls and text messages these days, but so far there’s no way of seeing those alerts flagged up on the WIMM One. In fact the smart watch doesn’t even ping when they come in, meaning you’ll still have to listen out for your phone beeping whenever there’s an update. Similarly, no IM apps are represented in WIMM’s catalog: it would be great to see Google Talk, Skype and other IM clients flag up incoming messages on the smart watch’s display.

Future

Omissions are understandable, however; this is a product that’s only just hit the market after all. Developers were invited to buy the WIMM One watch kit earlier in the week, priced at $299.99, but even without the hardware itself it’s possible to download the SDK and begin coding for the platform. Porting Android functionality over from app to Micro App is apparently a relatively straightforward process, so that should help reduce lead-time before we see more titles become available.

Meanwhile, WIMM is pushing ahead with its hardware development program, kicking off an HDK (Hardware Developer Kit) alongside its software counterpart that includes the WIMM One module’s precise dimensions and various CAD files, the latching mechanism, tech specs and recommendations on what materials accessory manufacturers might want to use. The hope is that soon WIMM One owners won’t have to use the clunky rubber watch strap bundled with the smart watch face, and will instead have a range of alternative straps, clips, badges and other options.

Beyond that, there’s open peripheral support, using the WIMM One’s fourteen pin connector to develop active accessories that will integrate new sensors and outputs. We’re yet to see the first fruits of third-party developers taking advantage of the HDK, but WIMM has a “preferred supplier” agreement with manufacturing giant Foxconn that certainly suggests the firm means business.

Wrap-Up

Usually at this point in the review we’d give a final opinion: is the WIMM One worth buying, or should you steer clear? In the case of this smart watch, however, it’s far too early for such decisions. WIMM is taking its first steps, and the WIMM One is targeted, today, at developers rather than the mass market.

What we can say is that, of the smart watch projects we’ve seen to-date, WIMM’s is the one that has captured our attention most thoroughly. The combination of a broadly-accepted Android base, open approach to software and hardware standards, and pre-emptive agreements with well-known manufacturing partners adds up to probably the best chance of succeeding in a segment that has seen many launches and many failures. The WIMM One Developer Kit isn’t something we’d recommend everyday users buy, but we’ll certainly be following the WIMM One project with interest.

Compared to some of the company’s other watches, which demand deciphering and calculations before you can tell whether you’re late or otherwise, Kisai Seven is very straightforward. The inner ring shows hours and the outer ring counts 5 minute blocks; the L-shaped bars underneath both show 1-4 minute modifiers, allowing you to figure out the exact time.

The plastic body is attached to a polyurethane strap with a seamless butterfly clasp, and you can trim the strap to fit. Both white and blue LED versions are available, each recharged via USB, and there are several display settings so that you can have the time pulse periodically, show up on-demand only, or be illuminated permanently.

The Tokyoflash Kisai Seven is on sale now, priced initially at $99 (and then jumping to $139 at the weekend).

The watch is measuring out 1/1000ths of a second at 500 Hz, meaning that the small balance wheel inside goes back and forth 3.6 million times an hour. At that many beats per hour, most mechanical systems would shatter. Your average Rolex can measure only about 28,800 beats per hour and would likely not be able to go beyond 50,000 beats per hour.

Hence, the TAG Heuer Mikrometer Flying 1000 Concept watch is one powerful little machine. As one reviewer put it: “a completely mechanical device that runs faster than a sports car engine and comes in a package about as big as a silver dollar.”

Now we don’t know what you’ll need to time with such precision, but even if you had the need, the watch isn’t available just yet. It’s still a concept at this point, but in the meantime you can watch it in action below.

[via WristWatchReview]

The Meta Watch features a touchscreen that can display information and updates synced via Bluetooth from your other mobile devices, such as your phone or tablet. The watch uses TI’s MSP430 microcontroller and comes with its own hacker-friendly open source SDK/API. This allows developers to customize what information gets displayed.

The watch has a water resistant stainless steel casing, leather strap, and mineral glass crystal display with 3-axis accelerometer, vibration motor and ambient light sensor inside. It’s available in both a digital and an analog version with the digital version having a 96 x 96 reflective display and the analog version having two 16 x 80 white OLED displays.

[via Engadget]

Entering is simple: just head over to the SlashGear Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SlashGear.com, click “Like” and then leave us a wall post letting us know what you think the timepiece of the future will look like. Make sure to mention that “Cadence and SlashGear are timeless” in your post!

Cadence has generously offered to ship internationally, so this contest isn’t limited to the US. We’ll pick one winner after the closing date of Thursday, June 9 2011 at 11am PST. Good luck!

Rules

Contest begins June 1 2011, and ends June 9 2011 at 11:00AM PST. Competition is open to SlashGear readers over the age of 18. One entry per contest per person. Family members of Cadence and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check).

The winner will be announced on SlashGear and will be expected to contact SlashGear via Facebook; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Cadence and SlashGear/Android Community.

Prize consists of one Cadence 4-Bit Binary Watch. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and Cadence reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Contest provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by Cadence and will be shipped directly to the giveaway winner; the winner is responsible for any customs fees that may be charged by their country.

While you wouldn’t think it to look at it, under the black PVD is a white gold case, while the charcoal-coloured movement plates and bridges and the white gold clover-head screws are meant to be reminiscent of a studded biker jacket. Inside are 36 functional jewels and 304 components in an inverted mechanism, paired with two large-diameter, high-tech ceramic bearings.

Best of all is the “mystery” rotor, which appears to defy physics by appearing outwardly balanced. However, MB&F shave away at the underside so as to unbalance it without that being visible. No word on pricing, but we’re guessing this isn’t a cheap replacement to your Swatch.

Press Release:

Horological Machine No3 ReBel

James Dean was a Hollywood Rebel Without a Cause; Billy Idol had a Rebel Yell; Star Wars had its Rebel Alliance; and now MB&F pokes the establishment firmly in its conservatively-focused eye with the HM3 ReBel. Whereas James Dean was the epitome of movie star bad boy, MB&F is the wild child of haute horlogerie; the lone biker in a black leather jacket when everyone else is wearing grey suits and driving Volvos. And unlike Dean, the HM3 ReBel knows exactly what its cause is: horological anarchy!

ReBel: R for right (hand), B for Black (case). The black-coated ReBel is a distinctive, rock ‘n roll mirror-image of the HM3 designed to be worn on the right wrist, as a few individualists out there are wont to do.
And like all true rebels, nothing on the HM3 ReBel is quite as it first appears, especially when you take a closer look behind its nonchalantly cool façade. Under the ReBel’s open black leather jacket – or to be more precise, its black PVD-treated white gold case – charcoal-coloured movement plates and bridges form a darkened backdrop to the resplendent flash of the 22K rotor as it speeds by.

