If you have read the site for a while, you should be aware of TokyoFlash Japan, a watch maker that specialized in… alternative displays built into digital watches. We have reviewed a number of their watches to date, and they just reached out to us for a launch deal on the new TokyoFlash Japan Kisai Kaidoku Wood. Through around 7:00 Pacific on July 30, you can get this watch for the introductory price of $109 (I don’t know what it goes up to after that).
The watch is a digital model that uses words, not a graphic display, to tell the time. One – Twelve, One – Five, One – Nine and AM/PM are all written out on the face in groups, and the correct time flashes. So if the seven, five and nine are all flashing (as in the top image), then it is 7:59. For TokyoFlash, this is about as straight forward a display of time as they make. There is also an alarm mode and a date mode, all reading the same way, as well as a backlight for night time viewing.
The watch comes in 3 versions, all on wooden bracelets, which I think complement the watch nicely. There is the dark sandalwood with a blue LCD in a black case, or the maple with a purple LCD or red sandalwood with a green LCD, with both of these coming with steel cases. The cases are 47mm wide, which is going to be pretty big, but it is only 35mm tall, so it will not wear anywhere nearly as large as a round case of that size. TokyoFlash is promoting this as unisex, and I think it a work for both men and women. I would have liked if there were an alternative display mode to just show the time, but even without it, I think it is a fun way to do something different for not a whole lot of money. tokyoflash.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: TokyoFlash Japan Kisai Kaidoku Wood
- Price: $109 (while we’re in the intro period)
- Who we think it might be for: Anyone into alternative display times.
- Would I buy or recommend it just on the photos?: This one I like.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: An option to just display the time.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: It is different, but still readable.