digital

Rado Ceramica Digital Automatic Watch

Parts sharing at the Swatch Group? Yup. But not like that is anything new. I mean most of their watch movements come from a single source, but I digress. What I am talking about here is the movement from the new for 2010 Hamilton Pulsar watch (which I previously wrote about here). Instead of going LED like original Hamilton Pulsar, they created a Seiko Kinetic style movement that has an LCD digital display, with an automatic rotor in the back that is used to charge the quartz movement. This same movement (made by ETA), has been borrow by Rado for use in this new Ceramica Digital Automatic watch. Frankly, I think the Rado watch houses the movement better. This timepiece feels like a real 1980s throw back. Everything you love about Rado (black, ceramic), with the digital angularity that popularized the era. The negative LCD display ensure that it doesn't look like a fancy Timex either. If you like the durable nature of Rado's use of ceramic, the black shiny color, and the square look - this might be a good digital watch for you. Only downside is that there is no backlight. Should be available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: automatic, ceramica, digital, rado, watch

Swarovski D:Light Digital Watch Collection

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

You'll be hearing a lot about Swarovski watches lately as they just officially entered into the watch world with self-branded collection. Many of them are surprisingly quite nice. For years (and in to the future as well), the company make various grade crystals to be used on watches when diamonds were too much, or the application was different. The new Swarovski collection has a multitude of watches but the most hip and urban is easily this D:Light digital watch. Basically, you have 172 Xillion-cut (sounds classy eh?) crystals that make up a display panel. A light under the crystals can turn on or off creating the numbers that are displayed for the time.

The lights do more than just help tell the time and apparently put on little shows for you - but I'd have to see the watch in full action to understand that part of it more. Two versions of the Swarovski D:Light watch will be available including steel and gold PVD models. Inside is a Swiss quartz movement. It certainly looks more like a time-telling bracelet than a watch, but the look is just right for some and is most certainly unique. Priced $1,500 - $1,700.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: d:light, digital, ladies, swarovski, timepiece, watch, womens

A. Lange & Sohne's New Lange Zeitwerk Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The new Lange Zeitwerk watch is a clever and refined attempt from German luxury watch maker A. Lange & Sohne to combine the tradition and quality they are known for, with the modern outlook that their watch makers and designers have. In essence you have an extremely high quality mechanical watch, that dispenses with most of the analog components that classic watches are known to have - instead embracing the tone of the digital generation. My opinion is that this watch is A. Lange & Sohne's secret attempt to reach a perhaps younger, more "now" focused audience while maintaining the character that the brand is known for. In all this I think they have succeeded. Let's take a closer look at the watch.

The Lange Zeitwerk uses a brand new in-house manually wound L043.1 calibre movement. The movement incorporates a "constant force" escapement complication. This is very important for this type of watch because it has two "jumping" complications, one for the hours and one for the minutes. The nature of the movement requires specific amounts of force to be used, but not all the time. For this reason a constant force escapement situated with the balance wheel ensures that the same amount of force is released all the time ensuring good rate results. If you don't understand this, that is OK. Just know that A. Lange & Sohne has been testing this watch for a long time, and the complication is unique to them, and highly refined (which is a term I use to describe Lange a lot, because it just fits). The heart of the allure behind the watch is the dial layout and functionality. This is an almost purely digital watch displaying the jumping hours and minutes - that change instantly. The seconds dial is still present, and there is a useful power reserve indicator as well. The dial is constructed in part from sterling silver. All very innovative and beautiful to look at.

The 42mm wide case is just 12.5 mm thick. The case is available in four materials. 18k white, yellow, or rose gold, and in platinum. Not too sure on price or availability yet, though it will be at least several months before it is released, and the price is likely to be in excess of $50,000 - $60,000 for the gold versions of the Lange Zeitwerk.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: A. Lange & Sohne Lange Zeitwerk watch

Tags: 2009, a lange sohne, ALangeSohne, digital, german, jumping, lange zeitwerk, LangeZeitwerk, timepiece, watch

Phosphor Watches

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

We first saw E Ink on a watch a few years ago with the Seiko Spectrum now the Phosphor watches uses an E Ink display with many more options and at a much lower price point. The Phosphor watch has two buttons that let you select up to 14 different display options that include going from a black dial to a white one as well as choosing various analog and digital ways of displaying the time. The Phosphor website has a demo that lets you cycle through the options. The watch is available with either a leather or a black polyure thane band and sells for $250.

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Tags: analog, digital, e ink, e-ink, watch, watches, wristwatch

Entertaible

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The Entertaible is being developed by Philips as a social gaming device, meant to be installed in restaurants and bars to get patrons together, but it is being considered for making the transition to the home market as an alternative to non-digital gaming tables. The table has a 32-inch horizontal touch-sensitive LDC screen at its center, which can detect up to 45 separate objects, whether fingers or game pieces, on its interface. It can be used for video games and as a board game base with physical pieces, which makes playing Sorry! seem a little more exciting.

[via SciFi Tech]

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Tags: digital, entertaible, entertaining, gadget, lcd, table, touch screen

Digital Images of the Inn at the French Laundry

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Thomas Keller, the chef and owner of the world-famous French Laundry in Yountville, California, has long wanted to add an inn near the restaurant. Keller has no intention of leaving the restaurant business, but instead wants to follow in the footsteps of many great French chefs who have also served as innkeepers at highly acclaimed restaurants. The 20-room Inn is not expected to begin construction until later this year, at the earliest, but Predock_Frane Architects has some digital renderings of what the Inn might look like online. It is described as having "20 idiosyncratic rooms - each with a mirror outdoor room, combine with dining/lounging spaces, spa, and gardens to create a continuous fabric of walls" and it "will maximize the potential for experiential courses beyond dining."

Tags: architech, design, digital, french laundry, images, inn, inn at the french laundry, InnAtTheFrenchLaundry, renderings, yountville

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V-Tec Sigma Watch

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This strange looking watch is from Ventura, a Swiss company that focuses on digital watches. The v-tec Sigma is has a digital watch which uses Ventura's EasySkroll® operating system that offers easy-to-use functions you don't need a manual to figure out. It has an easily readable screen that uses the "Ventura" font and has a backlight. The case is made of Durinox®, a scratch-resistant stainless steel, and the liquid-crystal display is behind a sapphire crystal. The watch uses a long-life lithium battery. Another version with a micro generator instead of a battery is in the works. The v-tec Sigma will be shown at Baselworld and will be available on the market in June for $1,750.

[via Time Zone]

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Tags: baselworld, digital, swiss watch, timepiece, ventura, watch