Cutting-edge wrist watches: futuristic, yes, but can they also tell time?
You don’t need a million-dollar, multiple-complication chronometer to wear maximum tech on your arm. The watches reviewed here may not be paragons of mechanical engineering, but each makes a bold technology statement in its own right—and for a reasonable price.
Phosphor Digital Hour
Nothing says “unapologetically nerdy” like a digital watch with a honkin’-big numerical display. Problem is, these watches are everywhere, so how do you one-up your pals? Simple: Get a watch with an E ink display, the same screen tech found in e-readers like the Kindle. Of all the watches in our line-up, the Digital Hour strikes the best aesthetic balance between conventional-looking and “sci-fi movie prop,” and, at 2.4oz, it’s the most comfortable to wear. Build quality is sturdy and reassuring, and there’s no denying the cool factor of E ink, which uses reflected light to provide a flat, text-on-paper-ish effect.
Besides displaying the time and date in large, chunky numbers, you can set the screen to “graphic” mode, where hours are represented on a dial as shown here. Because the display is E ink, it suffers a flashing screen refresh when the hours and minutes advance. It’s also hard to read in low ambient lighting. These faults, however, are intrinsic to E ink technology, and aren’t design flaws on Phosphor’s part. Bottom line: The Digital Hour makes a strong geek statement without resorting to excessive bling. ($185)
ThinkGeek Bluetooth Watch with Caller ID
It’s not a phone in and of itself, but ThinkGeek’s Bluetooth 2.0 watch can be paired with a phone to display the number of whoever is calling. The watch also shows caller names (if your phone supports this function) and vibrates when someone’s calling. The system is perfect for locations where cell phones are frowned upon, like in business meetings, theaters, and court rooms. Just turn off your phone’s ringer, and let your watch alert you to incoming calls. And if your ringer has been left on, you can mute it directly from the watch.
We love the bright, blue OLED caller ID display, but find the analog watch face to be unremarkable, if not ugly. Other gripes: The watch feels bulkier than even its 3.1oz would suggest, and the included user manual is written in incomprehensible Engrish. Example: “On inefficacy status, Watch isn’t cue when Bluetooth disconnect.” But, hey, if you can intuit information from that, you may not need the comprehensible (but cursory) English manual that ThinkGeek provides online. The UI (shown here) is not intuitive, so an effective user manual is a necessity. ($69.99)
Storm MK 2 Circuit
We’ve been calling this model the “Geordi La Forge” for all its intergalactic, wraparound goodness. The MK 2 is a substantial hunk of stainless steel and mineral glass—very heavy on the wrist at 6.2oz, with an equally heavy presence when you make the scene in public. The version we reviewed came with a stunning blue glass crystal. The red LED time display is off by default, so passers-by may think you’re wearing a space-age accoutrement instead of a watch. Then again, because the LED lights don’t immediately scream “I’m a wrist watch!,” passers-by may never figure out what you’re wearing.
And therein lies the gotcha: The MK II’s time-telling interface isn’t intuitive. The column on the left shows 12 hour markers; the column on the right displays five 10-minute increments at the top, and nine 1-minute increments on the bottom. Confused? Check our photograph. It’s showing 11:47pm. To see the LEDs, you must push a button for half a second (it feels like an eternity), and once turned on, the LEDs turn off after about four seconds. This may not be enough time to actually read the time! The MK II has great build quality and killer wow factor, but it’s not very practical. ($220)
Storm Cosmo
If the MK II is a time-reading challenge, then the Cosmo is like a Gordian knot of chronographic indecipherability. In fact, its interface is so impractical, and so defiant in its flouting of convention, it makes a full circle back into something you’d actually want on your wrist. The design may be foppishly flamboyant—ghetto fabulous or even Bratz dollish—but there’s no denying that only a real geek would ever (or could ever) use the Cosmo to tell time.
The face shows the hours and months on the left, and minutes and days on the right. Each color corresponds to a unit of time. Blue blocks are 10 units; green block are 5 units; red blocks are 1 units. A single orange block indicates AM time. A single white block indicates date mode. Now take what we’ve just explained, and correctly divine what’s being displayed in our photo. Did you say June 29? Congrats. You’re geekier than a box of robot parts. Unfortunately, the Cosmo suffers from the same display delay/duration problems of the MK 2 Circuit, and is heavy at 5.8oz. But does it really matter? Just kick back and enjoy the pretty lights. ($250)
