Just What Do You Want Your Watch To Do?

S

Schlager

Joined
Nov 26, 1998
Messages
175
Now that we've discussed brands and prices in another thread, here's what I want my watch to do for me and why.
1. Time keeping - A minute a month is adequate, and easy to achieve. Lighted dial is almost mandatory.
2. Day & Date - after a week of 12 hour days, and shift work (without seeing the sun) it's nice to know these two things to keep my internal clock set.
3. Alarm - Let's me know when to go.
4. Countdown timer - I don't use it often, but is nice to have on occasion so I don't have to alter the alarm all the time.
5. Stop Watch - not real important to me.

My tdy watch is a Casio Alti-Thermo. Its got all of the above plus barometer for WX forcasting, temp measurement, and Altimeter (working toy).
I also go tdy with more than one watch by habit.

What about the rest of you? How do you feel about data-banks, built in compasses, games, and the like? -Brian
 
Keep accurate time
Be very easy to read
Be maintainance free, stainless and mineral crystal
Alerts you when danger approaches

mainly the first three I guess

For me it's the Swiss Army Officer's watch, with a custom band that is stainless steel and clips bracelet fashion on my wrist.

G2

------------------
I don't have a solution,
but I admire your problem.

www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Cabin/7306/blades.html


 
I’ve had an electronic Casio for a couple of years now and I really like it. In addition to the regular stuff listed in the posts above, it has a compass, an altimeter, and a thermometer. The compass and altimeter have been very handy in establishing my location on trails and elsewhere. I usually use my watch for rough bearings rather than dig for a more precise compass, if I even have one. The altimeter is a quick way to establish my location on trails that are gaining or losing elevation, as most are around here.

The thermometer is not useful while the watch is on my wrist, as body temperature affects it. I have used it on a couple of occassions when I needed to take measurements and had no conventional thermometer. It has to cool down for 15-20 minutes to give accurate readings.

The main advantage to having these instruments in a watch is that I have them with me when I need them, rather than when I think I need them.
 
I like my watch to show the time, +or- 5 minutes. I don't need anything super accurate, or fancy. I just need the time. Now if there was a Spyderco watch I would need that.
smile.gif



Blades
 
I need a watch with a screw-down crown and against the back of the case there should be a paper thin slip sheath cut into the case plate that retains a circular razor blade sharpened on one-half the arc with a spiderco hole in the center and a thumb notch on the back...yeah!
 
I've made pretty regular use of all the functions in my "calculator" watch. This includes, local time, world time, stop watch, count-down timer, calculator, phone directory, and appointment calender with alarm. It's got most of the functions people use in a Palm Pilot PDA.
 
My Casio data bank runs my whole life for me -- keeps all my appointments, tells me what to do and when to do it, dials the phone for me so I don't remember any phone numbers myself any more ... every couple of years the battery dies and my watch crashes, and I become a useless zombie with nobody to tell me what to do ... I just stand wherever I was when it crashed with my arms out straight in front of me and my feet on backwards....

-The Slave of the Watch :{)
 
1. Keep time.
2. Not break under normal use for me. (You'd think that's an easy request but nooooo.)
3. Act as a minimal wrist guard. (Come on now. The leather bracer is just plain silly for me. I mean, what're the odds of me being in a knife fight and getting slashed in the wrist anyways? A watch will do for me.)
 
1. Tell me the time at a glance, in various lighting conditions,
2. Stopwatch, to know how long something's been happening,
3. Countdown timer, to remind me to check on something or other,
--
4. Alarm is useful for longer ranging instances of #3.
5. Small/light enough that I don't list to one side when wearing it.
6. Waterproof is a definite plus, just so you don't have to worry.

I used to wear a Casio Data Bank all the time (several variations over the years), with calculator, phone numbers, and such -- right up until I got my PalmPilot (Palm IIIx now). The PalmPilot is so much better for data storage, appointments, and such than any watch could be, plus it can run all sorts of amazing programs (if you're really curious, look here). Plus, if I kill it, I can get another one, drop it in the HotSync cradle, push a button, and it reloads everything perfectly.

Now I wear a Timex Expedition Combo, and it has these funny hand things that actually point at the numbers to tell you what time it is, how quaint (as well as a normal digital readout for the alarm/stopwatch/etc.).

