Quirky and unusual watches
Does anyone else buy watches simply because they have some quirky or unusual aspect to them?
A few years ago, before I had any serious interest in watches, I picked up a watch that shows time using a single hand, in a 24 hour format, from a brand called "Slow Watches". Needless to say, it can't be used for any precise timing, but it does provide a good approximation of the time, and I thought that it represented an interesting way of looking at time in terms of a portion of a full day. In the photo below, it becomes apparent that the day is almost 3/4 complete (based on the start of the day at the traditional 6 o'clock position). I wore that watch as my only watch for at least a year, and it was instrumental in getting me interested in watches.
After I had started building a collection, I stumbled across another similar watch. This one also used a 24 hour display for the hour, but also featured a traditional minutes and seconds hand, and unlike the quartz movement in the "Slow" watch, used a hand wound mechanical movement. While I found it really easy to tell the time using the single handed Slow watch, the traditional minutes and seconds hand messed with my mind, making it a bit more challenging to tell the time with a quick glance. In the photo below, my mind is telling me that the time is around 2:30, when in fact it is showing around 5:30 PM (17:30)
The next quirky watch I added to my collection was another quartz watch, called the Bradley e-One. Intended to be used by people with visual impairments, it shows the time using two magnetic ball bearings. The hour is represented by a ball bearing that runs on a track on the side of the case, with the minute represented by a ball bearing on a track on the dial. It can be used to tell the time simply by "feeling" the ball bearings (there is no crystal). It took me a fair bit of time to be able to effectively read the time via touch, but it's a great way of discreetly determining the time without having to actually glance at your watch.
The last of my quirky watches is another mechanical, which I find truly mesmerizing to watch. It's the "Dasein" from a brand called Humism. Instead of hands, it uses specially patterned discs for hours, minutes and seconds. The hour disc includes a black dot on the perimeter, while the minute disc includes a "hollow" dot, which are used for telling the time. As the disc for the seconds turns, the watch ends up creating some mesmerizing patterns.
I'm not sure if WatchCrunch supports animated GIFs, but if it does, this will give an idea of the patterns created as the discs rotate. If not, you can check it out on the Humism web site. Static photos of this watch certainly don't give any idea of what it's really like.
I'd be interested in seeing other quirky watches that provide non traditional time displays.
I've worn a watch for as long as I can remember, but I didn't become interested in watches until 2018, when I bought my first decent mechanical watch. Shortly after purchasing it, I joined a local wat...
Whatever floats your boat
I've always wondered what would happen if you put something in the way of one of those little balls on the Bradley. Would the ball snap back to the proper position afterwards or would it continue running just like that?
I've always wondered what would happen if you put something in the way of one of those little balls on the Bradley. Would the ball snap back to the proper position afterwards or would it continue running just like that?
The ball snaps back to where it should be, since there are magnets that hold it in place, although you may need to give the watch a shake to make that happen.
I found that when I was learning to read the time, one of the problems was that I'd end up moving the ball. You have to apply enough pressure to feel where the ball is positioned, but not enough pressure to cause it to move, which can be tricky.
The ball snaps back to where it should be, since there are magnets that hold it in place, although you may need to give the watch a shake to make that happen.
I found that when I was learning to read the time, one of the problems was that I'd end up moving the ball. You have to apply enough pressure to feel where the ball is positioned, but not enough pressure to cause it to move, which can be tricky.
Sounds finicky. I do remember seeing a similarly-styled watch with bearings, but with the cavities covered by the crystal. Although I can't track it down.
Sounds finicky. I do remember seeing a similarly-styled watch with bearings, but with the cavities covered by the crystal. Although I can't track it down.
The Bradley eOne was designed specifically for the visually impaired, so it requires the ability to "feel" the time, and therefore the ball bearings can't be covered by the crystal.
It's an interesting watch, but I hardly ever wear it since I prefer to be able to just glance down quickly to read the time. I never did become proficient at using it the way it's intended to be used, because it is indeed a bit finicky. It's one of those watches that I like to keep in my collection, since it's unusual, and not very expensive.
You can learn more about it from their web site:
https://www.eone-time.com/
The Bradley eOne was designed specifically for the visually impaired, so it requires the ability to "feel" the time, and therefore the ball bearings can't be covered by the crystal.
It's an interesting watch, but I hardly ever wear it since I prefer to be able to just glance down quickly to read the time. I never did become proficient at using it the way it's intended to be used, because it is indeed a bit finicky. It's one of those watches that I like to keep in my collection, since it's unusual, and not very expensive.
You can learn more about it from their web site:
https://www.eone-time.com/
I've been aware of these, as I've seen plenty of ads from a designer watch store featuring them. But thanks anyway! They're definitely not something on my radar, but undeniably unique.