MakeUseOf is currently taking a poll asking people if they still wear a watch. Interestingly enough, the current numbers are showing that 52.58% of voters still wear a watch and love it. The second most popular answer to the question “How long has it been since you wore a watch?” (coming in at 18.47%) is “1-11 years. I took a little while to give up on my watch.” These numbers are particularly interesting because the poll is being taken on a tech blog where many readers at least consider themselves to be tech-savvy. The assumption would be that a gadget such as a smartphone (or even a dumb-phone) would have replaced the watch.

Perhaps the watch is more tenacious than we thought. There are some futuristic watches coming out that are much more high-tech than before (some even running a smartphone OS) so perhaps instead of dying off they’re going through a transformation.

WIMM Labs and Foxconn have teamed up to create the WIMM One and they are currently going to be selling it to developers to start creating excitement and so they can begin creating apps for the device. It features a transflective TFT 160×160 resolution display that apparently bodes well in sunlight. Some of the other features include:

• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• GPS
• Magnetometer
• Accelerometer
• Vibrate motor

Pair this little device up with the ability to communicate with your phone and we may have a gem on our hands. Ultimately, developers are the ones who will really make or break the WIMM One Android watch. There may even be an app store coming so this could get interesting.

The Aquacoach can actually figure out your swimming style (or even the stroke) so it can accurately track data. If you are swimming for the health benefits alone, you’ll be happy to know it tracks your calories being burned. If you are swimming for more competitive reasons, it also tracks laps, speed, and distance.  Its memory can hold up to 50 sessions so you can see how you’re doing from swim to swim.

It is a well known fact that if you track your results you will be more motivated. The Aquacoach is the watch that becomes your swim coach helping to motivate you to meet your swimming goals.

Fossil has recently announced its Meta Watch design that lets developers create applications that will have an extended interface for tablets and smartphones. These so-called connected watches do more than give users just an extra screen with which to display data, but the watch can actually provide feedback through a light sensor and accelerometer. Fossil has released an SDK for the Meta Watch, which developers can use to incorporate watch-specific controls into their apps. HP seems keen on developing apps for this platform.

The Fossil Meta Watch runs on a low-power Texas Instruments MSP430TM micro-controller and connects to tablets and smartphones using Bluetooth. Several models are already available on pre-order, and Fossil will start shipping and selling via retail channels in July at a price of $200.

Nike announced its Nike+ SportWatch with GPS at CES 2011. The watch works in partnership with the Nike+ shoe accessory. The only difference here is that there’s no need for a compatible iPhone or iPod.

The Nike+ watch uses TomTom’s GPS, which helps keep track of your routes. The Nike+ watch also computes your runs’ time, distance, speed and calories burned. It will also keep track of your run history and will give you reminders when you haven’t been running for a while.

Plug in the watch to your computer via USB and you will be connected with the 4 million or so Nike+ community members.

This is probably good for those folks who don’t like having an extra gadget in their pocket or strapped on an armband, as this adds weight and might be cumbersome while running. It adds to that sporty, athletic image, too!

There have been other attempts at an iPod Nano watch, but here’s another one. The iWatchz comes in two new series: the high-end and stylish Carbon collection, and the more youthful Jelly collection.

The Carbon collection uses matte black aluminum, with a carbon wrist band, which can come in colored stitching. The Carbon collection will cost $49.95 upon release this February in Apple stores across the US.

Meanwhile, the Jelly collection has translucent nanoclipz, which come with silicon wristbands in various bright colors. This series will also be available in Apple stores and other retailers by February at $24.95.

iWatchz first came out with its Q collection, which was launched in December. iWatchz actually patented the system for sliding in an iPod Nano into the clip to turn it into a wristwatch.

First and foremost, the SportWatch GPS works in conjunction with the Nike+ shoe sensor, except that it throws in the extra accuracy thanks to GPS. And for those wondering, the GPS is powered by TomTom. In terms of the items that it will track, those include your time, pace, distance, calories burned and heart rate. In other words, just about everything that most runners would be looking for.

Furthermore, thanks to the NikePlus website, this information is then transferred to your online account where you can dive further in and check your progress over time. You know, see how much further you can run as compared to when you first started, or maybe even how much faster.

And speaking in terms of that extra encouragement, the SportWatch GPS watch will give onscreen reminders when you do not run often enough as well as alert you when you achieve a personal best. In addition, the NikePlus system comes complete with a built-in community of other runners.

