It may not do much – it’s basically a feature watch with stopwatch, alarm, and 24-hour time – but it’s nicely designed. This Casio, called the Poptone Cubic Puzzle Watch, comes in blue or black and has buttons stacked up, Tetris-style, on the bottom. Read more…
A new Casio movement for the GS-1200 Tough line – a radio controlled watch model built for shock resistance – has internal LEDs that calibrate the analog hands of the watch.
The movement has a structure where the gears for second, minute and hour are sandwiched between the LED and the phototransistor. With this setup, it is possible to detect the positions of three gears by one sensor. The LED emits light 16 times a second to check the positions of the 300mum diameter detection holes that are formed on the gears.
Most mechanical analog watches eventually slip out of alignment due to the internal motor. Buy adding the tiny LED and photosensor, the watch processor can tell exactly where the hands are on the face and ensure that the user won’t have to recalibrate the watch later.
This is similar to the methods used to sense positions in the old-time mechanical mice.
I’m a mechanical man, but sometimes you need a sports watch to withstand the hard knocks associated with heavy activity like “drinking at a bar” and “sitting on the back porch with a beer.”
I’ve worn Pathfinders for years now – my first one was a large titanium model with that is basically a cousin to this one. Pathfinders are part of Casio’s outdoor line, designed for hiking and skiing. This model has a compass, barometer, thermometer, altimeter, and stopwatch built in along with a tide graph. It is water resistant to 200 meters.
WatchReport.com posts a review of his favorite Casio to date, the PAW1200 with multi-band atomic timekeeping, compass, barometer, altitude alarm, and world time. Great stuff.
What makes the Casio Pathfinder PAW1200 series special is the fact that it brings so many features together into one watch. I’ll get into plenty of detail on each individual feature shortly, but most notably, the PAW1200 series is the first to bring together the triple-sensor functionality of the Pathfinder line (compass, barometer, and thermometer), atomic time calibration, and solar power.
WatchReport.com brings us an overview of the bestest Pathfinder in the whole world, the PAW1200T-7V. Plus, it doesn’t look like a robotic clam.
He’s foreseeing the following features, which is just about enough for me, in a $380 package.
Atomic timekeeping (obviously).
Solar powered with at least a 20-month power reserve, maybe better.
Thermometer which will actually convert the temperature into fahrenheit.
Compass.
Barometer.
Barometric altimeter.
World time with support for at least 30 cities pre-programmed.
Stopwatch.
Countdown timer.
5 daily alarms.
The Pathfinder PAG-80 looks like something Angelina Jolie would wear along with some short-shorts, a tank-top, and a rocket launcher. Essentially it’s a watch that looks like you can use it to start a nuclear war but is surprisingly elegant and easy to use.
The PAG-80 has three major features – a compass, an altimeter, and a barometer. These are relatively standard features on wrist computers and while the technology behind these features haven’t improved much over the years, they’re extremely useful in a pinch and quite fun to show off. It is also solar powered, ensuring you’ll never have to swap out a battery.
I had strayed from the quartz digital path in the last few years thanks to my obsession with mechanicals, but I’ve always thought I’d like to return to the fold. Last week I received two Casio watches, a Pathfinder and a G-Shock, and I am happy to say that I’m pleasantly surprised.
Now I know you all like your ETAs and Big Bangs, but a watch like the G-Shock G7500-1V is pretty sassy little number that can help road warriors stay awake on the red-eye and might survive a nasty turn at the baggage claim.