Despite its anarchistic appearance and unorthodox right-wrist architecture, the HM3 ReBel has a serious side. This dynamic, three-dimensional sculpture is a highly technical wristwatch as well as a statement of attitude. The ReBel’s twin cones ergonomically indicate the hours and minutes, with the hour cone capped by a day/night indicator. The top caps of the truncated cones are brazed (not glued) to ensure maximum water-resistance and the red “hands” of the hour and minute indicators are cut by laser to obtain the incredibly high precision/minimum mass ratio the design necessitates.

White gold clover-head screws on top of the black case resemble rivets in an upmarket biker’s leather jacket, while the large, legible numbers of the over-sized date wheel around the rotor enable the date to be read off easily against a neat, engraved triangle on the case.
The rotor and oscillating balance on top provide a clue that the ReBel’s movement, featuring no less than 36 functional jewels and 304 components, is actually inverted. Turning the Machine over reveals the technical secret behind the powerful and superbly hand-finished engine: two large-diameter, high-tech ceramic bearings racing inside bright blue cages efficiently transmitting power up to the time indication cones and date wheel.
We think James Dean would have worn one; Billy Idol would have sang about it; and the Rebel Alliance would have fought for it.
HM3 ReBel is a limited edition of 18 pieces in black PVD-treated white gold, blackened movement and 22K gold rotor.

Horological Machine No3 ReBel – Technical Specifications

HM3 ReBel is a limited edition of 18 pieces

Movement:

Three-dimensional horological engine designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor;
Powered by Girard-Perregaux base
Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph.
22K gold battle-axe shaped ‘mystery’ automatic winding rotor
Hour and minutes information transmitted via ceramic ball bearings to laser-cut hands.

Number of jewels: 36 (all functional)
Number of components: 304

Functions:

Hour and day/night indicator on one cone
Minutes on second cone
Date around the movement

Case:

Black PVD coated 18K white gold case; limited edition of 18 pieces
Screwed-down crown
Dimensions (exclusive of crown and lugs): 47mm x 50mm x 16mm
Number of case components: 57

Sapphire crystals:

Cones and both display backs with anti-reflective treatment on both faces.

Strap & Buckle:

Black hand-stitched alligator with 18K white gold and titanium custom designed deployment buckle.

Horological Machine No3

Inspiration and Realization: Horological Machine No3 was developed to display the machine’s beautifully finished movement in operation. Harmoniously crafted bridges, rapidly oscillating balance wheel, gearing and distinctive battle-axe shaped automatic winding rotor are all open to view. This allows the wearer to fully appreciate the art and craft that makes up HM3 and draws the viewer’s gaze inside the highly complex machine; a machine comprising more than 300 fine-finished, high-precision components.

The movement of HM3 has been literally turned upside down to allow for an uninterrupted panorama of the solid gold winding rotor’s graceful arcs and the high-speed oscillations of the balance wheel. Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, winner of the inaugural award for Best Watchmaker at the 2007 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, was entrusted with turning the drawings and designs of Max Büsser and designer Eric Giroud into horological reality and, with his team at Agenhor, he not only met but surpassed the challenge.

Starcruiser and Sidewinder: MB&F’s Horological Machines are for individualists who demand art, craft, excellence, exclusivity . . . and choice. To cater to these demanding aficionados, Horological Machine No3 is available in two versions: ‘Sidewinder’, with its cones lined perpendicular to the arm and ‘Starcruiser’, with its cones in line with the arm. Just like their potential owners, each is very special, each is very different.

Indications: The three-dimensional time-indicating cones allow for telling the time at a glance, whether driving or typing; however, the fact that nothing like them had ever been attempted before in horology posed considerable challenges. The top caps of the truncated cones are brazed (not glued) to ensure maximum water-resistance and the red ‘hands’ of the hour and minute indicators had to be cut by laser to obtain the incredibly high precision with minimum mass that the design necessitated.

The over-sized date wheel is actually a larger diameter than the movement, a fact that allows for very legible and well spaced 2.5mm high numbers. A neat triangle engraved into the top of the case marks the date.

Mystery Rotor: the prominence of the 22K solid gold battle-axe shaped rotor on the dial of HM3 is certain to increase the recognition of this already iconic MB&F symbol. The rotor is a ‘mystery’ because it appears to defy the laws of physics in being symmetrically balanced instead of having a visibly off-centred mass. This is achieved by machining the underside of one arm to a razor-thin edge so reducing its mass.

“The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
-Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

This is the ORBO watch series by Zach Starr Weiss, and it’s about 3 steps away from production. The image you see above is one of many, each of them rendered in some 3D illustration software or another. The display is so flat it’s going to have to be E-Ink, and the watch quality is going to have to be so high it can get back the money it’s put into the display.

We want this watch, so what you’re gonna have to do is find Zach, or just post in the comments below, tell Zach where to find someone who wants to produce his watches, and get this show on the road. I’ll take the white one you see above. Thanks!

[via Yanko Design]

This HEX Watch Band costs a total of $29.95 if you shop at shophex.com – there’s an instructional video if you’re still not impressed. Oh and did I mention that the inline orientation of the band makes for a discreet up-the-arm orientation for your headphone cords? Right through your sleeve. Check out the full press release below:

Oxnard, CA – December 29, 2010 – HEX, the leading designer and manufacturer of fashionable tech accessories, is excited to announce the availability of the new HEX Watch Band for iPod nano® Gen 6. Available in 9 fun colors, the HEX Watch Band allows users to protect the iPod nano® while sporting it as a stylish accessory.

The HEX Watch Band features a “Pop-in, Pop-out” design which allows for easy placement of the iPod nano®. With premium silicone and integrated control buttons, the Watch Band provides maximum protection and full access to all controls on the iPod nano®. Additionally, the inline orientation of the Watch Band allows headphone cords to run straight up the user’s arm or discretely through a sleeve keeping the cords from tangling or getting in the way while on the go.

The HEX Watch Band is available now in 9 fun colors including red, pink, orange, green, blue, clear, black, grey and white, for $29.95 at www.shopHEX.com.

For further information, check out the instructional video and follow HEX on Facebook and Twitter.

About HEX:
Founded in 2010, HEX is a division of August Accessories, a 21-year old company known for its design, development and execution of innovative products. HEX connects technology with style by pairing new gadgets with unique and fashionable solutions. Using high quality materials and the latest style trends, HEX provides accessories to meet its customers’ demand for tech-compatible products that are equal parts form and function. More information on HEX can be found on www.shopHEX.com, Facebook and Twitter.