With that, as of now a price has not been mentioned, though we do know that it will be available on April 1st. And for those feeling a little anxious, you can head on over to the official Nike+ SportWatch GPS website and sign up to be notified when it will come up for pre-order.

All said and done, this looks to be a nice way to go in terms of training. Personally I have used the Nike+ system in the past, but that was just that, in the past and while I have since moved to RunKeeper on my phone, I can say that the NikePlus.com website is rather nice. As to why I made the change, just to combine my workout tracking and music into one device. Plus, I am not a big fan of watches.

Sure, the sWaP Rebel looks a lot like one of those wrist-mounted iPod Nanos that we see every so often, but no–it’s a complete cell phone built into a wristwatch. And while it’s definitely not the first to do so, it’ll bring plenty along for the ride. The sWaP Rebel is packing a camera that will do both 3GP and MPEG-4 video, a music player, a video player (well, why not? If it makes video it should be able to play it back!), a clock (it looks like a wristwatch already–why not make it work like one?), calendar, FM radio, and even an ebook reader.  You’ll get fully 128 megs of onboard storage, plus support for a microSD card that will up that storage clear up to eight gigs.

And for all of you who’d love to get your hands on one of these, I likely have bad news for you–right now they’re only available in England, and for about $298. No mention on what kind of plan you’ll need, though it’s said you’ll need a GSM SIM chip to talk.

But cheer up! Assuming you can lay hands on one, you’ll be able to get them in an assortment of colors. Given the variety of phones already on the market, from smartphones to mere phones, you may not be too interested in getting hands on a wrist-mounted phone, but there will likely be plenty of people out there who will want one as just as much a fashion statement as an actual cell phone.

NOOKA watches display time using dots and dashes, unlike analog watches’ hands and digital watches’ numerical digits. Dots represent the number of hours, while minutes and seconds are represented their own respective bars that slowly creep up as time goes by.

This is supposedly a more intuitive way of telling the time, but of course, it comes with a learning curve if you’re used to reading hands or numbers. When they launched in 2008, they had 7 styles. Now there’s a new model.

The Zub Zayu is the latest addition to the NOOKA watch line. It’s meant to be worn both on the left and right wrists (“Sayu” is Japanese for “left and “right” after all). This means you can flip the asymmetrical watch over, and set it to display the time in the right orientation.

The watch comes in blue, black magenta and yellow and costs $175.

Garmin isn’t sitting on its laurels either following its breakup with Asus, and have recently announced the Approach S1 just for the golfers out there. Basically, the Approach S1 is set to offer details on fully 14000 courses, uploaded from the factory, that will allow you to tell at any given time what hole you’re on, how far you are from the tee, and how far you have yet to go until you reach the front, back, and middle of the green.

You’ll be able to track your shot distances (not really that tough, just measure where you are currently to where you stop moving after you shoot and get your shot range) with constantly updated positioning. Even better, the watch itself is waterproof and can take a few drops, great if you’re caught in a sudden cloudburst or trip over a poorly-placed rock…or rake…or something else entirely. It weighs just 1.8 ounces and the battery carries enough charge to run the GPS for eight hours, or three weeks if you just use it as a watch. And should you flee from bad golfing climates to good ones as the seasons change, or even just do a lot of business traveling, the watch even detects time zone changes and adjusts accordingly.

Got to hand it to Garmin for making an almost painfully versatile GPS watch, and you can get these right now for $249.

The Patch is paper-thin and feels like paper on your wrist. That’s because it’s actually made of paper mache. The watch comes in 10 colors to suit your mood. While the Patch is essentially made of paper, its surface was given a special coating that makes the watch shock resistant, tear resistant and waterproof. With a little care, your paper watch should be able to stand the test of time.

With a 24 Euro price tag, or about $33.50 apiece at current exchange rates, the Patch is about half the price of the usual Swatch watch, and definitely cheaper than the usual Altanus luxury chronometer.

The Patch was developed through four years of research, and represents leaps and bounds both in technology and eco-friendliness among the Swiss watchmaking industry.

First and foremost, for those paying attention and trying to keep the Forerunner lineup straight, the 410 is set to become a follow up to the 405 and the 210 is set to be the follow up to the 110. In terms of pricing and availability, so far nothing solid. At present they are both expected to hit the available market sometime in Q4 of this year. With that, we can tell you that Garmin is planning to show these off at the Chicago and New York City Marathons, both of which are coming up in the next few months.

