May 16, 2011
If this works as advertised, I want one. Here's the details:
Meta Watch™ offers developers freedom to start their own wrist revolution
Richardson, TX, May 3, 2011 – Meta WatchTM is proud to announce a wearable development system that enables rapid development of ‘connected-watch’ applications. With Meta Watch, developers can quickly and easily extend the interfaces of devices and applications to the wrist. The Meta Watch platforms utilize embedded Bluetooth® technology to connect to smartphones, tablets and other electronics devices. The Meta Watch SDK/API makes it easy for the watch to display information from mobile applications or Internet services. For complete information, visit www.metawatch.org.
Meta Watch platforms are available in analog digital or digital versions, and include: a 3 ATM water resistant stainless steel case; leather strap; mineral glass crystal; vibrating motor; three-axis accelerometer, and ambient light sensor. Optimized for low-power operation, both watch platforms are based on the MSP430™ ultra-low-power microcontroller and CC2560 Bluetooth host controller interface solution from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI).
“Meta Watch makes our everyday mobile experience much better by enabling us to view important mobile notifications at the right time with virtually no effort”, said Bill Geiser, Vice President Watch Technology, Fossil. “Of course, you can get this information today, but it requires many different steps. Meta Watch simply makes it more convenient and, in the process, it opens the door to new partnerships like we have with TI and a growing network of development partners.”
“TI welcomes the opportunity to work with the Meta Watch team on creating a new channel for the community, and to helping developers push the watch’s capabilities to the next level,” said Eran Sandhaus, Director of marketing, wireless connectivity solutions, TI. “TI’s MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontroller and CC2560 Bluetooth host controller interface provide a solid foundation for the nextgeneration, connected devices based on the Meta Watch’s sleek form factor. We look forward to seeing the Meta Watch community flourish with ideas for wearable technology that will spark new consumer experiences for years to come.”
You can read more about it at the main site HERE.
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May 5, 2011
I like the classic look of this watch, and being able to win it is a good thing. The site aBlogtoRead is having a contest. It's pretty simple, you need to hit their site, post, friend someone on Facebook, and you're in the running.
The watch is valued at $995, and the contest runs until May 31st. You can enter it at the aBlogtoRead site HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Contests/Sweepstakes/Giveaways,Watches | Comments (0)
April 25, 2011
If you're runner, a bit of a workout nut, or just like a cool watch, this one might be for you. The coolest part of the watch is the touchscreen. Here's the details:
Forerunner 610 gives you several ways to get in touch with your training data. The swipe and scroll action makes it easy to adjust settings, review your run history and more. A quick tap of the screen advances to the next training page so you can see more data.
The 610’s sleek touchscreen is as rugged as it is functional. The 610 can stand up to rain, sweat and splashes, yet it’s sensitive enough that you can operate it with running gloves.
The 610 provides accurate distance, pace, GPS position, heart rate;, calories and more. It will guide you back to the starting point of your run, allowing the freedom to explore new routes.
Training tools like the new Virtual Racer can turn any workout into a virtual matchup. This feature lets you race your previous bests or challenge any activities uploaded to our Garmin Connect site. Virtual Racer accounts for varying speeds and real-time conditions, so it’s truly you vs. your opponent. Or, use the Virtual Partner® function and see how you measure up to a static pace you set. Forerunner 610 also offers vibration alerts, which you can customize for time, distance, calories, heart rate or cadence.
The Forerunner 610 is our first sport watch with the Training Effect capability from Firstbeat. Training Effect measures the impact of an activity on your aerobic fitness, which essentially helps you train more efficiently. The 610 also offers customizable heart rate zones, alerts and heart-rate based calorie computations.
The Forerunner 610 wirelessly uploads your run data to our Garmin Connect site when in range of your computer so you can go back and review your run. It works via ANT+ wireless technology and the USB stick that comes with your watch. At Garmin Connect, you can see your activity on a map, view lap splits and explore activities from other users.
You can grab one at Amazon HERE.
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April 4, 2011
Still not my favorite look with the big numbers on the dial, but it is supposed to be a dive watch, so that might be useful a hundred feet under water. Overall, this is one of the few watches that I still like to look of.
The only downside is that it's a pretty big watch, at 49mm. I'd really have to see what it looks like in person, as it might just be too big to wear.
Here's the details:
Depth Display to 125 Feet, Maximum Depth Memory, One-Way Rotating Elapsed-Time Bezel, 50-Minute Chronograph, 12/24 Hour Time, Screw-Back Case and Screw-Down Crown, Non-Reflective Crystal, Power Reserve Indicator, Stainless Steel Black Ion Plating, Water Resistant to 666 ft. (200m), 49 mm Case, and Never Needs a Battery.
