On the 23:59:59 of 2009, my Seiko Perpetual Calendar was working fine. It can tells me accurate date and time but at the stroke of midnight 00:00:00 of 2010, the date refused to change to 1st Jan and the watch was officially “expired”. I was very happy with my Seiko as it works on very cold environment and been with me since I start working in Singapore.
Well, when I purchased the watch (years ago), I knew on the midnight of 2009, the watch will refuse to work. Therefore I already planning for a replacement watch as early as June 2009. Sort like Y2K planning. However after searching high and low, I still unable to get the watch I like/love.
However, after a few tweaking, my trusted Seiko should be working till next leap year (same year as the summer Olympics). That make me wonder, am I buying a watch to tell date/time (any watches) or a masterpiece (such as Rolex) or a fashion/utility (designer watch). To tell date/time, we do not need a watch as most of us already carrying it with them, it is call mobile phone, I won’t talk about designer watch as I will not look into these category as it will not be appealing to me.
So left with masterpiece, I am not talking about Rolexes, Tags, etc. Is about the technology of the watch. Recently the watch makers are creating some very advance technology watches. Lets go thru them:
a. Perpetual Calendar: The latest perpetual watch not only tell the correct date (I think is till someway around 2050), time, it also tells the accurate moon phase, day of week, leap years and some more expensive also shows the year (centuries).
b. Eco drive, Kinetics, Solar, etc: The watch that can last forever. With these Japanese technologies, the watches basically will work forever as no need to change batteries, all it need were sunlight, movement or both.
c. Radio Controlled: The watch will synchronized by a time code bit stream transmitted by a radio transmitter such as atomic clock (something like a GPS). The watch will set the time to US time if you fly to USA, and back to China time, if you back to China, etc.
d. Multi functions watch such as Altimeter, Chonography, etc.
After going through all the European and Japanese watches, I shortlist to a few watches (actually only 2):
1. Citizen Calibre H610
This watch is a masterpiece. It basically has all the new technologies built into the watch and is a mechanical watch. It will last forever as the Eco drive will power it as long as there is lights. Also it will change time according to the radio controlled features, very good for travellers.
2. Tissot T-Touch
This is a much simpler watch without the auto/self powering system, no radio controlled but comes with touch screen. You can activate the watch functions by touching the glass.
After much self debate (my left brain vs my right brain), I finally bought the Tissot T-Touch. The model I bought was Tissot T-Touch Expert comes with more features.
More on the review in next blog.