Both models come equipped with a “premium” soft-strap heart rate monitor and have support for five customizable heart rate zones. In addition, both models will offer “heart rate-based calorie computations” which will more accurately track the calories you are burning. In addition, both models will work with the Garmin Connect website which records and tracks your workouts. The data collected includes time, distance, speed, elevation and heart rate and can be graphed, charted, compared and even displayed on maps using Google Earth.

Breaking these down a little bit, lets begin with the higher-end of the two, the Forerunner 410. This mode features a new “enhaned” touch bezel for easier use while running as well as wireless compatibility by way of ANT+ wireless technology and the included USB stick.

In terms of the Forerunner 210, this one is a little less feature rich as compared to the 410, but that said it still offers quite a bit. The Forerunner 210 features a GPS receiver with Garmin’s HotFix technology as well as a battery life of up to 8 hours, UPS connectivity and compatibility with the Garmin foot pod which ties in with the Garmin Connect software.

Once again, both the Forerunner 410 and the 210 are expected to come available later this year.

Don’t get me wrong here–I love most any kind of wrist-mountable technology. I’m desperately hopeful that the military will bring those Pip-Boys they invented to the civilian market. The idea of wearing technology on my wrist makes me terribly happy.

Though this does seem to be a little bit of a stretch–it’s not like the iPod Nano isn’t sufficiently small to be easily slipped into any pocket. And it’s not like it does a whole lot more (yet!) than play music. So I’m a little leery about this development if for no other reason than it just doesn’t have very much to it.

However, it’s not like they’re asking a lot for it–$19.99 will allow you to convert that new iPod Nano into a huge wristwatch–so it’s a case of letting style dictate. And if you like the idea of a huge wristwatch that plays MP3s, well, iLoveHandles has got you covered.

The Seiko Active Matrix EPD uses an E-Ink display that makes it look really impressive, and of course there are other features here to make it stand out even more. For instance, it’s set to offer a 180-degree viewing angle, radio-controlled movement that gets its marching orders from the nearest atomic clock, and solar cells in the frame that’ll let it get juice from the sun.

Never again will you not know what time it is.

There’s no word on pricing yet, but some hope has emerged that prices will be reasonable. As to when these come out, it looks like they’ll hit shelves by the end of the year, though any release will start in Japan and make its way out from there.

Zachery Shivers and Anne Flinchbaugh, working on an entry for the Texas Instruments Co-op Design Challenge, took a couple of Texas Instruments Chronos wireless watches with accelerometers, tricked out a Rock’em Sock’em Robots board with some servos and a controller board, and thus allowed their own punches to correspond to the punches of the robots in the game.

And just in case you’re wondering, no, knocking the other robot’s block off, the object in the game, did NOT result in spontaneous decapitation. No doubt every gadget geek in the world is wondering how to do this, so be of good cheer, because the plans are publicly available. At least for now.

Your typical wristwatch is generally a complex machine of springs and sometimes gearwork, but the Devon Works Tread 1 uses a microcontroller (a very tiny computer), a series of small motors, and belts to produce its timekeeping capability. And yes, technically, the glass involved is bullet proof, but don’t consider taking potshots at it as the glass is too thin to actually stop a bullet. But it is, indeed, bullet proof glass.

It uses wireless charging to keep powered–moving all those motors takes plenty of juice, after all–and once charged, it’ll keep going for about two weeks.

The price tag here is, of course, monstrous: Devon is a “luxury goods” manufacturer, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone to discover that this thing sells for about $15,000. They’re getting ready to release these, so if you’re interested, better get the for sale sign out for your car right now so you’ll be ready.

And that’s why I loved seeing this watch.

This particular rebuild is based around an Arduino Mini Pro 328, and tacks on a wide array of extras, including a block of wood. And lest you think this watch just looks pretty, you’ll be amazed by what it can do. It offers sensing of temperature and range, a drawing program so you can doodle on your watch via a trackball control, a copy of Breakout, and, in what may well be the strangest feature I’ve ever seen on a watch, three different time display styles: analog, digital, or BINARY. Yes, binary.

The original inventor says that other programs or parts can be added at will, and the whole thing can be built for just under three hundred bucks. If you actually own one of these watches, it’s safe to say your geek cred will go up three fold–and if you build one yourself, probably ten fold.

