Strap on some specs appeal
The other day I was thinking about James Bond. I think about him from time to time, but mostly in 1970s terms as that's how I first got to know him. I begged for a Seiko watch before I was even 10 because that's what Bond wore. Having a digital calendar on your watch was a big thing in the 70s. I researched a little bit online to jog my memory and apparently Seiko M354 5010, the model that inspired 1979's Moonraker, was set to contain full calendars from January 1930 to December 2009 - last month.
There is no way we could have guessed that, in 30 years' time, so many people would be carrying digital gadgets every day, with each of them holding a calendar that pretty much ran for eternity. And even just 15 years ago we wouldn't have foreseen that in less than two decades on we would have a sWaP mobile phone wristwatch that could also tell world time, keep a calendar, shoot and play videos and music and send text messages - and look pretty decent. This gadget's touch screen changes from a digital analogue watch dial to a phone/mini-computer at a tap of the stylus and the colourful digital buttons add to its smart appearance. It reminds me of Dick Tracy and his wristwatch radio, and it would look great even with that long yellow coat of his. Late cartoonist Chester Gould was ahead of his time when he gave his detective the wristwatch radio in 1946, but even a visionary like him couldn't imagine it with Bluetooth.
Sustainability has become such a buzzword of late that I am now thinking of getting a solar-powered watch. I would find it more convenient because it always takes me months before I remember to buy new batteries for my watches. While solar-powered watches aren't new technology, they have been greatly improved over the years, both in function and style.
California-based watch and accessories brand Nixon has just launched in Hong Kong and the Volta (second from top) is its first rechargeable, solar-powered watch. Charge it under the sun for an hour and it runs for 60 days. Even in an office's horrible fluorescent-tube lighting, an hour's charge keeps it ticking for an entire day. With a round dial set on a square, gun metal stainless steel case, the watch has large Arabic numerals at even-numbered hours and looks edgy but understated. It suits most outfits but would look especially good with a black leather jacket or dark wool coat.
Another solar-powered watch that's caught my attention is the latest Casio Oceanus Tough Movement (top). After a full charge, the watch can run for five months without exposure to light. On power-save mode it can keep time for 23 months in total darkness. But more impressive is the Wave Ceptor technology that allows the watch to automatically adjust itself to the right time zone provided it is within reach of the calibration signals sent out by six transmission stations around the world. The watch also checks the positions of all the hands at the 55th minute of every hour against an on-chip time counter and makes adjustments if needed. The mix of resin and metal parts inside makes the watch more resistant to wear.
While I love everything that glows in the dark, Ball watches' micro gas-tube technology totally fascinates me because the brand has managed to combine the practical need to read time in the dark with aesthetics. Tiny tritium-gas tubes are thoughtfully placed on the dial and the hands, making them emit ice-blue and yellow lights. The Spacemaster Glow (bottom right) has as many as 80 micro-gas tubes and it shines like the brightest star at night. In daylight I love the model with the Yale blue dial - it is classy, stately and elegant.
Another of Ball's technological advances is lubricant that allows the movements to function even in minus 60 degrees Celsius. I'm not heading to Antarctica any time soon, but it would still feel great to wear.
Getting my Padi certificate is one of my (many) unfulfilled goals, but when it happens I want a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic Navy Seals watch (left and bottom left) to go with it. This timepiece has a patented mechanical depth gauge that measures depth of 0-80 metres underwater. In 18-carat pink gold, it is produced in partnership with the US Navy Seals and is limited to 300 units. Perhaps it's too serious a diving watch for someone who's only tried snorkelling. But hey, it never hurts to dream.
Shopping list
Ball, available from Oriental Watch Co, 39, Cararvon Rd, TST, tel: 3428 8660
Casio Oceanus, available from G Factory, P1 & 4/F, Casey Building, 38 Lok Ku Rd, Sheung Wan, tel: 3669 1000
Jaeger-LeCoultre, Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2918 4388
Nixon, available from Harvey Nichols, The Landmark, Central, tel: 3695 3388
sWaP, available on various airlines including Cathay Pacific, or go to s-w-a-p.co.uk
