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Ask Slashdot: Wrist Watch For the Tech Minded
NNUfergs writes "Sure, my smartphone can deliver just about any piece of information I could want in under 30 seconds, but I miss being able to just look at my wrist to get the time, date etc. I've been shopping around for a while and haven't come across anything particularly inspiring. There are loads of various features that have been incorporated into watches, but you usually only see a small, specialized set in a given watch. Budget is always a concern, but I am willing to invest in a quality time piece. In short, I'm not looking for a piece of jewelry; I'm looking for a gadget to wear on my wrist. Are there any neat, fun or just plain cool watches out there for techies? What do you have?"
It's a programmable watch by TI. sells for 50$, but 50% deals are regular.. so you can snag one for 25. Has a bunch of things inclusing heart monitor reciever, altimeter and temperature sensor.
http://dilemma.gulecha.org - My philospohical short film.
http://www.tokyoflash.com
They have an array of really cool designs that are pretty damn geeky. Its pretty easy to tell the time on most of them, but for some telling the time is the equivalent of a binary clock.
Build a watch. From parts. I am currently wearing my general-purpose utility watch, a waterproof automatic I made with an ETA 2824-2 movement and a one-of-a-kind nickel and brass dial I made that evokes a mid-century modern aesthetic. I've built several others, but they're more decorative than utilitarian. This is a watch I can wear no matter what I'm doing without worrying about it. Mechanical watches are AMAZING instances of applied science, and even though the technology hasn't changed substantially in decades, they still represent the pinnacle of micro-mechanical manufacturing. Understanding and working on watches is a decidedly geeky pursuit, but it isn't that big an undertaking to obtain the necessary knowledge to assemble and maintain one if you're already a well qualified geek. And chances are that you'll start to appreciate the aesthetic design aspects more once you get into it. Let me tell you, ladies do love interesting, classy watches - and telling them you made it yourself and there's only one in the world is catnip.
I am a geek attorney, but not your geek attorney unless you've already retained me. This is not legal advice.
A watch is just for telling the time - your other gadgets are for everything else.
That being the case, there are few things as geekishly awesome as an automatic (ie self-winding) mechanical wristwatch.
A little tiny machine, small enough to wear on your arm, that uses nothing but springs and harmonic motion to keep time, accurate to within a couple of seconds per day.
If you have the means, you can spend $_absurd on a status-symbol automatic watch.
If you don't have those means (or that inclination), you can get some serious bargains.
My everyday watch is a Vostok. http://www.vostok-inc.com/ . Delivered from Moscow for under $100. Seemingly indestructible, and more than accurate enough - I only ever need to adjust it if it stops, after not being worn for a couple of days.
I've seen some Seiko 5 automatics recently on Amazon for similar prices. More elegant (and delicate) looking than my Vostok (which is more like a watch movement set in an anvil), but very good little units.
Second-hand mechanical watches can be found for even less.
Get some cheap watchmaking tools off Ebay and pull a cheap mechanical watch to pieces, just for fun. Because you can.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/ipod_accessories/cases