No, no, not like a record, like a propeller. At least, that’s what I think they’re getting at with their new Blade watch (no, this watch will not turn you into a daywalker either). The Blade is through and through an aviation-inspired piece, something ala the Perrelet Turbine. For the bargain-hunter, though, this watch is a good deal more affordable than the Perrelet.
The first thing you notice is how you have a sort of sculpted crystal up top (I imagine this must be plastic), which looks like a turbine blade (ie, what you see looking into a jet engine on a plane). This has a smoked appearance, and under that you’ve got LEDs that are used to indicate the time and date.
It’s that time telling bit that’s pretty interesting. The first mode is the one you’d expect – the “hands” light up, indicating the time in a very familiar way. The second method actually involves a “turning mode”. I’ll try to explain it here, but you’re better served by checking out the animation on their product page.
When you activate the spin function, a single LED line spins around and highlights the hour digit (say, 9). The line then sweeps around again, removing the hour hand, and then dropping a line at 10’s indicator (say, 20). It then sweeps around one more time, showing the single minute digit (say, 5), netting you the time of 9:25 in series.
I should note that they’re relying on the lines appearing at the 5 minute marker positions – so how are the mid points indicated – say, 18 minutes past the hour? For those, there are smaller LEDs up to the left of the 12 o’clock line – one lights up for each minute past the 5-minute marker that is currently lit up.
Frankly, it’s kind of a cool way of telling the time, and one of the simpler methods that ToykoFlash has had in their recent batches of watches, one that I think would be great for the aviation nut that you know. The Blade is available on a leather strap or metal bracelet, and has a variety of finishes (black, gold, or silver) and LED colors (blue, green, red). It also features an alarm function, and is rechargeable via a USB cable.
This is a limited edition (no word on numbers), so this one is going to be even less likely to be seen on another persons wrist than most of their watches. At an asking price of $169, this is just about an impulse buy. It’s not a watch you’ll hand down through the generations, but it’s one you’ll have a lot of fun wearing to the airshow. tokyoflash.com