In fact, the $941,558 pledged makes the iPod nano watch conversion kit the most popular Kickstarter project of all time, and by a considerable margin too. The first batch of TikTok and LunaTik watch kits are expected by the end of December 2010, with more due at the start of 2011.

[via TechCrunch]

Fossil has shown off a new concept watch that uses Bluetooth to connect to your iPhone, Android device, or any other Bluetooth packing smartphone and show you details for the phone on the small watch screen. The idea is that the watch can show you who’s calling with caller ID, weather, text notifications, and more data so you can get the details without needing to pull your phone out of your pocket.

The watch looks cool, but I’m not sure this is something that most geeks are interested in. I can see a bit of benefit in the concept though. I could see who is texting me while I was driving without having to dig out my phone. This is sort of like a wrist mounted LiveView.

Via Android Community

What a magical assortment of parts – each of them cut with precision to provide you with a greener way to display the time on your wrist. Can you imagine a future where the only thing that’d make you replace a device is a damaged part, and the only power source needed is the sun? Welcome to that future.

[Via Akihabara News]

Not just any old owl, of course: this is a jewel-encrusted bird crafted by Boucheron, with fluttering breast feathers described as “a visual illusion created by the faintly perceived oscillations beneath the translucent stone of MB&F’s solid-gold battle-axe-shaped rotor.”  Inside there are 305 components keeping the watch mechanism going, with the time being told by his bug eyes.

MB&F and Boucheron will be making custom versions of JwlryMachine in various colors – not just the purple you see here, but a particularly vivid pink, too.  We’re not entirely sure who would actually wear one, and since they’re made to order we’re guessing you have to wave cash in their faces to find out the exact price.

Press Release:

The JwlryMachine: Boucheron’s sparkling interpretation of MB&F’s Horological Machine No 3

What could possibly bring together the 152-year-old House of Boucheron, that most venerable of France’s high-jewellery Houses, and MB&F, the young, cutting-edge Swiss creative laboratory whose Horological Machines first invaded our planet only five years ago?
The answer is the JwlryMachine, an astonishing haute-joaillerie version of MB&F’s Horological Machine No 3 (HM3).

The catalyst: Horological Machine No 3
The original HM3, in gold and titanium, sent tremors through the fine-watchmaking world when it was launched in 2009. It pushes the technical and aesthetic limits of horological architecture and design further than even the most open-minded observers could have imagined.
The viewer’s mind has to adjust to the fact that its kinetically energetic engine is displayed on the top of the watch, where the battle-axe-shaped rotor – an iconic MB&F symbol – and the oscillating balance are clearly visible. But the eye is also assailed by the twin cones that rise majestically from the three-dimensional sculpted case. It is hard to believe that this dynamic sculpture also tells the time.
And yet this is a highly technical wristwatch and a feat of micro engineering. MB&F’s engineers and watchmakers have to machine, hand finish and assemble the 305 parts of the HM3 engine working to tolerances of a micron – one thousandth of a millimetre. The 22-karat rose gold “mystery” rotor appears to defy the laws of physics, in being visually symmetrical instead of more obviously off-centred. This was achieved by machining the underside of one arm to a razor-thin edge, thus reducing its mass. Two high-tech ceramic ball bearings visible on the back of the case drive the time indications on the top and sides of the twin cones: one cone presenting the hours and day/night indicator, the other the minutes. An oversized date wheel around the rotor, actually larger in diameter than the movement itself, frames the engine.
When the HM3 was launched, one press release began, “Warning! Horological Machine No 3 is so far outside existing time references that it may cause sensory overload”. It was scarcely an exaggeration.

The JwlryMachine: breathing the magic of Boucheron
With the HM3 as unsettling as ever, the House of Boucheron is poised to create its own seductive shock waves with the JwlryMachine, an haute-joaillerie version of Horological Machine No 3. In a spectacular flight of fancy, the House’s peerless artisans have conceived the watch as a splendid three-dimensional jewelled owl, presented either in 18k white gold, with amethyst, diamonds and blue and violet sapphires, or in 18k red gold, with pink tourmaline, rose quartz, diamonds and pink sapphires.
The owl’s eyes are large glowing cabochons, set over the twin cones, and its sparkling wings, wrapped protectively around the precious HM3 engine, are entirely pavé-set with brilliant-cut stones. Its feathered breast is sculpted and engraved from a single block of amethyst or rose quartz. The glowing eyes, sparkling wings and softly gleaming breast create a carefully choreographed play of light. But most mesmerising of all: beneath the owl’s breast, its heart appears to be beating. The visual illusion is created by the faintly perceived swings of MB&F’s solid-gold battle-axe-shaped rotor beneath the translucent stone.
This effect typifies the hint of secretiveness that Boucheron’s artisans instil into some of their best-loved jewels; as does the fact that the uninitiated will need to search for the time indications on the sides of the cones among the owl’s sparkling plumage.
True to the original HM3, the JwlryMachine is not for the faint hearted. It is an imposing piece, made all the more so by its sheer beauty. The extreme refinement that radiates from the proportions, the choice of stones and the quality of craftsmanship makes this creation “very Boucheron”.

A legendary dynasty of jewellers
On the face of it, the two creators, Boucheron and MB&F might seem an unlikely team. The House of Boucheron, in its historic setting at 26 Place Vendôme, Paris, is a legend in the rarefied world of French high jewellery. A family dynasty, founded by Frédéric Boucheron in 1858, it has never ceased to enchant its discerning clientele. Royalty, aristocrats, billionaires, film stars, authors and artists find a fitting match for their celebrity and status in its magnificent creations.
Over the generations, Boucheron has acquired unparalleled expertise, centring on its passion for precious stones. Its designs are free-spirited and audacious, and with the ease of the true artist, its master jewellers create exclusive harmonies of colour, selecting from the world’s most rare and covetable gems.
While Boucheron’s sources of inspiration are eclectic, love of nature is a cherished theme. The collections abound with references to flowers, raindrops and waves and charismatic animals, birds and insects, whose air of having been effortlessly conceived is part of the Boucheron mystique. Today as ever, Boucheron keeps its promise of luxury and fascination.
An iconoclastic creative laboratory
In direct opposition to his time-honoured creative partner, Maximilian Büsser founded his creative laboratory just five years ago. And where the House of Boucheron’s jewels are clearly objects of desire, the initial reaction to MB&F’s Machines may well be one of shock and awe.
After 14 years spent managing prestigious watchmaking brands, Maximilian Büsser broke free of the constraints of traditional horology. He decided to create for himself, drawing on the imaginary world of his childhood, peopled by spacecraft and fantastical beings, and on his passion for working with other creators and artists. In forging the concept of the “Friends”, (the “F” in MB&F), his aim is to transparently recognise and credit those involved in realising his dream.
MB&F’s Horological Machines certainly tell the time, but they are light years away from classic haute horology. They are daringly engineered works of performance art that owe their power to the tension between their radical concepts and the meticulous traditional watchmaking skills that bring them to life. Each new avant-garde, three-dimensional Horological Machine takes us further into an alternative reality and out of our horological comfort zone.

