Retro Thing

Hottest Watch Ever

The annual CES gadget orgy has once again swept tech writers off their feet in a tsunami of orgasmic technolust. And once again, we weren't invited to partake. But we're not bitter. Nope, not us.

We'll pass the weekend wandering listlessly through the quiet halls of Retro Thing HQ, moodily fantasizing about odd gadgets from the past. Like this example of convergence gone mad, entered in our recent contest by Shea Connolly.

"I picked up this unique watch/lighter at a garage sale as a teen in the late 80s for $2 (price tag remains on box). I've never seen another one like it. Always thought it was an interesting combination. I have a small collection of vintage novelty watches, and this is my favorite."

LED Watch From An Alternate Universe

Have you ever wondered what digital timepieces would look like without the invention of 7-segment numeric displays? The £199.99 Storm Faze provides the answer by incorporating discrete LEDs -- lots of them -- to show the time. It features stainless steel construction and an old-school time/date display. It's also water resistant to a depth of 50 meters to ensure it'll remain functional long after your accidental drowning. Or something.

Men's Storm Faze LED Watch [via Technabob]

Spirit of St. Louis Aerial Clock Radio

This alluring little AM/FM clock radio seems to be the Chinese offspring of a vintage CB radio and an old Cessna, replete with tactile toggle switches and an illuminated tuning dial. The Spirit of St. Louis brand has been around for well over a decade, but there doesn't seem to be any info on this particular model on the Intertubes. It's available from a single UK retailer at the somewhat ludicrous price of £49.95. Still, I want one as soon as I figure out where the snooze button is...

Spirit of St. Louis Aerial Clock Radio [via BB Gadgets]

Casio Revamps The Calculator Watch

Oh, Casio. You've given such joy to millions of geeks around the globe with decades of nerdy calculator watches. But we've moved on. We no longer trot around sporting pocket protectors and taped glasses. Nope, these days we opt for a smartphone or two clipped to our belt and laser surgery to eliminate the Coke bottle glasses. Unfortunately, this makes us virtually indistinguishable from the gormless brain snails in the marketing department. Something had to be done!

It's a good thing you had the stylish DBC32 Databank series up your sleeve to set us apart. True, half of them look like they escaped from a box of Froot Loops, but how can we resist a 25-page databank, 5 multi-function text alarms, a 10-year battery and a whopping 8 digits of calculating precision? Street prices start under $25, available now.

Find the perfect Casio Calculator Watch

Taylor Desk Clock – Sleek & Stylin' Time & Temperature

When you wanted to give a classy man-gift, for decades it meant that the object had to have real wood, chrome and/or brushed metal, angular design, and if at all possible hold a pen. This Taylor clock has “executive gift aisle” written all over it. Given the glacial pace at which men's taste changes, this clock could come from the 60's, 70's, maybe even the 80's. The clock takes a design cue from an airplane cockpit. The three dials measure your day as the hour tolls, the temperature rises, and humidity engulfs.

I like the looks of this U.S.A. made desk clock, but I'd need to restock my office with other sundries that are equally slick. I'm not complaining, though I will grouse a bit about battery installation. You have to unscrew the back of the clock to tip the mechanism out. I had a lot of difficulty adjusting the clock to keep good time, necessitating multiple disassemblies. 

While the clock inspires admiration from the front, the rear invites scorn. If you're the kind of high powered executive (or dad) who has this on his desk, do you really want the people that come cowering into your office to have to stare at the screwholes? What am I supposed to put back there? Some sort of manly doily?

I think that some man-gifts today still have these aesthetic qualities, but many more don't. Where we once had the warmth of real wood, now we have textured plastic. Replacing metallic angular features are soft biomorphic curves. Aviator inspired analog dials have given away to LCD readouts of the correct time and temperature downloaded from the Atomic Clock. I guess that both devices can measure the beat of time marching on – but at least with the Taylor I'll know the relative humidity and I'll always have a pen

related:

Nixie tube mantle clock
Cathedral radio shaped mantle clock
Retro/modern Tivoli clock radio
Delft ceramic clock done in cross-stitch

The Sands of Time

Today's useless factoid: This 60 minute hourglass would run for about 363 minutes on the moon. It's filled with sand and never needs batteries. Oh, and it's easy to use; just flip and gaze intently. Perfect for hours of amusement and accurate to within 60 seconds per hour.

River City Clocks 9-inch Hourglass

The Wittnauer Watch Only A Thick Furry Wrist Could Love

Back when self-actualized men were going for the sasquatch look, big bulky watches were in fashion. For those of us with skinny wrists, a massive timepiece doesn't help us look any more manly. My friend refers to this Wittnauer as my Ted Baxter watch, as it looks like the sort of machismo symbol that the puffed-up TV character from the Mary Tyler Moore Show would go for.

