Ask Slashdot: Wrist Watch For the Tech Minded

NNUfergs writes "Sure, my smartphone can deliver just about any piece of information I could want in under 30 seconds, but I miss being able to just look at my wrist to get the time, date etc. I've been shopping around for a while and haven't come across anything particularly inspiring. There are loads of various features that have been incorporated into watches, but you usually only see a small, specialized set in a given watch. Budget is always a concern, but I am willing to invest in a quality time piece. In short, I'm not looking for a piece of jewelry; I'm looking for a gadget to wear on my wrist. Are there any neat, fun or just plain cool watches out there for techies? What do you have?"

Luminox

[joe_frisch]

The light is from a radioactive Tritium source - automatic cool points, and its actually useful, the hands are bright enough to see in any light without needing a second hand to push a button.

pebble?

[SirSlud]

Bluetooth e-paper watch with apps, talks to both Apple and Android. Made a splash on kickstarter earlier this month:

www.getpebble.com

You can't buy it now, but I have a hard time believing this isn't the future of watches, in terms of not needing to pull the phone out of your pocket, it can send just about anything to the watch, and you can use the watch to control your phone.

Re:pebble?

[SirSlud]

Oh, and it will have an open SDK so you can develop your own apps for it :)

Casio GB-6900

[Anonymous Coward]

Casio G-Shock GB-6900 Bluetooth watch [ubergizmo.com]. Uses Bluetooth Low Energy with compatible devices (iPhone 4s, few newer Android phones) so it doesn't drain power like other past Bluetooth enabled watches. Sync to the time on your phone, lets you set phone alerts/alarms/ringtones/etc, read text messaging and email, etc. Good companion piece if you don't like take your phone out of your pocket.

Re:Wrist watch is for style, not gadget

[TheRecklessWanderer]

Man you have to read between the lines. He wants a toy for his wrist. He doesn't seem to care about style too much. The geek stuff is just what he wants. I get that. It's fun. I could understand if you were saying this on the FHM website or the Gentlemen's Quarterly, but this is slashdot. To the OP: My Watch is a citizen, it's called an Eco-Drive watch. The neat things it has are a slide rule around the outside for converting things, it runs on sunlight and it will connect to a radio broadcast to correct the time. It has lots of cool dials on the front. Stay true to your techie roots. Don't be one of these guys that calls themselves a hacker because they can open a dos prompt. Don't be that guy!!

Re:Wrist watch is for style, not gadget

[txoof]

Geek can be a style! Check out this amazing Nixi Tube Watch [cathodecorner.com]. It's awesome, geeky and pretty great to look at. It doesn't go too well with an Armani suit, and it isn't quite classy enough to flash around a funeral, but it sure would score you some points at a geeky interview.

Re:Wrist watch is for style, not gadget

[strength_of_10_men]

I am really disappointed that there was no anti-google rant in your post. But back on topic...

Try to motoactive watch. GPS, music, radio, android- based, records your workouts, syncs with your android phone to receive texts and messages. And touch screen. What more could a geek want?

http://phandroid.com/2011/10/18/motorola-actv-a-smart-fitness-watch/ [phandroid.com]

Calculator watches?

[antdude]

I still wear them. I currently wear a CASIO Databank 150. I I only use basic stuff. Nothing fancy. I'd like to get a PDA watch but they are too heavy and big for my thin wrists. :(

Re:EZChronos

[Anonymous Coward]

+1.

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/EZ430-Chronos

Something Old-school Geeky

[Dr. Mu]

The Torgoen T01 [torgoen.com] sports a slide rule bezel. These aviator-style watches are like a poor man's Breitling, with battery-powered Swiss movements assembled into their housings in China. I've had mine for over six years, and I love it. The hands and numerals are large with phosphorescence that remains strong throughout the night. There's also a separate hand that reads in 24-hour time and which can be set to another time zone -- handy if you conduct overseas business.

Tissot T-touch

[puthan]

I have a Tissot T-touch. Looks like an ordinary watch. It uses a touch screen to bring the underlying gadgets to life. Altimeter, compass, barometer, thermometer, etc. Goes well with a suit too!

Re:Wrist watch is for style, not gadget

[Fluffeh]

I always thought that this binary display watch [thinkgeek.com] is a rather novel way to spray your geek scent on. It is also fairly styilish and not too loud in design - the LEDs only come on when you press a button.

Douglas Adams Edition Pulsar

[infonography]

The original Pulsar digital watch was marketed through upmarket jeweller, Tiffany and Co. A solid gold version sold for $2,000 and a stainless steel model for $275.

Digital watches initially caught on only in the US and very few were exported. There was a strong market for them in 1973 and prices dropped quickly. Other firms entered the market, including Bowmar, which also pioneered the early pocket calculators in the US.

These are only sold at the gift shop in the Restaurant at the end of the Universe and at the Big Bang Burger Bar.

Re:Wrist watch is for style, not gadget

[ArhcAngel]

Second the MOTOACTV [motoactv.com] if it's a gadget timepiece your after.

If you're not in a hurry there is always the Pebble [kickstarter.com]

And if you want a cheaper alternative we have Sony's [sonymobile.com] offering. It says it is running Android but CMW seems to have debunked [www.cmw.me] that claim.

That said I also believe as others here have stated that your watch is more about style [bulovaprecisionist.com] and status [rolex.com]

Re:pebble?

[Namarrgon]

Doubt it. The kickstarter project is already oversubscribed and sold out; they really don't need more backers.

Re:Douglas Adams Edition Pulsar

[Pikoro]

Geek watch? Check. Good Looking? Check. Conversation Piece? Check.
http://www.firebox.com/product/3525/Devon-Tread-1-Watch [firebox.com]

Re:Huh?

[YrWrstNtmr]

Really? Like what. I cannot think of one.

If you happen to work in a secure facility, often you can't even bring the phone into the building.

Re:Wrist watch is for style, not gadget

[Trailer Trash]

I just came in here to recommend the Citizen Eco-Drive and I see I'm not the only one. Listen, I bought mine about 3 weeks before Service Merchandise liquidated in 2002. The lady there didn't know how to resize the band so mine fell off about 5 times (hitting pavement) before I finally took it to get the band fixed. It was unaffected by the trama. The watch simply kicks ass and takes names.

So, mine is now 10 years old and still looks sharp. The slide rule still works, the battery still works, and I've never changed the battery since it recharges itself with the built-in solar panel. It's a geeky watch that doesn't look geeky. It has all the time zones in it and does day light savings time (manually) so I can easily tell what time it is when traveling. It has alarms and stopwatches and all that, too.

It's also a joy to read how it's programmed to save battery. At the bare minimum, if it's totally dark the second hand will simply park at 0 and quit moving. When exposed to light, it will race around to catch up.

Did I mention the slide rule?

Lastly, my wife - who is an asian babe - loves it. That alone should do it for you.

Re:Douglas Adams Edition Pulsar

[click2005]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android [kickstarter.com]