Watches Falling into Oblivion?

In fact, the synchronization obsession gained grounds in the railroad era, when people kept their watches in a pocket. By World War I, watches gradually moved to the wrist, as wearing a wristwatches turned out to be much more comfortable. Still, as a contradiction to everything mentioned above, the horology world witnesses the appearance of more and more new watch brands, while old well-established brands attract whole armies of fans and collectors. It is obvious watch companies are not going to fall into oblivion and as a proof their creations become more and more aesthetically appealing and functionally improved.No wonder such watch-wearers have a habit of taking a watch off unconsciously and leaving it somewhere. It may be compared to a child taking off one's socks because they seem constraining. Unfortunately, for some people a watch has become a symbol of stress. That is why taking off their watch means the end of stressful commitments during the day, and moving into a relaxing realm where the time is not so important. However, scientists say it is not the time itself that's the problem. Today we live in the world where synchronization is all important, especially if to take into account the age of globalization. To get rid of stress it is necessary to 'leave' this world of total synchronization.

Watches Falling into Oblivion?

Luxury watches, such as Breitling and Rolex, are still highly demanded. Yet, the watch seems to be more about one's prestige and fashion than function.The way people keep track of time is constantly changing. Today it is possible to find out time displayed by a cell phone, the clock in the car, or from the computer screen. Modern people are somehow reluctant to check their watch - they want the watch check them. For example, a BlackBerry may produce beeps and vibrations to remind its owner of his/her obligations.Even if someone is afraid to become a slave to such beeps, it provides an easy way to automate a lot of things that otherwise he/she would have to do manually, for example trying to keep in mind when it's time to attend a dentist or call a business partner.Some people claim they do wear a watch when they need to look 'put together.' But in this case the timepiece serves more like an accessory than is taken as a necessity.According to the recent market research, more people make use of electronic devices displaying time, with a cell phone, an iPod or a BlackBerry found on the top of the list. The research also showed that young people, in particular, prefer to spend their money on other types of accessories, such as hand bags and shoes rather than watches.Another survey proved that almost two-thirds of teenagers never put on a watch and only about one in ten wears a watch every day. As a matter of fact, Americans spent over $5.9 billion on watches in 2006, that is 17-percent reduction if compared to 2001.In response, a lot of watch*** brands have added more functions to their timekeeping creations. Today you will come across watch models with heart rate monitors and GPS trackers.

Nickel in Watches Causes Allergic Reactions - Part II

In order to prevent the accumulation of irritating nickel ions, cleaning a watch with a damp cloth represents a basic measure of good hygiene.Most watchmakers are often surprised to find out that a lot of watch owners are do not take the necessary measures when it comes to cleaning a watch that often comes in direct contact with their skin. The last but not the least it is important to know that after perspiring heavily, any watch model should be removed from the wrist and then carefully washed. Thus the risk of allergies from contact with metals containing nickel will be considerably reduced.Despite the difficulties in that watch companies must face they should be aware of newly proposed regulations and get ready for their implementation.Taking CareSince the directives have not come in force yet, watch lovers should take into consideration several precautions in order to lower the risk of nickel allergies from their favorite watches. The first thing to remember is that is it necessary to remove the watch while preparing for sleep so to lower the time of contact between the watch and the skin. Then it is important to regularly wipe the case suing a clean, dry cloth. One can use a cloth that is slightly damp in case the watch is water-resistant.

Nickel in Watches Causes Allergic Reactions - Part II

The lists of items includes: metal buttons, watches, as well as earrings necklaces, bracelets and some other products that can come in contact with the skin. The directive that the European Community provides is quite similar to the one Denmark signed. The problems linked with applying new standards are not insurmountable, due to the fact that some suitable materials are already in use today. However, the watch*** industry needs to invest huge sums to use sustainable materials in watches.Allergic reactions from nickel has raised serious concerns in the European Community, which is why it started drafting a legislation that the goal of which was to control materials such as nickel. Thus a certain number of countries have started taking measures regarding different objects made of metals that might include nickel. Denmark was the first to sign a legislation in June 27, 1989, which prohibits both import and production of a wide list of products that liberate quantities of nickel higher than 0.5 microgram/cm2 over one week.

Review of the Seiko Sportura SNJ005

If I had just slightly thicker wrists, the flow of the links would be smoother andthe issue would be completely unnoticeable. The problem is actually not the sizeof the watch itself, but the fact that the first link attached to each lug is notactually hinged, even though it looks like is, which essentially extends the practicalsize of the case by almost an entire inch. It's a very strange design, but only somethingthat you'd notice if your wrist is as narrow as mine. If you have skinny wrists,I highly recommend trying this watch on before actually purchasing one.The Sportura line is one of the few very cool Seiko collections that we're luckyenough to have easy access to in the US. In fact, three out of the four watches inthe Sportura line (the SNA451, SNJ005, and the SNL015) can be found in just aboutany decent sized mall or jewelry store. (For an overview of the entire Sportura line,see my article entitled TheNew Seiko Sportura Line.) The SNJ005 retails for about $650,but is typically discounted at least 20-25%, so expect to pay between $480 and $520,or even less.If you're a frequent traveler, and your wrists are big enough to accommodatethe SNJ005, you can't go wrong with this timepiece.Additional resources:Viewthe Seiko Sportura SNJ005 photo gallery.My article entitled The New Seiko Sportura Collection.SeikoSportura SNJ005 Product page.Seiko SporturaSNJ005 Operational Guide (PDF). The20-second tone is nice and loud, and sounds a little like a cell phone ringing whichis much more distinctive than the typical lame beeps most digital watches emit. (Notethat you can sample the alarm in time mode by holding down the two buttons on theright. Note also that pressing the two buttons on the right toggles button toneson and off.)Although the SNJ005 contains some fairly complex world time functionality, it'sactually not difficult to set. You can either synchronize the analog and digitalreadouts, or you can intentionally set them to different times if you want to beable to see two time zones at once (which you can already do with this watch, soI wouldn't recommend it). Once it's set, you won't have to worry about it for a longtime since all the world time offsets are preprogrammed, as well as daylight savingsand the watch's calendar. And since Seiko is known for their extremely accurate quartzmovements, you really can set it and forget it.There are only two things I don't like about the SNJ005. The first is the factthat you can't navigate backwards when setting things like the time, or the alarm.The lower right-hand button is used to advance the time, the upper right-hand buttonis used to advance your place, and upper left-hand button is used to take the watchin and out of set mode. That means the lower left-hand button isn't being used foranything, so why not use it to let you decrement numbers so you don't have to loopall the way back around if you pass the intended time? (It should be noted thatthis is a very minor point, but when you're as obsessed with watches as I am, younotice little things like this.)The second thing I don't like about the SNJ005 actually has more to do with somethingI don't like about me, and that is my skinny wrists. The SNJ005 is too largefor my wrist. I don't mean that it simply overpowers my wrist because it actuallydoesn't. What I mean is that it literally overshoots my wrist on both the top andthe bottom so there's a noticeable"crease"in the bracelet as the links turn too sharply back around the curve in my wrist.