Unbelievably I got this beauty for free when I was selling off some old coins. I took pity on the worn old watch sitting forgotten and alone in a dusty display case. The owner said that he'd had it for years and years, and had never been able to sell it. I was the first person who'd liked it in decades so he simply gave it to me.

I recognized the name Wittnauer as they have been making watches for over a century. The dinged up timepiece keeps good time despite clearly having a few stories to tell, but the watch held a surprise for me. It has a built in alarm. I'd never had a wind up wristwatch with a mechanical alarm in it. At the right time, the watch lets off an insect-like buzz. I don't think that it's loud enough to wake a person from a sound sleep, but on your wrist the creepy vibration and sound is going to get your immediate attention. Unpleasantly.

The massive design elements are what interest me most about the watch. Usually I'm not fond of bulk, but just look at the giant watch face – even the pips that mark every hour are huge (click the picture at the top of this post for a better view)! Somehow all of these traits I normally dislike have come together in just the right way. And let's face it... if you were to pit one of today's giant blinged out watches in the ring against mine, I'm sure that this bulldog of a Wittnauer will take the day. No wonder that people are still paying a couple hundred bucks for old giant watches like this one.

Since this Wittnauer has got all that room to spare, you'd think that perhaps they'd have built in room for a battery, or a self-winding mechanism. I guess those concepts are way too wimpy. Unfortunately I just have to man-up and remember to keep this monster wound, otherwise I lose the date – and the configuration of the crowns make setting the calendar a real task. I'm just grateful that it measures my wimpy life in regular hours and minutes, rather than some sort of “macho tempo” that I could never live up to.

related:

Rolex P.O.W. watch auctioned off
Seiko reinvents the watch
Casio retro watches
Another big watch - but with FM radio built in
"High class" toy watch from a gumball machine

Kronoform: Transforming Robot Watch & More - Sort Of...

When the Transformers craze hit in the 80's, everyone wanted in. The successful toyline consisted of vehicles (cars, jets) & kid sized replica models (tape recorder, gun) that transformed into robots. The "Transformers" weaved a storyline that combined toys from several different Japanese toy companies - a fascinating history that we'll discuss in the future.

For now here's a toy that wasn't part of the American Transformers saga. I remember TV commercials for this LCD watch with robo-limbs. It was kind of cool that it folded out into the semblance of a robot, but even as a kid I scoffed at the gall of this ad that tried to market the Kronoform as being much more.

When this commercial was on the air, LCD watches were still pretty exotic for a kid to have. The commercial didn't need to try so hard to sell the Kronoform; a robot watch is cool enough, okay? Let's face it - simply standing a robot on its head does not make it a "battle station" or "solar creature". Every kid knows that!

related:
Nintendo robot oscillating fan
2-XL - the robot that runs on 8 track tapes
Build a real HE-RObot

Retro Style Nixie Clocks From China

Nixie clocks are the neon-tube brethren of modern digital timepieces. A cottage industry sprung up recently, with dozens of tiny manufacturers turning out impressive clocks.

It seems that someone in Hong Kong has been watching and decided to get in on the action via eBay. This range of six-tube Nixie desk clocks come preassembled for a mere $120, in both stainless steel and acrylic cases. Each clock includes a 9 VDC wall adapter (110 - 240V) with user-selectable 12/24 hour display and cross-fading between digits. The digits range from 16 to 20mm in height.

For those who haven't discovered their magical allure, Nixies are neon-filled glass tubes. They usually contain ten cathodes in the shape of the numbers 0 through 9, and a wire mesh anode. When electricity is passed between one of the cathodes and the anode, the corresponding number shines with an endearing orangey-red glow. Modern Nixie clocks are based on vintage "New Old Stock" tubes controlled by microcontrollers. [via Technabob]

Clever Nixie Mantle Clock

John Mills writes, "I have always been a vintage person, from my tube stereos to my 70s car, but this is the first time I have built something that I thought belonged on your site."

This elegant mantle clock started life as a kit from tubeclock.com, installed in a $20 vintage clock case from eBay.

He explains, "The only other things I needed were a few hand tools, clamps, and some wood scrap. As you can see from the picture to your left, I cut two straps of wood and glued them to the inside of the clock. This served as the mounting point for the tubes. After that, it was a matter of lining everything up nice and plum before I drilled two mounting holes. To finish the project, I smoked the glass to give it a patina’d look."

