Phosphor Appear Black Crystal Watch with Black Gloss Leather Strap Review

I really like watches, especially unusual ones.  The Phosphor Appear Black Crystal Watch with Black Gloss Leather Strap is certainly unusual.  It reminds me of eInk screens in a way.  Instead of using LEDs to show the time, these watches turn over crystals to show a clear side or a colored side to create the digits.  When Phosphor offered a watch to The Gadgeteer, I asked if I could try a black one.  I thought the black would be more discreet than the red I'd normally choose.   Turns out these watches are anything but discreet.

Most images in this review can be clicked for an enlarged view.

The watch arrived in an elegant black faux-leather box with the Phosphor name embossed in silver.  The top opens up to reveal the very shiny, sparkly watch on a black velvet pillow.  You also get a couple of booklets stored in a cunning compartment on the bottom of the hinged lid.

This is a big, heavy watch.  It's very sparkly and attention-getting.  It's not the watch for the shy, retiring lady.

The silver-colored case measures about 1.5″ wide X 1.75″ long (including the strap attachment arms), and it's about 0.5″ thick.  It measures about 9.3″ from end to end.  The watch weighed 2.8 oz on my kitchen scale.  That doesn't sound like much, but it is a very heavy watch.  You may need to do some curls to strengthen your arm to wear this one.

The numerals are very large on this watch; each measures about 0.5″ long.  Even older eyes won't have a problem telling time on this watch.

The case back is marked stainless steel, but I can't find anything that tells me what the rest of the case is made of.  The case bezel is encrusted with pavéd clear Swarovski crystals.  The black face is also covered with clear Swarovski crystals.  There's a small Phosphor logo near the top left of the face.  The above photo shows the watch in the off position; time isn't displayed and all crystals are turned to the clear side.  You can still see which crystals are used to display the time if you look closely.

The padded strap is made of very supple, shiny black leather.  I believe this is true patent leather.  I'd only ever seen the vinyl that passes for patent leather before, and this watchband is much nicer and much more flexible than the fake stuff.  The strap is about 0.75″ wide.  The band can be adjusted to fit a wrist between about 5.5″ to 7.5″.

Click on any of the photos showing the watch face and closely inspect the face.  You'll see that the black numbers are made up of little bars with black crystals on one side and clear crystals on the other.  I'm going to quote Phosphor here, because they can best explain how these watches function.  ”Driven by Micro-Magnetic Mechanical Digital (M3D) technology, the Phosphor Appear watch utilizes miniature-sized rotors adorned with Swarovski™ crystals that revolve to reveal numerical or chronological information. With each minute, an electrical pulse generates an electromagnetic field that changes the position of the crystals on the face of the watch, to elegantly display the passing time, while producing a distinctive sound unique to the Phosphor Appear digital watch line.”

If you watch closely, you can actually see the little bars flip as the time changes.  The “distinctive sound” is the sound of the bars moving.  You hear a definite “click” sound as they flip.  You'll best be able to see and hear the bars change in the seconds mode.

You use the two buttons on the right-side of the case to adjust the time and to change modes.  You can turn the time off; the crystals all turn to clear and the watch becomes a bracelet.  You can also toggle the watch between time mode and seconds mode.

A strong shock to the watch might cause the little rotors to get knocked out of position.  The watch detects this and automatically corrects the position of the rotors to the correct time. If you ever notice that one of the rotors is out of position, simply change modes and the watch should correct itself.

When the watch arrived at my house a couple of weeks ago, it was 1 minute slower than my clock.  I adjusted the time to match my clock.  The watch time still agrees with the clock.  I'm pleased with the accuracy.

My daughter Rachel is once again my watch model.   You can see that this is a very large watch when you see it on her small wrist.  It's good that the watchband has two strap keepers, because she has a lot of extra band that needs to be corralled.

If you know a lady who loves unusual watches and who isn't afraid of a shiny, attention-getting piece of jewelry, consider the Phosphor Appear watch for her.  You can choose black strap/black numbers, red strap/red numbers, white strap/black numbers, and pink strap/pink numbers versions with the crystal-encrusted bezel for $249.  If she'd prefer a little less bling, there are versions available with plain metal bezels for $199 to $210.

Officine Autodromo places the spirit of vintage Italian racing on your wrist

Some watchmakers seek out automotive associations - typically in the form of licensing agreements with automakers or racing series. But some just have octane just dripping from their cogs. Like this latest collection from Officine Autodromo.

The brainchild of industrial designer Bradley Price, the Officine Autodromo launch collection consists of three models - Veloce (Italian for “speed”), Brescia (named for the Northern Italian town that forms the start/finish line for the Mille Miglia rally), and Valelunga (for the racing circuit outside of Rome).

Each features a dial inspired by the instruments on 1960s and 1970s Italian racing cars, a Swiss-made Ronda quartz movement (with date window) and a 42-milimeter case in brushed or PVD-coated stainless steel. The perforated black leather wrist straps mount directly into the round case, not unlike the four-figure Manometro timepieces offered by Giuliano Mazzuoli, but far more accessible with prices pegged at $425.

Quad Mountain Ultimate One Watchband for iPod nano Review

Most of the watchband cases for the iPod nano have one thing in common – some part of the iPod comes into contact with your skin.  People who wear their iPods while exercising or working intensely find it eventually suffers damage from coming into contact with sweat.  Quad Mountain has developed a watchband for the iPod nano that completely isolates the device from contact with skin or sweat. I recently purchased the 7th generation iPod nano, and I wanted to use it as a watch.  I liked the promise that my new nano would be completely protected from skin contact and sweat, so I ordered a black one to complement the new Mickey Mouse watch face.  

The Quad Mountain Ultimate One watchband is another successfully-funded Kickstarter project.  They designed a watchband to protect the nano and to be comfortable to wear.  The band is made of a single piece of silicone with a stainless steel clasp.  The band has several comfort features, like lots of openings for air circulation.  Even the adjustment holes are big enough to let some air in.

The silicone has a powdery surface texture that keeps the watchband from sticking to your skin so tightly it feels glued on by your skin's moisture.  The back of the nano area has a waffle pattern of ridges that allow air flow to help keep your skin cooler.

The band is about 9.5″ long, including the metal clasp.  Quad Mountain says the band will fit wrists sized from about 5.75″ to 8.5″.  It's available in black, white, blue, green, pink, orange, and red.  The watchbands are available singly or in pairs at a discounted price.

The nano's clip snaps into the large center cavity

When I first saw the Ultimate One watchband, I thought there was no way I'd trust it to hold my iPod nano.  It doesn't have any slots to put the clip through, and the wings that fit over two of the sides were too flexible to be able to hold the nano securely.  Those wings aren't designed to hold the nano; they just protect the metal sides.  The clip actually snaps down into a depression in the bottom of the holder area.  Once the clip is snapped in place, the nano is held very securely.  I tried shaking the iPod out of the Ultimate One watchband (over my bed, of course), but it wouldn't shake out.  It should be nice and secure while you're running, exercising, or working.

Rachel is modeling the watchband.  You can see this is a bit overwhelming on her small arm, but she says it was a comfortable fit.  You can see the power and volume buttons and the headphone jack and docking connectors are exposed when the nano is worn with the Ultimate One watchband.  I think headphones with a different plug would have worked better; headphones with a 90-degree angle plug would have kept the cable closer to the wrist.

I like the Quad Mountain Ultimate One watchband for iPod nano, but I think it would probably work best for exercising or when you are dressed casually.  I like that it completely protects the nano from sweat.  And I think the black looks great with my red nano and with the Mickey Mouse watch face.