Shared values
MB&F’s iconoclastic Horological Machines were never conceived with diamonds in mind. However, Maximilian Büsser had been nurturing the idea of working with the House of Boucheron for years. “I was impressed by their immense savoir-faire,” he says, “and by their creative passion. They are resolutely avant-garde, and each of their jewels is a virtuoso performance. So in a way, although their creations are sensuous and feminine, and ours are not, we speak the same language. And they love to surprise. I knew that they could take one of our Horological Machines and transform it into an incredible feat of three-dimensional haute joaillerie.
The idea accelerated when Maximilian Büsser made the acquaintance of Jean-Christophe Bédos, CEO of Boucheron. According to Mr Bédos, “MB&F showed an appreciation of the excellence that Boucheron embodies. A collaboration between our two Houses was certain to lead to an exceptionally creative concept, with a sparkling result and even a sense of humorous audacity.”

The concept: a meeting of two worlds
Right from the initial get-togethers, it was clear to MB&F that the Boucheron creative team would amaze and delight them with their characteristic flair.
Nevertheless, one of the Boucheron designers in charge of the project remembers his first impression of Machine No 3. “Completely insane! All I could think was, What are we going to do! How can we find a meeting point between this Machine and Boucheron’s world of sensuousness, jewels and femininity? But our work wouldn’t be rewarding if there were no challenge.”
The designers found that meeting point. At the creative presentation, they unveiled sixty-three concepts, each a work of art. But Maximilian Büsser homed straight in on the owl. Structurally, it is a perfect match for the Machine. Like all the best ideas, once you have seen it, it becomes self-evident. And it has that gentle touch of humour that makes an important jewel lovable as well as impressive.
Boucheron’s design team couldn’t have been happier with MB&F’s choice. The great House’s feeling for nature is legendary; reflecting the Art Nouveau influence in their jewels, it is a constant source of inspiration. Preference has always gone to the strangest, most extravagant of Nature’s creations – including the mysterious night creatures – and the exquisitely constructed, delectably coloured jewels that result are so particular to the House that it refers to them as its Cabinet of Curiosities. Contributing ever-more audacious, unexpected pieces to the Cabinet is one of the Boucheron artisans’ greatest joys.

Beautifully built
The young creative laboratory and the 152-year-old jeweller have created a perfect fit. Boucheron’s artisans conceived the owl’s splendid jewelled body as a complex framework of solid gold that fits snugly onto Horological Machine No 3, transforming it into the JwlryMachine. The framework is cast as five separate segments, which are then sent to MB&F to be assembled on the watch. MB&F’s engineers had selected five points on the upper face of the watch where there was enough substance for the segments to be screwed down without disturbing the watch’s complex timekeeping functions. Screws are used so that the segments can be removed when the watch requires service.
For the segments to be anchored correctly, Boucheron has to work to tolerances expressed in microns – demonstrating the extreme precision that its lapidaries, gem-setters, engravers and goldsmiths bring to their work.

Reserved for the master craftsman
In a piece where every detail is perfect, the owl’s most striking feature is nevertheless its translucent breast. It is formed from a single block of amethyst or rose quartz, which must be sufficiently large and exceptionally pure. As amethyst and quartz are both very hard stones, the artisan must have a very delicate touch when carving out the breast’s irregular contours and sculpting the feathers, so as not to shatter his handiwork. Compounding the risk, the stone is also shaped in cross-section to achieve a gradation in the depth of the colour over the breast from the owl’s beak to its feet, just enough for the shadowy movement of the rotor to be perceived.
“Even Maximilian Büsser thought we were mad to suggest the beating heart,” says one of the Boucheron designers on the project gleefully. The final effect works on two levels: it is hypnotic, and it hints at the mysteries of the engine inside.

A polished performance
Maximilian Büsser says that in all his ten years of joint creative adventures, he has rarely seen a collaboration proceed so smoothly. In his opinion, the Boucheron creative team’s spirit exemplifies “Where there’s a will there’s a way”. For their part, the Boucheron team emphasise the joy that they had in bringing the owl to life. They relished the challenge of making the two worlds meet – the world of MB&F’s alternative reality and the world of Boucheron’s warmth and seduction.
The JwlryMachine will be made to order, and other colour combinations are possible.

As for the Garmin Forerunner 210, that’s a little less complex but still has customized interval sessions, heart rate alerts and – if paired with the wireless foot pod – running cadence information.  It connects via USB and the battery is apparently good for up to 8hrs solid GPS use.

Both models come with access to the company’s Garmin Connect online database and sharing service, should you need a little extra encouragement (or the threat of public shaming if you don’t keep up your exercise routine).  No word on pricing, but the two GPS watches should arrive sometime in Q4 2010.

Press Release:

Garmin® Expands Forerunner® Family, Giving Runners More GPS Options

OLATHE, Kan./October 4, 2010/Business Wire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced two new Forerunner models, which will give runners an unparalleled range of GPS options for any level of training and experience. Forerunner 410 and Forerunner 210 complement the simple-to-use Forerunner 110 and multisport Forerunner 310XT. These new exciting models will be first displayed in Chicago during marathon weekend, and the new watches will also be featured in New York City at the marathon expo before hitting running stores.

“Forerunner 410 and Forerunner 210 are ideal for runners who want more options while enjoying the ease of use that has made Garmin an industry leader,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Whether you’re a beginner or an elite athlete training on the streets, the trails or the treadmill, Garmin has an accurate and intuitive solution to help you get the most out of your running.”

Forerunner 410

Sleek and streamlined, Forerunner 410 introduces an enhanced touch bezel, a premium soft-strap heart rate monitor and new software features evolving from the revolutionary Forerunner 405, which Leisure Trends Group’s RetailTRAK™ Running Report found to be the top selling electronics item for 2009 in the running specialty channel, as published in Running Insight.

In addition to the enhanced touch bezel that lets runners quickly scroll and select features on the run – in all types of weather – Forerunner 410 alerts runners before transitioning into power-save mode and allows users to manually shut down the power in preparation for long breaks in training. The new touch bezel provides unmatched reliability in sweaty, rainy conditions, and it processes information even faster than before. When your workout’s done, Forerunner 410 keeps working by wirelessly uploading data to the Garmin Connect™ online training community when in range of your computer. It works via ANT+™ wireless technology and the USB stick that comes with your watch. No wires, no manual uploads, no sweat.

