Wait a minute, wait a minute. Isn’t this supposed to be Wrist Watch Review? Well, yes, it still is. However, if you dig into the history of wristwatches, you’ll find that they actually came from pocket watches. As a matter of fact, some of the first wrist watches were simply pocket watches with lugs soldered on so a strap could be attached. So, with that, let’s have a look at this ultra-modern pocket watch.
This model is offered by TokyoFlash Japan, and is named the Kisai Rogue Touch. Why it’s called a Rogue, I’m not sure (loose D&D association to pockets, perhaps?). The touch portion, however, is very clear. Once you flip the top up on the 47mm case, the screen is touch controlled. Just tapping the screen at 9 o’clock will activate the backlight; sliding from left to right will unlock the watch.
Once it’s unlocked, then you open up the additional touch buttons (at 12, 3, 6). This allows you to control and adjust all of the various features, which are:
- Setting the time – two timezones
- Setting the date (month, day, and year)
- Setting the alarm
Of course, reading the watch does take a good bit of learning. And rather than trying to describe it with words, I’ll just put an image up here from TokyoFlash:
So, as you can see, not the simplest in the world. However, once you have the hang of it, it’s not too bad. And it looks pretty cool, to boot. Almost like some part of Enterprise (ST:TNG) jumped onto the dial. Reading the date is along the same vein, but is a bit harder, as you need to count the blocks in the seconds track to know the day number.
In my time with the Rogue Touch, there was a lot to like. It’s a unique presentation with some “wow” to it, between the display and touch functionality. Additionally, it feels solidly built. However, it’s not exactly a “quick glance” watch for telling the time. All told, it’s a compact package with a lot of functionality built in. At the asking price of $169, it’s reasonably priced for its uniqueness. If you add it to your collection, just tell your friends that steampunk is played out, you’re getting into cyberpunk.*
*Kids, ask your parents