20th Century Steampunk Clock
photos: nixie tube steampunk clock [flickr]

A Retrostalgic Cassette Face Watch

The £35 ASOS Cassette Face watch is a modern quartz timepiece that evokes the look of a  cassette tape -- one 'reel' displays the hour, the other shows minutes. It features a hefty stainless steel body and bracelet that hearkens back to the LED watches of the 1970s. Apart from that, there's nothing old fashioned about this piece.

I'm always torn when it comes to writing about stuff like this. It's more retrostalgic than retro. However, I suppose this watch serves as a heavy-handed example of how the tech design of the past influences modern products.

In this case, there's nothing subtle about the influence. The novelty face is supposed to make your friends mumble effusive words of praise such as "Sweet!!" the first time they see it. But - unlike truly inspired industrial design - it doesn't evoke lasting emotion. Of course, very few consumer gadgets manage this. The Apple iPod is one such device. Its brilliantly simple form and unusual combination of materials make it seem special, even though it's mass produced. The iPod also manages to appear simultaneously modern and timeless.

Still, this watch is kinda sweet. And I admit that every time I write a post highlighting tin robots or vintage transistor radios, I hope there's a designer somewhere who is inspired by those classic designs and incorporates their essence into something new.

ASOSMAN Cassette Face Watch [via David @ Retro To Go]

Planisphere Watch: A Very Small Sky

The Planisphere Watch displays constellations visible in the Northern Hemisphere (between 35 & 50 degrees latitude). It successfully blends my fascination with astronomy and horology into one simple device.

To use, turn the bezel so the current time is aligned with the date to determine which major constellations are visible. The watch features a 43mm diameter brass case with a crystal dome lens and rubber band with stainless steel links.

It is a guaranteed conversation starter, but I suspect that a standard rotating planisphere ($11) will prove far more useful in the long run, because a watch face is simply too small to show all but a handful of constellations.

Planisphere Watch [Edmund Scientific]

An Alarm Clock To Wake The Dead

I have alarm clock problems. It takes me a mere second to completely disable my little Sony clock radio in the morning. I then snooze off for a few minutes before waking in a panic. Perhaps its time to upgrade to a Serbian made Sternreiter mechanical alarm. These clocks ring at a volume of 86 dB for approximately 15 seconds, guaranteeing that you'll have an adrenalin-filled start to the morning.

The $49.95 Sternreiter Twin-Bell features solid brass movement plates,  brass gears, and steel shafts and pivots to ensure it lasts for many decades. It's available with either a brass or nickel case. To be honest, there's a pretty good chance I'd demolish one of these with a hammer within the first week, but at least that would get me out of bed...

Sternreiter Twin-Bell Mechanical Alarm Clocks

$99 Nixie Clock Kits

We've mentioned Peter Jensen's work in the past -- he builds a line of affordable Nixie clocks offered by Ramsey Electronics. He gave us a shout to let us know that he offers a broad range of kits and assembled clocks, ranging from a $99 4-digit kit ($135 assembled) to a $495 six digit masterpiece machined from a solid block of aluminum and polished until it resembles the forehead of an old-school Cylon.

Peter offers a little background, "The Nixie tube made its debut in 1954, and provided some of the first digital displays for the latest scientific equipment of the time. Once utilized primarily in research and military equipment, Nixies are now prized for their modern aesthetic.

These clocks feature new, old stock space-race era Russian Nixie tubes. The numbers glow soft orange in blown glass tubes. The Russian built tubes also feature a unique conversation starter: the number "5" is an upside down "2," reflecting an efficient and cost effective design philosophy from the cold war superpower."

Peter Jensen Hand-crafted Nixie Tube Clocks & Kits

25 Years of Casio G-Shock Watches

Casio is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their G-Shock line with a limited edition gray skeleton watch. The G-Shock was designed in 1983 as the world's toughest watch, designed to withstand a drop from a three story building - hopefully not while attached to your flailing wrist.

The limited edition 25th Anniversary G-Shock Skeleton retails for a stunning $130 (you can find a basic model in stores for under $50). It's water resistant to 200M -- a depth that would crush you in an instant, ensuring that you never put their claim to the test -- and includes a multi-function alarm, EL backlight, stopwatch and all the other things one has come to expect from a typical digital watch.

For true vintage digital timepiece fans, Casio also offers a Casual Classic line of watches hearkening back to the angular days of the early 1980s. Most are pretty basic -- simple retro silver or black, without fancy Sport doodads or complicated extras. You get the time, a calendar, maybe an alarm, and a little light for reading the display in dark caves or cupboards. Prices start at an almost silly $13.95.

Casio Celebrates 25  Years of G-Shock