Forerunner 410 lets you customize up to three training pages with more than 30 different types of data. You can even determine how many data fields are shown on each screen — whether you see one big field, two or three smaller fields. To get the most information during a run, you can set up your training pages to display and automatically scroll through the data you want, then lock the bezel before you take off. And when you set up advanced workouts on Forerunner 410, your running watch becomes your running coach by displaying detailed training plans and workouts while you’re on the run.

Forerunner 210

As easy to use as the popular Forerunner 110, Garmin’s new Forerunner 210 is ideal for runners who simply want to step outside, acquire satellites and start their workout. Forerunner 210 provides real-time data such as pace, distance and time by using a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with Garmin’s HotFix® technology to quickly acquire and sustain satellite reception. For runners who want more training capabilities, Forerunner 210 lets you create customized interval sessions and see your pace for each interval. You can also set up heart rate alerts to notify you when you are above or below your targets. If you’re using the 210 with Garmin’s featherweight foot pod (perfect for running indoors or out), you will later be able to see your running cadence, or steps per minute, when you upload your data to Garmin Connect. Available in a stylish glossy black-on-black design, Forerunner 210 looks fashionable on the run, in the office or out on the town.

Lasting up to 8 hours in GPS/training mode and up to three weeks in power-save mode, Forerunner 210 can be an everyday watch even on an off day of training. Users can save time by charging the battery and uploading workout data to Garmin Connect™ at the same time through an easy-to-use USB connection, which also is used to upload free software updates quickly from www.garmin.com.

Get in the zone with heart rate training

The Forerunner 410 and Forerunner 210 bundles feature Garmin’s premium soft strap heart rate monitor for the most comfortable fit possible. Each of these new watches has five heart rate zones, which you can customize based on your exact zones. Forerunner 410 and Forerunner 210 provide heart rate-based calorie computations so you can more accurately track your calories burned.

Store, share and analyze with Garmin Connect

Because Forerunner 410 and Forerunner 210 store and display hundreds of hours of saved history, runners can see their totals even when they haven’t had a chance to upload to Garmin Connect. But once at Garmin Connect (http://garminconnect.com), users can quickly and easily log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with friends and family and participate in an online fitness community of more than 40 million activities around the world. Garmin Connect displays metrics such as time, distance, speed, elevation and heart rate. This information is shown through charts, illustrations, reports and a variety of map representations including street, photo, topographic, and elevation maps as well as the popular Google Earth application.

Forerunner 410 and Forerunner 210 are the latest breakthroughs from Garmin, which has spent 20 years developing technologies and innovations to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. For more about features, pricing and availability, as well as information about Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com, www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin.

Each of the models is painted in a gunship gray color that is reminiscent of the battle ships of the Navy. Available models include the 51-30 Chromo Gunship, the Sentry Gunship, the Banks Gunship, and the Player Gunship. The Chrono is the coolest looking one of the group if you ask me.

The coolest part of these watches is that the paint is made to come off over time to reveal the black watch chassis underneath so the harder you are on it, the better looking the watch gets. The downside is that the Gunship 51-30 Chrono is $500, the Sentry is $190, the Banks Gunship is $375, and the Player Gunship is $225.

It is, though, still supposed to be a high-end device. And with the usage of LED technology, we can see where that viewpoint would come from. It may not look as flashy as some other high-end watches out there, And, just in case you’re wondering how you’re supposed to change some settings, like an alarm or what not, there are some physical buttons on there, on the ridge of the extruded surface.

We can thank Polish designer Damian Kozlik for this great new invention, and we’re hoping that this makes it out of concept art sooner than later. Especially if the design images represent future usage, and we can actually modify the buttons to our liking, in some fashion or another. Even if we can’t, the LED wristband is cool enough to grab our attention.

[via The Design Blog]

The watch itself is actually described as a “silent alarm in the shape of a vibrating wristband.” And, if you didn’t know any better, that’s what anyone would think it was: just a wristband. But, if you touch the hidden screen, you’ll activate the watch function of the wristband. A simple slide of your finger, and you’ll gain access to the timer, and finally the alarm function. If you set an alarm, the Mutewatch won’t actually sound an annoying klaxon for everyone to hear. Instead, your wrist will get a nice massage as it vibrates. And if you want to shut it off, you simply squeeze the watch.

The Mutewatch is the real deal, and you can pre-order right now if you’re so inclined. It will come in white, red, and gray. You can drop some cash down on the pre-order, which will then subsequently be taken off the total $260 price tag, once it ships some time in the future. Anyone takers?

[via Engadget]

The watch recharges via USB and a single juicing is good for a month; we’re also pleased to see that Tokyoflash have outfitted the Traffic with a replaceable battery, so the watch won’t be useless when the battery gives up the ghost.  As with other Tokyoflash products, there’s an animation mode for when you’re less interested in telling the time and more in catching curious glances.

The Tokyoflash Traffic is available now in limited numbers, priced at $169.73 including shipping.

Video demo after the cut

The two mainspring barrels in the HM4 movement can together store up to 72hrs worth of power and transfer them via vertical gear trains to the indication pods.  Sapphire glass top and bottom means the mechanism is visible, and if you’re lucky you might even catch a glimpse of MB&F’s “distinctive streamlined cock” which supports the balance.

There are 50 jewels and 311 components in the engine, five sapphire crystals and a black hand-stitched calfskin strap with a titanium and white cold clasp.  The design reminds us a little of the Parmigiani Fleurier Bugatti Watch but a whole lot more complex; similarly, the $158,000 price tag is also impressive.

[flv]http://mbandf.com/_flash/HM4_video.flv[/flv]

Press Release:

Horological Machine No4 Thunderbolt

A traditional wristwatch has a relatively straightforward role: to tell the time. All that is needed is a hand for the hours, another for the minutes and perhaps a power reserve indicator to keep track of running time. Horological Machine No4 Thunderbolt has a hand for the hours, another for the minutes and a power reserve indicator. HM4 Thunderbolt tells the time.

HM4 Thunderbolt is not a traditional wristwatch.
The aviation-inspired case and engine of the Thunderbolt are one. Neither would, nor could, exist without the other, yet each is so transcendental as to be able to stand alone as a work of art in its own right.

The Thunderbolt’s engine is the culmination of three long years of development. Each of the 300-plus components – including the regulator and even the screws – was developed specifically for this anarchistic calibre. Horizontally configured dual mainspring barrels drive two vertical gear trains, transferring power to the twin pods indicating hours/minutes and power reserve.

But describing HM4′s engine through its mechanical functionality is like describing Renoir’s work through the chemical composition of his paint. Only careful contemplation enables full appreciation, and the sapphire case section and display panels top and bottom allow full access to the flawless fine finishing of HM4′s intricate and vibrant micro-mechanics.

