Re: The Leap Year Watch Challenge
Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:27 am
For this leap year challenge, I went with a theme of finding watches that are “Innovations in time”. Since leap year is an every 4-year event, I set out to find 4 watches. And I wanted only watches that were manufactured in a leap year. I chose the period 1996-2000. Working with a budget of $29, I found 4 unique “funky” watches that represent innovations in either timekeeping technology, fashion, or both. Here they are:
1996: Casio releases its first radio-controlled watch
The first Casio watch with radio-controlled timekeeping was 1995’s FKT-100 model. Watches using this technology receive signals from towers that transmit time-calibration radio signals calculated by atomic clocks. There are six of these towers worldwide: two in Europe (Mainflingen, Germany and An- thorn, England); three in Asia (Shangqiu, China; Fukushima, Japan; and Kyushu, Japan) and one in the United States (Fort Collins, Colorado). These account for the number “6” in “Multiband 6,” the term Casio uses for the technology that enables watches equipped with it to receive signals from all six stations using tiny, highly sensitive antennas built into the movement. The result is a watch that always shows the precise time, whether its display is analog, digital, or a combination, and never needs manual resetting, even if you’re changing time zones: the push of a button will indicate the new zone and move the hands automatically.
A standard quartz watch can lose several seconds every month; but a radio-controlled watch might lose one second in 100,000 years. Casio is the market leader in radio-controlled watches, with 3 million units sold this year. The FKT-100 was their first radio-controlled model, released in 1996. I paid $2.49 for this one.
https://world.casio.com/media/company/f ... -24_en.pdf
1996 - Sinobi Vortex produced by Guangdong Yonghong Watch & Clock Co Ltd.
This watch was produced in 1996 in the Guangdong Yonghong Watch & Clock Co’s first year of production. The following year saw a crash in Chinese watch production (30-40% drop, depending on area), yet this company survived through innovative designs and differentiating on quality. The company stood out among Chinese producers by innovating early-on to produce modern designs, use imported Japanese movements, and focus on differentiating on quality (e.g., 3ATM water resistance, IP plating). Today it is a leading Chinese watch producer and the chair of the watchmaking association in the Guangdong Province.
This watch is “handless”, relying on two rotating disks with colored rings to display the time. The outer ring indicates hour, and the inner one displays minutes. The case is blasted aluminum alloy, an it come on a stainless steel milanese bracelet with safety clasp. The design is slick and modern, marking a rise in fashion-conscious watch design... and it represents several strides in innovation for Chinese watchmaking during this period. I paid $10.99 for this watch.
1998 - Swatch Invents “Internet Time”
On October 23, 1998, Swatch announced a new way of telling time called “Internet Time” that they had co-developed with a researcher at MIT. The idea was to modernize timekeeping from localization to a universal time in support of increasingly real-time interaction over the internet. Instead of hours and minutes, the mean solar day is divided into 1000 parts called ".beats". Each .beat is equal to one decimal minute in the French Revolutionary decimal time system and lasts 1 minute and 26.4 seconds (86.4 seconds) in standard time. Times are notated as a 3-digit number out of 1000 after midnight. So, for example @248 would indicate a time 248 .beats after midnight representing 248/1000 of a day, just over 5 hours and 57 minutes.
In 1999, Swatch began producing series of “Beat” watches which told Internet Time as well as standard time. The new standard was adopted by CNN.com, ICQ Messenger and the role-playing game Phantasy Star Online to facilitate cross-continent gameplay. It was also included as an option on Ericsson mobile phones, and adopted by a scattering of other websites and services. Several app developers began adding Internet Time to their apps and tools. The new watches were an absolute sensation and repeatedly sold out. The revolution, it appeared, had begun.
By 2004 the ferver had died down and it was clear that the world was not ready for this change. “Beat Time” as they called it, was confusing to a lot of people. Even Swatch itself released a commercial poking fun at the situation. Swatch ceased production of the Beat lines of watches, but to this day still displays the current Beat Time on their website banner.
Even though the watches are becoming rare, the concept lives on. There are still many apps which translate to Internet Time for iphone, android, PC and Mac desktops. Discussions of daylight savings and challenges with cross-continent scheduling result in periodic callbacks to the bold marketing move by Swatch, some with serious attempts to develop the concept further and truly challenge accepted timekeeping. Someday, who knows...
Without further ado, I give you...the Swatch Beat Aluminum from year 2000. The body and band are 100% aluminum, the band crafted in Italy. This one came with the original box and manual. I paid $9.50 for this watch.
Here showing "internet time" or "beat time" as it was called: 0.
2000 - Giuliano Hard Tech De Longe
Not much information available about this one, except that it was part of a range of unusual “Hard Tech De Longe” watches released by Giulano in the late 90’s as part of the Y2K-fueled ”technology in fashion” craze.
The build quality on these models is very good, and the dials, bracelets and cases are custom formed. This watch has a recessed dial with a display for the coil, a custom forged case and two decorative springs framing the dial. The crown is also somewhat unique, and the case is grooved all the way around. The stainless steel bracelet is equally unique, with two plates engraved with a circuit board motif and a two-position locking clasp. Inside is an early 1 jewel “Miyota Co” movement.