-- Carl
 
Require no maintenance other than a while-you-wait battery change every few years, and, other than that, just keep running no matter what I do to it.

Calandar day/date is important. I often have to check my watch when dating things, writing checks, etc. In fact, I'd like one that can display a calandar for a month. This way I can see that the 15th of next month is a Wednesday, or that next week Thursday is the 21st, etc.

It would be very nice if it would set itself to GPS time automatically correcting for the time zone you're in and for daylight savings time (it could give you your position, bearing, and velocity as long as the GPS was there already).

Alarms are very good. I frequently get so involved in some activity that I loose track of time. So, I frequently set my watch alarm to "bring me back to reality." I also use it if I have an appointment or something that I have to be sure and remember.

A stop watch is important. I use mine frequently.

It would be nice if it constantly recorded everything everyone around you said, say for the last five minutes. Then, when someone says something and you find yourself thinking, "I wish I had that on tape," you could just discretely reach down, press the little button on your watch and save that file for downloading later that evening.

Of course, it should have a browser built in with a satellite link that can access bladeforums.com from anywhere and that will automatically watch the auction sites and for sale forums for knives you want.

It should have a file feature that keeps a list of all the knives in your collection so that when you see an interesting one for sale but aren't sure if you already have that one in plain edge or if the one you have is combo, you can just check with your watch.

A copy _Lavine's Guide to Knives_ stored in memory and display and searchable would be nice.

I'm told one of the Casio G-shock line has an accelerometer in it and will measure the force of a punch. I like that idea.

Oh, and I don't know how you're going to do this without making the watch to large, but it would be nice if the watch had a flask built in for a shot of scotch. This way, when you really feel like you need one, you can just lean back, hold that watch over your mouth, press the button, and have the scotch shoot out into your mouth. Now that would be nice.

Finally, a cutting laser in the clasp like Bond had in For Your Eyes Only. Of all the features that Bond has had in his watches over these many years, that's the one that he's kept.




------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.4cs.net/~gollnick
 
Gollnick,
View

Casio already offers a watch with a GPS but I have never heard of a gizmo to measure the force of a punch...is this true? do you have more info?

RL
 
The first 5 criteria are enough for me. I do like the Indiglo/Illuminator function though.

FWIW, Doc Martens made a leather bracer watch that went for $100.

SB, I wear a leather bracer on my r. hand. It matches my Casio Illuminator and my blades. Don't plan on getting into any knife fights but I'm experimenting with it in terms of disarms and other stuff.
wink.gif
 
Tell time and be water resistant so that when I immerse my wrist in the water to lip out that big bass I don't have to worry about my watch.

Dave R
 
Watch with no battery (solar, automatic) water resist, date and day, easy to read at night.... reliable...CITIZEN

David

 
I've seen the Casio with the GPS in it. Notice how they've photographed it. The fact is, the thing is huge. And it still doesn't have space for a shot of scotch.

I've been told that one of Casio's G-shock line has the punch metric feature in it, but I haven't found it yet. You know, they make so many models (I've been looking for a new watch), that nobody seems to have a complete list. I can go to one site and see a certain model, then go to Casio's own site and they don't have that model. Not even Casio's own site seems to list 'em all. This makes comparison shopping very difficult as everyone seems to have different models. I think Casio does this on purpose just for that reason.

Right now, I think I want one of the Casio G-Shock's with the Ti case. Supposedly, these are about as close to indestructible as you can get.

The one place I've found that seems to have really good prices, http://www.watchesplanet.com, is in Malasia and want you to pay by wire-transfering the money to their bank account. Well, wiring money to some bank account in Malasia seems a bit risky to me. Anybody else know a good place?



------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.4cs.net/~gollnick
 
The first five are important for me. I use the count down timer a lot for jogging, keeping track of lunch breaks, interval training, etc. Also, the indiglo light feature is muy important. The Casio G-Shock is all I need in a watch.

I use to have a databank watch for phone numbers, but now my cell phone stores all my phone numbers.
 
1. to keep consistant time.
2. to be built by a skilled craftsman.
3. to be an example of fine design & engineering.
4. to be hand wound.

Complications I find useful/enjoyable.
*dual timezone
*chronograph


 
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