The sleek aerodynamic form of the Thunderbolt’s titanium and sapphire envelope has its roots in Maximilian Büsser’s childhood passion for assembling model plane kits, though none looked remotely as futuristic as this. The striking transparent sapphire section of the case requires over 100 hours of machining and polishing to transform an opaque solid block of crystal into a complex, exquisitely curved panel allowing the light to come in and the beauty of Thunderbolt’s engine to stand out. Every component and form has a technical purpose; nothing is superfluous and every line and curve is in poetic harmony. Articulated lugs ensure supreme comfort. Highly legible time is a fringe benefit.

About MB&F

After decades learning and conforming to the corporate rules of watchmaking, Maximilian Büsser broke the chains and started a rebellion – a rebellion called MB&F. MB&F is an artistic and micro-engineering concept laboratory in which collectives of independent horological professionals are assembled each year to design and craft radical Horological Machines.
The ramifications of these audacious projects are profound. Respecting tradition but not shackled by it, MB&F fuses traditional, high-quality watchmaking with cutting-edge technology to create three-dimensional kinetic sculptures.

In the 19th century, photography liberated art from realism: Monet painted “Impressionism, Sunrise” giving rise to a new artistic movement based on re-interpreting light.
In the 21st century, electronics liberated watchmaking from timekeeping: MB&F created Horological Machines, giving rise to a new artistic movement based on re-interpreting horology.

Horological Machine No4 Thunderbolt
Inspiration and Realization: A long childhood passion for assembling model aircraft had Maximilian Büsser’s walls, cupboards and ceiling covered in small aircraft of every description. Planes were what he saw last thing at night and planes were what he saw first thing each morning.
The boy became a man, but something of the child and his planes remained, quietly waiting until…HM4 Thunderbolt!
Many boys sketch supercars and fast planes, but few have the drive and determination to make their dreams come true. Büsser created MB&F to do just that. The HM4 Thunderbolt is born of the child’s fantasy and the man’s tenacity.

Engine: HM4′s engine was entirely designed and developed by MB&F over three years of intensive work with Laurent Besse and Beranger Reynard of Les Artisans Horlogers. Each of the 311 components were developed specifically for the Thunderbolt, no off-the-shelf mechanisms or parts were used at all due to the extreme nature of its architecture.

Two mainspring barrels connected in parallel provide 72 hours of energy, and they transfer their power to the dual jet-turbine-like indication pods (one displaying the hours and minutes, the other the power reserve) via vertical gear trains.

Visible through a shaped sapphire display panel on the top of the case, a distinctive streamlined cock supports the balance, its centre cut away to reveal as much of the oscillating wheel as possible and validating the “kinetic” in MB&F’s “kinetic art”.

A work of art rewards when viewed from different angles and the Thunderbolt is no exception. Turning the machine over reveals a veritable panorama of meticulously finished micro-engineering through the sapphire sections. In a playful trompe d’oeil, what at first glance appears to be a micro-rotor in the form of MB&F’s iconic battle-axe is actually a bridge.

Indications: For a timepiece not developed specifically to tell the time, HM4 performs that role superbly. In fact, with its highly legible dials perpendicular to the wearer’s wrist, Horological Machine No4 might be described as the perfect pilot’s or driver’s watch.

On the left pod, the amount of fuel in the tanks – or power reserve – is clearly indicated by a skeletonised hand echoing MB&F’s battle-axe motif. On the right, hours and minutes are displayed by bold, arrow-tipped Super-LumiNova filled hands. Each of the two aviation instrument-styled dials is directly controlled by its own crown, one to wind and re-fuel the tanks, the other to set the time, which provides direct and instantaneous feedback of the action performed.

Case: Inspired by aviation, more specifically the model aircraft kits of Maximilian Büsser’s childhood, the case of HM4 imparts speed, power, technology and refinement in equal measure. Visually, the case is composed of three parts: two streamlined jet-turbine-styled pods supported by a horizontal section housing the engine, which is clearly visible through transparent sapphire display panels and the central section of the case itself.

Case (continued): Technically there are also three main sections, but these comprise a fore section in titanium, which includes the dials and articulated front lugs; a central section in sapphire offering unprecedented 360° access to the superbly finished engine; and an aft section tapering down to the dual crowns and framing the animated balance, which is supported by an aerodynamic cock. Methods borrowed from aeronautic engineering are visible in the externally mounted screws, which provide both rigidity and watch resistance to hold the case’s three sections solidly and elegantly together.

Beginning with a solid piece of sapphire, more than 100 hours of intricate machining and meticulous polishing are required to turn an opaque block of crystal into the clear, light-filled atrium of the central case section, which reveals part of the Thunderbolt’s engine and engineering details. The metal case sections are milled from solid blocks of high-tech Grade 5 titanium, which undergoes hundreds of hours of machining before polishing, masking and finally satin-finishing of the surfaces. The results speak for themselves.

The contrasts of matte with highly polished surfaces, titanium with sapphire, straight lines with seductive curves and rigid forms with articulated arms endows Horological Machine No4 with a life and vibrancy that sets it apart from anything that has ever gone before.

HM4 Thunderbolt is the quintessential machine as three-dimensional kinetic art.

Rupture in Art, Rupture in Watchmaking

Impressionist paintings scared classicists and were greatly misunderstood. MB&F’s Horological Machines scare classicists and are greatly misunderstood. Horological Machine No4 is unlikely to change that, but the rupture with traditional watchmaking is so complete that it allows HM4 to be appreciated for what it is, i.e. raw, unfettered three-dimensional kinetic art.

Until the 19th century, art was fairly straightforward: painters did their best to replicate what they saw and their skill was judged on how closely they copied reality, with little latitude allowed for a brush-stroke or two of emotion. With the introduction of photography, even the greatest traditional artists could not compete in terms of realism. But that liberated more adventurous artists like Monet, Cézanne and Renoir to break from realism and to paint, not just with a brush-stroke or two of emotion but with raw, unfettered emotion.

In impressionist art, the fundamentals of the medium remain, i.e. paint on canvas, but the result was a rupture with the past. With MB&F’s Horological Machines, again the fundamentals of the (horological) medium remain, i.e. intricate mechanical movements, and again the result is a rupture with the past.