The watch goes for an MSRP of $695, but NewEgg has it for $382.25 at the moment on their site HERE.
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April 1, 2011
Not a whole lot to say about this one. Nice looking watch, great watch maker, probably more expensive than I am ever going to pay for a watch. Here's all the details:
THE AUTHENTIC TRAVEL CHRONOGRAPH
Adjusting instantly to the time and date of the place of arrival, while maintaining a 24-hour home-time display and without losing any precision in counting the minutes, must be every traveler’s dream. A dream now come true with the new Chronomat GMT, a travel watch from Breitling boasting unprecedented user friendliness. The wearer need only pull out the crown and turn it forwards or backwards to move between timezones in an outstandingly simple manner. Equipped with the new Breitling Caliber 04, entirely developed and produced within the company workshops, the Chronomat GMT is one of the rare chronographs to offer such a smoothly functional dual timezone system. With its exclusive design and its dial featuring subtle three-dimensional effects, it is the new benchmark for all those who want to experience high performances in all parts of the world.
AN INNOVATE MECHANISM
From the famous world-time Unitime, the star of the 1950s, to the current Navitimer World models with dual timezone display, travel watches have always had a special place in the Breitling collections. A natural vocation for the favorite pilots’ brand that became “official supplier to world aviation”. Today, Breitling is returning to the forefront in this field by unveiling a new instrument distinguished by its smart and convivial operating mode. To ensure peerless user friendliness, the firm’s watchmakers and engineers have developed a differential system – for which a patent has been duly filed – serving to disconnect the local hour hand from the gear train when changing timezone. This operation thus has no effect on the precision of the watch, nor on the performances of the chronograph.
A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CHRONOGRAPH
The fact that the Chronomat GMT is such an exceptional instrument is also because it combines this extremely practical dual timezone system with a chronograph – and not just any chronograph. The brand-new Breitling Caliber 04 developed for this model is indeed derived from Breitling Caliber 01, the sturdiest, most reliable and most high-performance of all selfwinding chronograph movements, entirely designed and produced within the company workshops. It features the same original architecture and the same cutting-edge characteristics, including a column wheel, a vertical coupling clutch guaranteeing high-precision activation, and an over 70-hour power reserve – along with various innovative special characteristics such as the patented recentering device for the zero-resetting hammers. Designed to provide maximum operational functionality and security, Caliber 04 is manufactured using a high-tech production-chain system revolutionizing traditional movement assembly processes. Breitling thereby guarantees the authentic reliability of its “instruments for professionals” on a large scale. As is the case for all the brand’s movements, this highperformance “engine” is chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute), the highest token of precision.
A POWERFUL STYLE
The new Chronomat GMT is based on the powerful, unique and quintessential design of Breitling’s leading model, with its imposing steel case featuring ultra-sturdy construction and water-resistant to 500 meters (1,650 ft), as well as its unidirectional rotating bezel engraved with exclusive numerals. However, its dial available in six colors with tone-on-tone or contrasting totalizers has been redesigned to give it a personality all its own. The applied hour-markers are fitted with highly original bases, inspired by Roman numerals. This refined detail accentuates the square shape of the central gridwork-patterned central zone that stands out in subtle ways depending on how it catches the light. The triangular openworked red-tipped hand points to home time on a 24-hour graduated scale partially covered by the inner bezel – thereby giving the dial even more life and depth by playing on the third dimension. The home-time hands and hour-markers are enhanced by a luminescent coating guaranteeing excellent readability by day and night. Entirely made in Switzerland and treated to extremely meticulous finishing, the Chronomat GMT may be teamed with a choice of various straps and bracelets offering a variety of styles and uses: the classic touch of Barenia or crocodile leather, the sporty spirit of rubber straps, and the sturdy masculine nature of the steel Pilot bracelet. A whole world of elegance and performance for the authentic travel chronograph.
PEERLESS FUNCTIONALITY
The new Chronomat GMT is equipped with two central hour hands. The fi rst matches the minute hand and runs over a 12-hour scale, while the second is tipped with a red triangle and runs in 24-hour mode. When the user is in his home country, the two hour hands move in a perfectly synchronized manner.
