12 Oct 2006, 17:10
I love this thing. It is both tough, and bone simple:
The stopwatch doesn't have a reset, because it resets when you start it. I never stop and restart a stopwatch anyway, so this saves a step.
The leap year setting is just 48 months -- keep advancing the month until the right year.
The alarm is what you would expect for a watch sealed in a block of plastic; it flashes the display. To turn it on, push the slider until the alarm time displays. To turn it off, push the slider until the time displays, and then push it one more time.
I generally wear a watch all the time, including when I'm in bed or in the shower. I have zero worries about this one suffering any water damage.
It really is a solid block with solar panels and a digital display; there's no way the stuff inside could be hurt without a drill or a hammer.
Just simple.
About the power: I'd worried that I'd run down the batteries by using it too often. No such problems have occurred. I wear long sleeved shirts and stay indoors much of the time, too. It's not getting all that much light.
Here are a couple images. The serial number, as far as I know, is RWR_LE_08:
and the business end, showing the date:
I have nothing to say about the wait but that Howard Riehl was a real nice guy to get this out to me, considering the situation with the late Roger Riehl's company.
I asked about plans to manufacture quantities of these, and I gathered that it won't happen unless a major watch company steps in. If this is one of the last Synchronars, it's a damn shame.
I paid a premium in time and money for it that could be saved by mass-producing it. I get to enjoy its rarity and collector value, but I'd rather be able to tell other people to buy one, too.
I'm not a collector. I'm a fan, and I'm a hard user. I'll wear it until it breaks, not keep it untouched in the box to sell later.
The stopwatch doesn't have a reset, because it resets when you start it. I never stop and restart a stopwatch anyway, so this saves a step.
The leap year setting is just 48 months -- keep advancing the month until the right year.
The alarm is what you would expect for a watch sealed in a block of plastic; it flashes the display. To turn it on, push the slider until the alarm time displays. To turn it off, push the slider until the time displays, and then push it one more time.
I generally wear a watch all the time, including when I'm in bed or in the shower. I have zero worries about this one suffering any water damage.
It really is a solid block with solar panels and a digital display; there's no way the stuff inside could be hurt without a drill or a hammer.
Just simple.
About the power: I'd worried that I'd run down the batteries by using it too often. No such problems have occurred. I wear long sleeved shirts and stay indoors much of the time, too. It's not getting all that much light.
Here are a couple images. The serial number, as far as I know, is RWR_LE_08:
and the business end, showing the date:
I have nothing to say about the wait but that Howard Riehl was a real nice guy to get this out to me, considering the situation with the late Roger Riehl's company.
I asked about plans to manufacture quantities of these, and I gathered that it won't happen unless a major watch company steps in. If this is one of the last Synchronars, it's a damn shame.
I paid a premium in time and money for it that could be saved by mass-producing it. I get to enjoy its rarity and collector value, but I'd rather be able to tell other people to buy one, too.
I'm not a collector. I'm a fan, and I'm a hard user. I'll wear it until it breaks, not keep it untouched in the box to sell later.