Horological Machine No4 Thunderbolt – Technical Specifications

Engine:

Three-dimensional horological engine developed 100% by MB&F
Manual winding with two mainspring barrels in parallel
Power reserve: 72 hours
Balance frequency: 21,600bph/3Hz
Number of components: 311
Number of jewels: 50

Functions:

Hours, minutes and power reserve indicator
Hours and minutes on right dial, power reserve indicator on left dial
Separate crowns for time setting and winding

Case:

Grade 5 titanium and sapphire
Dimensions: 54mm wide x 52mm long x 24mm high
Number of components: 65
Articulation of lugs: 3°

Sapphire crystals:

Five sapphire crystals: 2 x dials, 1 x central case section, 2 x display panels (top and bottom)

Strap & Buckle:

Black hand-stitched calfskin strap with titanium/white gold custom designed deployment buckle attached to articulated lugs

‘Friends’ responsible for Horological Machine No4 “Thunderbolt”

Concept: Maximilian Büsser/MB&F

Product Design: Eric Giroud – Eric Giroud Design Studio

Technical and Production Management: Serge Kriknoff/MB&F

Production logistics: David Lamy/MB&F

Movement Development: Laurent Besse, Béranger Reynard and Patrick Lété of Les Artisans
Horlogers

Movement manufacturing: Daniel Uhlmann/Azuréa Technologies, Nicolas Broquet/Broquet
Décolletage, Yann Ryser/Tital

Hand-finishing of movement components: Jacques-Adrien Rochat and Denis Garcia of
C-L Rochat

Movement assemblage: Didier Dumas and Georges Veisy/MB&F

Case and buckle construction and production: Jean-Pierre Kohler and Lionel Gavignet of Profusion
Martin Stettler of Stettler
Dominique Mainier and Bertrand Jeunet of G.F.Châtelain

Dials: François Bernhard and Denis Parel of Nateber

Hands: Pierre Chillier, Isabelle Chillier and Félix Celetta of Fiedler

Strap: Olivier Purnot/Camille Fournet

Presentation box: Olivier Berthon/Berthon & Co

The watch is actually called “The One,” and it’s designed so that you’re able to slide a metal panel from the left to right, or vice versa depending on your mood. One the panel’s on the right and the left side of the face is exposed, you’ll see a “normal” analog watch face. However, slide the panel the other way and you’ll find yourself staring at a binary display. Two sides, with blue LEDs to accent what the time is. Using some math skills will get you to show off to all your friends.

Obviously for some people the novelty of having a watch you can’t just glance at and know what the time is wears off pretty quickly, that’s why we’re happy to see there’s some options out there. The watch itself looks pretty slick, too — it could definitely be worse. We couldn’t find anywhere to tell us how much the watch actually costs, but we imagine it won’t be the cheapest way to tell the time. But, you can order them from here.

[via OhGizmo!]

The HM4 engine is the end result of three years of hard work and a whopping 311 individual pieces, and we’re expecting MF&F’s casing to be suitably ostentatious.  Full details are promised on July 7th, and we’ll also likely find out pricing then too; that’s probably going to be pretty ostentatious too.

One of the best things about a Tokyoflash creation, is the more you stare at it, the more you think you know how to actually “tell time.” Of course, the only way you’ll really know for sure is to get one of your own, and then you can show it off to everyone you know, proclaiming that you can tell them what time it is by watching your phone’s digital display change lanes. Hours and minutes are displayed on the face of the watch by crisscrossing and intersecting lines, with the hours displayed “on the left,” and the minutes displayed “on the right.” Keep in mind that each bar corresponds to an hour, or minute, so it’s really not as easy as it looks (that’s our sarcasm for the day).

The watch features a stainless steel body, as well as a stainless steel strap. It’s powered by a USB cable, so you can keep it charged day-to-day. It’s also water resistant, not that we think you’d want to get close to water with this thing on your wrist. It’s on sale right now at Tokyoflash’s website, and it will only cost you a cool $169.73. So, think it’s worth it to be the most original watch owner on the block? Or maybe even your whole city?

[via Tokyoflash]

That gets you a simple ABS plastic casing finished in either black, white, silver or one of “16 bright colors” and an LCD display that’s inverted to give it the milky, floating character appearance.  According to designer Vadim Kibardin, Sputnik is currently in “manufacture and pre-sales preparation”, and if you’re interested in buying one yourself you can contact them via this form.

[via OhGizmo!]

The flexible plastic display panels will be combined with similarly-flexible printed solar cells, providing the super-frugal screens with power without needing to install huge, cumbersome batteries.  HP have been developing the printable display technology for the past ten years, eventually coming up with machinery that can lay down a mixture of transistors, acids and metal coatings onto a 50 micron-thick plastic layer.

HP reckon the displays will eventually show up in consumer technology such as laptops and ereaders, though the first uses could be in stores as dynamically adjustable pricing labels on shelves.  Meanwhile the US army watches are expected to hit prototype stage within a year, in time for a small-scale trial.

[via Slashdot]

Yanko has another new watch that you can buy today called the Ever Increasing Watch. The watch was designed by the EleeNo group and it looks pretty cool. The watch reminds me of some sort of chart you might make in math class with dotted lines that move up a grid. The top blue line is for hours, the middle green line is for the tens of minutes, and the bottom red line is for single minutes.

Despite how complex the watch looks, it is actually very easy to read with the numbers printed right below the dotted lines for you. You can get the watch with a black or a silver band and face for $179.

The new Round Trip Pocket Watch is designed to be worn on a chain like an old school pocket watch or a key ring. When attached to a key ring you can put it on things like your backpack or belt loop too. The watch charges from the USB port of your computer and has an array of LEDs that shows the time and only display when a button is pressed.

The inner orange ring shows the hours with each segment in the position that a number on a traditional watch would be. The Blue LEDs on the outer ring shows the minutes in groups of three in the same position as a normal clock face. The green LEDs show two single minutes at the bottom of the watch. I get the orange LEDs, the rest of the set up confuses me. You can pick yours up with a silver case for $72.97.

The watch has a large metal face with 12 LED lights that indicate the hour on the small round face. The top line has nine LEDs and shows the minute increments in tens, and the bottom has five LEDs to show one-minute increments.

The watch has a fat black band and comes with a silver face and your choice of three LED colors including blue, red, and green. The stitching on the watchband matches the LED color. You can grab one up now for $159.

Each of the pull tabs on the zippers shows one number to display the time. The hours are on the top two zippers and the bottom two show minutes.

The time only shows up when a button between the bottom two zippers is pressed. It’s very easy to make out the time, even if the watch sounds a bit confusing.

The Casio G-Shock GW-3000 fall into the company’s new “Gravity Defier” range, and while that might sound like they’ll make you float, in actual fact they’re capable of resisting centrifugal gravitational force. Aimed at aviators who might require a watch that can withstand up to 15Gs, that doesn’t mean regular people like us won’t find some appeal; having bumped the chunky timepiece on a few occasions, we particularly appreciated the raised urethane bezel which helps protect the watchface.