CHANGING TIMEZONE
To adjust the 12-hour hand to local time, the user simply pulls the crown out to position 2 and turns it in either direction by the number of notches corresponding to the number of hours composing the time difference. The date display is indexed to this 12-hour hand and changes automatically if required, both backwards or forwards. The red-tipped hand keeps track of home time on a 24-hour basis, thus enabling one to distinguish between day and night and avoiding the risk of waking family members, friends or business contacts by phoning them when they are sound asleep. And if the traveler makes stopovers in several different timezones, he need only repeat the same operation on each occasion and then, upon returning home, reset the two hands to the same time. It’s hard to imagine anything simpler!
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February 22, 2011
This is a pretty incredible watch. I'm scared to ask what the price is though. Here's the details on how it works:
But how does this enigmatic timepiece work?
Each hour is represented by a sunbeam, twelve in total. They are posted on the dial in the sectors of a classic display. As for the minutes, they appear in a central moon equipped with an index making one revolution per hour.
At midday all rays blaze like the light of the day. At this precise moment the design represents the sun at its zenith.
Gradually, each sunbeam is replaced by a moonbeam. Twilight is reached, then midnight symbolized by twelve dark segments.
The darkness of the face then reveals the disc with an opening in the form of the moon at the centre of the watch: It is the second depiction of midnight.
At dawn, the rays of the sun (as watch hands) are reactivated and the ambient light progressively returns as each hour passes.
* New face with patent applied for, which indicates the passage of 24 hours with the day and night.
* Hour display without discs or hands.
* Display of minutes by a disk turning in the center of the watch.
* Three-dimensional face with PVD colour black, rhodium-plated or pink.
* Mechanical movement in exquisite workmanship with hours and minutes. Black gold balance with screws.
* 42 rubies.
* Reserve power spring with 45 hours’ capacity.
* Face with high-quality finish.
* Casing in white or pink gold or black TITANIUM DLC.
* Alligator leather wrist strap with buckle using loop.
* High-quality presentation box.
* Two-year warranty.
You can check out the watch, and see a video of how it works, at the site HERE.
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February 15, 2011
I like this look of this watch, though I'm pretty sure it's going to cost a bit more than I'm willing to spend. Actually, probably a hell of a lot more, but I've been surprised before. Here's the details:
Breitling is writing a new chapter in the history of the Montbrillant chronograph by equipping it for the first time with Caliber 01, a high-performance movement entirely developed and produced in the company workshops. A limited series completely dedicated to style and accomplishment.
Endowed with a look inspired by the 1940s and 50s and featuring a circular slide rule for pilots, the Montbrillant chronograph was named after the building on Montbrillant Street, in the heights of La Chaux-de-Fonds, which housed the Breitling workshops from 1892 to 1979. It was in these premises that the brand developed the inventions and improvements that were to change the face of the wrist chronograph, including the first independent pushpiece (1915), the second independent pushpiece (1934) and the first selfwinding chronograph (1969). This was also where Breitling produced its first onboard chronographs that contributed to its status as “official supplier to world aviation” during the boom of air transport on propeller-powered and subsequently jet aircraft.
Today, the Montbrillant is associating its name with another milestone in the history of the brand with the winged B by hosting Breitling’s Caliber 01, the most reliable and efficient of all selfwinding chronograph movements, produced using a revolutionary assembly process. The Montbrillant 01 Limited is issued in twin editions of 2,000 in steel and 200 in red gold, with the individual number engraved at 9 o’clock on the case middle. The Mercury Silver dial features elegant hands, the traditional central hundredth of a second counter, and an 18K gold version of the stylized B that served as the brand symbol until the mid-20th century. A transparent sapphire crystal caseback provides generous views of Breitling’s Caliber 01, chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute), with its column wheel and its original structure. A collector’s piece for all those with a love of history in movement.
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February 1, 2011
I do love the look of this watch. It also has a skeleton back that I've always been partial to.
The other cool thing, is that the straps have a quick release allowing you to turn it into a pocket watch. Also, you can fold the back down to make it a table clock.
The down side is that it'll cost around $20,000.
You can read a lot more about, and see more pictures, over at the A Blog To Read site HERE.
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January 31, 2011
I absolutely love this watch. It's easily taken the top spot on watches I want, and it's also now way up there on things I hope to have the money to buy soon.
They were nice enough to send me the press release about it, so I thought I would pass it along:
HD3 Slyde
A single case for a luxury watch with an infinity of components, movements and complications. Sounds unthinkable? Think again. This amazing concept of Time, born in the fertile mind of celebrated Swiss designer Jorg Hysek, has become reality: SLYDE. The perfect fusion between the latest design trends and cutting-edge electronic technology – revolutionizing our vision of Time at the dawn of the Third Millennium.
