How much functionality do you wish your watch offered you? Or, for that matter, do you wish that timekeeping was almost a secondary function for your timepiece? If so, read on – because today’s watch offers quite a unique mix of functionality, but almost at the expense of timekeeping.
At first glance, the Penta 55 looks like any other watch, albeit one with several unusual sub-dials. A closer look reveals an unusual bevy of instrumentation:
- The main dial (and long center hand) are actually for a compass
- 2 o’clock subdial is the main timekeeping function (hours/minutes)
- 4 o’clock subdial displays the temperature (in Celsius)
- 8 o’clock subdial is used to view height (altimiter, in kilometers)
- 10 o’clock subdial is the barometer, giving you a visual indicator of the weather
On top of all this, you also have an alarm function available. Given all of the features, it shouldn’t come at a surprise that the stainless steel case is not small, by any means – it clocks in at 45mm in diameter and 15mm thick – though, at 4.5 oz, it shouldn’t be a distraction on the wrist.
Driving all of the various motors for the functions is a quartz movement, powered by a humble CR2032 battery. Rounding things out, you’ve got a water resistance rating of 50 meters, and a leather strap holding things in place.
And here is where the well dries up. I can’t find any information on the specific movement in the case, whether the crystal is mineral or sapphire, or the other sorts of info we’re used to knowing. Finding a reseller is equally difficult. I was able to find it on the German version of Amazon for about $725.
Also, given the fact that the displays are in the metric system, those of us in the U.S. might not have much use. However, for just about the rest of the world, this would be a very intriguing step up from a Pathfinder, especially if you spend a lot of time outside.