Casio have three versions of the GW-3000: the GW-3000B with a resin strap and the GW-3000D and 3000BD with silver or black metal straps. All three are solar powered yet also automatically check themselves against radio wave broadcasts and adjust for accuracy. A particularly sharp bump, which might knock the hands out of alignment, can also be automatically corrected without your needing to open the watch up and tweak with tweezers.

The rest of the functions are pretty much par for the G-Shock course, with 29-zone world clock, stopwatch, daily alarm, day/week display and an automatic calendar. Casio reckon the GW-3000 can last for almost two years on a full charge, though the display will automatically shut off to save power in the dark. The resin-bodied GW-3000B is also reasonably light, at 74g (the metal versions are 148g). Despite the fact that there’s no shortage of information on display, the GW-3000 is suitably glanceable with big, bright numbers (orange in our review model, but they also do blue and green).

As for the Casio G-Shock GA-100, looking ominous all in grey, that packs both analog and digital displays, a 29-zone world clock, five independent alarms, stopwatch and countdown timer and day/month/year display. It’s also anti-magnetic along with – as you’d expect – shock-proof, and can be used underwater to up to 660 feet (200m).

Casio bill the GA-100 as having “auto LED lighting”, though we found we still preferred hitting the button ourselves. We also can’t help but wish Casio had fitted brighter LEDs, too; the watch’s face is pretty gloomy, and the standard lighting only goes part-way in addressing that. Similarly, while the analog dial has luminous markers at each of the hour points, the watch hands themselves do not.

Still, the buttons are sizeable and easy to hit, and it’s a considerably cheaper timepiece than the G-Shock GW-3000 at around $99. The matte finish surround and resin strap proved scuff-resistant, and while it’s undeniably chunky we didn’t worry about accidentally knocking it. At 70g it’s surprisingly light, too. On a level playing field we’d rather the solar convenience and glanceable face of the G-Shock GA-3000, but at around $260 for the resin-banded 3000B (or $350 for the metal-banded versions) our wallet would lean toward the GA-100 instead.

Yanko Design has a watch that you can actually buy called the Scope Watch that is sort of like the one from the film. It is a digital watch that has a retro sci fi look to it and no normal numbers or hands. The watch has a grid with hours along the bottom and minutes along the left side.

The lines on the watch intersect at the time of day. You can get the Scope Watch in a couple different case colors and with different color faces. The watch sells for $189 and is available now.

The watch doesn’t remind me of a frog really, I can see the buggy domes for hours and minutes as the source for the name though. The watch movement is a thing of beauty indeed with all manner of little gears and wheels that are exposed to show the intricate design and detail of the inner workings. You can get the watch with a large blue rotor or a green rotor.

The case is made from grade 5 titanium with a 22K gold rotor in blue. The other version is very limited with only 12 being made and has a black titanium case and green 22K gold rotor. The watch measures 47mm x 50mm x 16mm. Pricing isn’t mentioned, but judging by the craftsmanship it won’t be cheap.

The watch is the Tread 1 and it is very cool. The downside of a very cool watch from an exclusive firm is that the Tread 1 is crazy expensive at $15,000. The thing has a gob of moving parts and it seems the watch gets its name from the fact that the numbers are printed on moving belts like a treadmill.

These belts are woven together and display the time in boxes printed on the crystal of the watch. Each band gets its own tiny motor and Gizmodo says the thing is made from bulletproof polycarbonate. This watch is very cool indeed.

The Instant Trend is more than a watch though. The longish blue text screen can also display messages from Twitter and Facebook. To display these messages it has to be paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth.

I am actually surprised there is no mention of caller ID, if you are pairing with a smartphone that seems to be a no brainer to me. The watch can also display normal time clocks for multiple time zones for days when you can’t figure out what time it is in the Tokyoflash clock mode.

A new watch has turned up on Yanko Design that might not be as cool looking as the concept devices we often see at Yanko, but you can actually order this one. The watch is called the 1/4 Watch and it comes in black, white, blue, and red colors.

The case of the watch is 39mm x 31mm x 7mm and it is water-resistant. The case is made from stainless steel and the strap is rubber. The lens of the watch is mineral glass and a battery powers the works. If the watch tickles your fancy, you can buy it now for $85. The watch has no hands, apparently the sections of the face turn to show the time.

The Watch3 also has a face coated in a phosphorescent paint allowing it to glow nicely in a dark room. The watch is Swiss made and hand assembled with a quartz movement. Only 100 of the Watch3 watches will be offered for purchase.

The watch face has a diameter of 38mm and a thickness of 6.7mm. It weighs 44g and has a stainless steel case with a leather strap. The watch can be purchased for about $570 right now.

If you like to drink adult beverages that need a bottle opener this is the watch for you. The face of the watch has a digital display for time, the day, and an analog display that has normal hands and operation with red markings for 5p.m., also known as happy hour.

The buckle on the band of the watch is the unique bit here. It is designed to allow you to open a bottle without hunting for a bottle opener or using your teeth. The watch is available now for $49.95 on sale with the normal price being $69.95.

The watch displays time with orange numbers on black rotating discs that look like a digital readout. The cool watch is officially known as the 4N-MVT01/D01 and is limited to only 16 pieces. The display and movement of the watch are mechanical with exposed gears and sprockets. The movement of the watch is powered by manual winding and displays time in with a 12-hour clock.

Each of the three discs that are used to display the time are made from aluminum or titanium and held inside a carbon cage structure. 4N will offer the watch in 18K white gold and platinum versions. The dial is covered by a sapphire glass crystal and the band will be offered in a variety of materials. Pricing is unknown, but with the materials and design, this is definitely one of the “if you have to ask” types of products.

That’s going to be tricky, as Tokyoflash have carved a niche for themselves in recent years by offering innovative and unusual timepieces. Their range spans everything from Japanese minimalism through to watches so obscure you’ll need a crib sheet just to decode the time.

If you’d like to stand a chance to win your choice of watch from the Tokyoflash catalog, head over to this competition thread and tell us what useful, geeky or generally high-tech function you wish you could find on a watch. We’ll pick three winners at random, who will each get to choose a model from the Tokyoflash range. Entries must be in before midnight eastern time on December 21st 2009; good luck!

Rules

Competition is open to SlashGear readers over the age of 18. Family members of Tokyoflash and SlashGear are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear forum thread; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. Entries should be submitted before midnight eastern time on December 21st 2009; one entry per person (and yes, we check).

The winners will be contacted via email; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, SlashGear.

Prize consists of three Tokyoflash watches, one each for three winners. There is no cash alternative. Winners will be able to select their Tokyflash watch of choice from the current catalog; however should this prize become unavailable, SlashGear and Tokyoflash reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.