'A designer is only satisfied if he is ahead of his time.' That's the credo of Jorg Hysek, arguably the most famous designer in world watchmaking. After a string of hugely successful complicated timepieces – notably Black Pearl, designed by his close associate Fabrice Gonet, and now a collector's item – the founder of the independent HD3 brand continues to stand out from the world of traditional watchmaking.
SLYDE, his latest design, is sure to cause a sensation among luxury watch enthusiasts: traditional, rebellious, sporty, chic… tourbillon, movement… SLYDE unites all styles and types of watchmaking complication within a single, ultra-refined case, emblematic of HD3's avant-garde approach.
SLYDE is a luxurious, sophisticated object – complete with avant-garde technology taken from the worlds of home automation and multimedia – that makes it startlingly easy to surf through the world of prestige watchmaking.
It is a revolution in universal Time, whose only limits are… the boundaries of the imagination.
SAYING NO TO THE WATCHMAKING CRISIS
The HD3 workshops, tucked away in the village of Luins in the vineyards overlooking Lake Geneva, offer a perfect setting for creativity. It is here, for over five years now, that Jorg Hysek and his team of designers have been creating audacious timepieces that blend mechanical complexity and modern aesthetics. Two years ago, the crisis affecting the watch sector incited Jorg Hysek to call his company-model into question, and seek solutions to the global problems of supply and production in watchmaking techniques. No small task.
At the end of 2009, the supplier of movements to HD3 went bankrupt, inciting Jorg to adopt a totally new approach. He returned to a sketch from Christmas 2008, featuring a square case with a screen that modulates according to the time and the user's needs and wishes. Eighteen months later, SLYDE was born: a superb new-generation timepiece!
AN INNOVATIVE CONCEPT
SLYDE takes the underlying principle of the smartphone – the possibility to change applications by merely sliding a finger over a tactile screen – and adapts it to the world of 21st century watchmaking.
Jorg Hysek was inspired by the automobile world ('which influences our entire aesthetic approach') in crafting the watch's streamlined appearance. He came up with a de luxe timepiece perfect for modern, aesthetic, instantaneous time-reading.
The refined, no-frills square case has a tactile screen that moves vertically and horizontally. This revolutionary display means that, by simply sliding across the watch screen, the user can generate an unlimited variety of timepieces on the wrist – corresponding to any event, desire, or particular moment. Creating a range of 'different' watches within a single timepiece is made possible thanks to a range of top-quality virtual modules, all linked exclusively to the concept of time.
HIGH-DEFINITION TIME
These applications, created by HD3 and designed by Swiss electronic engineers, can be downloaded over the internet. SLYDE covers all forms of Time:
The Past, by inserting modules like the automatic count-down from private events, and the chance to personalize the watch by inserting photographs
The Present, with the immediate creation of watch interfaces providing aesthetic, made-to-measure time-reading
The Future, with an automatic countdown to future events as per the user's requirements
SLYDE is a veritable Swiss-made luxury watch, placing all the technological savoir-faire developed for its conception at the service of universal Time. There are no telephone applications, games, or other accessories among the customized modules. All that matters is apprehending Time, whether latent or real.
SLYDE watches are available with cases in black or grey titanium or in pink gold, in the purest tradition of Swiss watchmaking. Straps are in leather, printed alligator or rubber (5 colours). Every component of a SLYDE watch, complete with sapphire glass and water-resistant to a depth of 50m, derives from luxury watchmaking.
This high-definition watch nonetheless remains an affordable luxury: SLYDE is competitively priced at €4000 (download modules not included).
A NEW WATCHMAKING ERA
To make the most of this new-style watch, the owner can connect to Internet to recharge and download, enjoying personal access to customized modules. All the technology used by SLYDE is internationally patented.
SLYDE is intended for people with the highest standards, who are passionate about Time and its attendant technology. Like its creator, SLYDE aims to revolutionize our modes of communication and interactivity. 'We have retained the essence of what makes a watch tick: the ability to transmit emotion!' explains Jorg Hysek.
Emotion on your wrist. Fusing reality and virtual reality.
SLYDE, by HD3. A new watchmaking era has begun.
Posted by Ghostshark under Design,Watches | Comments (0)
January 25, 2011
This watch is awesome, and I'm already upset that I'm probably not going to be able to afford one. There's not a lot of information on it yet, but there are plans to have a big unveiling at Geneva Time Exhibition this year. The official launch will be at Baselworld.
You should really go to the website and check out the video for it HERE.
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