I paid $6 for this watch
1996: Casio releases its first radio-controlled watch
The first Casio watch with radio-controlled timekeeping was 1995’s FKT-100 model. Watches using this technology receive signals from towers that transmit time-calibration radio signals calculated by atomic clocks. There are six of these towers worldwide: two in Europe (Mainflingen, Germany and An- thorn, England); three in Asia (Shangqiu, China; Fukushima, Japan; and Kyushu, Japan) and one in the United States (Fort Collins, Colorado). These account for the number “6” in “Multiband 6,” the term Casio uses for the technology that enables watches equipped with it to receive signals from all six stations using tiny, highly sensitive antennas built into the movement. The result is a watch that always shows the precise time, whether its display is analog, digital, or a combination, and never needs manual resetting, even if you’re changing time zones: the push of a button will indicate the new zone and move the hands automatically.
A standard quartz watch can lose several seconds every month; but a radio-controlled watch might lose one second in 100,000 years. Casio is the market leader in radio-controlled watches, with 3 million units sold this year. The FKT-100 was their first radio-controlled model, released in 1996. I paid $2.49 for this one.
https://world.casio.com/media/company/f ... -24_en.pdf
1996 - Sinobi Vortex produced by Guangdong Yonghong Watch & Clock Co Ltd.
This watch was produced in 1996 in the Guangdong Yonghong Watch & Clock Co’s first year of production. The following year saw a crash in Chinese watch production (30-40% drop, depending on area), yet this company survived through innovative designs and differentiating on quality. The company stood out among Chinese producers by innovating early-on to produce modern designs, use imported Japanese movements, and focus on differentiating on quality (e.g., 3ATM water resistance, IP plating). Today it is a leading Chinese watch producer and the chair of the watchmaking association in the Guangdong Province.
This watch is “handless”, relying on two rotating disks with colored rings to display the time. The outer ring indicates hour, and the inner one displays minutes. The case is blasted aluminum alloy, an it come on a stainless steel milanese bracelet with safety clasp. The design is slick and modern, marking a rise in fashion-conscious watch design... and it represents several strides in innovation for Chinese watchmaking during this period. I paid $10.99 for this watch.
1998 - Swatch Invents “Internet Time”
On October 23, 1998, Swatch announced a new way of telling time called “Internet Time” that they had co-developed with a researcher at MIT. The idea was to modernize timekeeping from localization to a universal time in support of increasingly real-time interaction over the internet. Instead of hours and minutes, the mean solar day is divided into 1000 parts called ".beats". Each .beat is equal to one decimal minute in the French Revolutionary decimal time system and lasts 1 minute and 26.4 seconds (86.4 seconds) in standard time. Times are notated as a 3-digit number out of 1000 after midnight. So, for example @248 would indicate a time 248 .beats after midnight representing 248/1000 of a day, just over 5 hours and 57 minutes.
In 1999, Swatch began producing series of “Beat” watches which told Internet Time as well as standard time. The new standard was adopted by CNN.com, ICQ Messenger and the role-playing game Phantasy Star Online to facilitate cross-continent gameplay. It was also included as an option on Ericsson mobile phones, and adopted by a scattering of other websites and services. Several app developers began adding Internet Time to their apps and tools. The new watches were an absolute sensation and repeatedly sold out. The revolution, it appeared, had begun.
By 2004 the ferver had died down and it was clear that the world was not ready for this change. “Beat Time” as they called it, was confusing to a lot of people. Even Swatch itself released a commercial poking fun at the situation. Swatch ceased production of the Beat lines of watches, but to this day still displays the current Beat Time on their website banner.
Even though the watches are becoming rare, the concept lives on. There are still many apps which translate to Internet Time for iphone, android, PC and Mac desktops. Discussions of daylight savings and challenges with cross-continent scheduling result in periodic callbacks to the bold marketing move by Swatch, some with serious attempts to develop the concept further and truly challenge accepted timekeeping. Someday, who knows...
Without further ado, I give you...the Swatch Beat Aluminum from year 2000. The body and band are 100% aluminum, the band crafted in Italy. This one came with the original box and manual. I paid $9.50 for this watch.
Here showing "internet time" or "beat time" as it was called: 0.
2000 - Giuliano Hard Tech De Longe
Not much information available about this one, except that it was part of a range of unusual “Hard Tech De Longe” watches released by Giulano in the late 90’s as part of the Y2K-fueled ”technology in fashion” craze.
The build quality on these models is very good, and the dials, bracelets and cases are custom formed. This watch has a recessed dial with a display for the coil, a custom forged case and two decorative springs framing the dial. The crown is also somewhat unique, and the case is grooved all the way around. The stainless steel bracelet is equally unique, with two plates engraved with a circuit board motif and a two-position locking clasp. Inside is an early 1 jewel “Miyota Co” movement.
I paid $6 for this watch