However Tokyo Flash seems to be more inclined to make life more fashionable (and miserable) with their Changing Lanes Watch. The left side of the watch was meant for the hours while the right side for the minutes. But the thing is the level of difficulty in telling the time!

Based on the picture above, it seems more like a GPS-inspired design (or maybe even some retro gaming graphic) without the needed watch numbering for easier reference. Unique but certainly not a watch you would consider using, especially if you value your time!

Only it isn’t real! The iWatch is just a “what if” concept which will never be made, although who knows how Apple will decide to surprise us with in the future.

The iWatch in the screenshots here is really a very unnecessary device. Not only is it pretty bulky to start with, but it also comes with certain specs and features that would surely render it useless as a wrist watch.

Here’s a list of imagined specs and features for the iWatch:

• Aluminium body
• WiFi and Bluetooth
• Integrated RSS Reader
• 16GB memory
• Weather forecast system
• LCD projector
• Touchscreen display

These are all interesting features but would the person wearing the watch have to carry a battery in a suitcase of its own? You know, in order to be able to actually enjoy the LCD projector. Not to mention that Apple already has some patents out there that talk about including projectors in future laptops, the kind of products that would really benefit from such an added feature.

Furthermore the watch offers various other features which can’t be really enjoyed on a display the size of a watch: RSS reader or weather forecast system. That’s why Apple fans have iPhones! And since it’s likely that only Apple fans will buy an iWatch specifically for pairing it with other Apple gadgets, why shouldn’t they keep using their iPhones to read the news or check the weather.

The renders are definitely interesting, but such a watch would definitely not make it into the real world. And I bet it doesn’t have Flash support either!

The inPulse BlackBerry watch isn’t a substitute for the popular phone also known as the CrackBerry. The watch connects to your BlackBerry via Bluetooth 2.0. It includes a 1.3-inch OLED display screen and lets you preview e-mails, messages, alarms and will even show incoming call details. To answer calls or reply to messages, you will still need to whip out the actual phone.

All the settings for the watch are done on the actual BlackBerry. It features optional vibrating alerts and comes with a microUSB port for charging. Once the 150mAh Li-ion battery is fully charged, Allerta claims that it can last for up to four days, based on receiving 20 to 30 updates a day.

Allerta’s initial press release included features for the inPulse that had gadget fanatics smiling:

Check your messages quickly and discreetly
Using inPulse, a glance down at your wrist is all it takes to easily check recently received email, SMS and even Twitter messages. New messages are sent directly to your inPulse. Instead of pulling out your phone to figure out who keeps texting you, just keep an eye on your inPulse.

Never miss an important call
Have you ever missed a call because you didn’t hear your phone ringing or couldn’t feel the vibration? inPulse has a built-in vibrating motor which immediately alerts you of incoming calls. Glance down at inPulse to quickly see who is calling.

You can place your pre-order for the inPulse for just $149. Keep in mind that the first batch has been fully pre-ordered. It was meant to have gone out in February but obviously that didn’t eventuate due to manufacturing problems. Do expect longer delays to receive your inPulse if you’re just putting in your order today. Although the long wait could be worth it in the end.

The new Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS watch is a bit of a departure from the complicated, bulky GPS watches of the past.  It is designed in a more refined package, taking up less space on the wearer’s wrist, thus adding more comfort on longer jaunts.  The Forerunner 110 is also easier to control, as a simple push of the “start” button will begin recording GPS data– as opposed to a multi-button, menu-based setup from prior Garmin fitness watches.  Once armed, this fitness watch will record distance, speed and route data, as well as heart rate and calorie information per mile or per run.

The Garmin Forerunner 110 is powered by a SiRFstarIV GPS receiver which will not only gather GPS location data from a satellite, it will also interpolate a user’s location when signals are temporarily unavailable.  It uses Garmin Connect technology via USB to upload workout data to a computer and also charge its battery.  That battery will provide 8 hours of use in GPS mode and up to 3 weeks on standby.  While the newest Garmin Forerunner has been officially revealed, pricing and availability remain unknown.

Billed as being a ‘revolutionary new Bluetooth fashion accessory’ the TokyoFlash Escape C Kisai Bluetooth Necklace can be paired with a host of Bluetooth enabled portable devices such as cell phones and MP3 players and, aside from allowing you to control the respective device’s music functions (play, skip forwards, skip back, adjust volume) the device will additionally happily serve as a handsfree unit allowing you to take calls without fumbling for your handset. Additionally the device can also be used with Skype – assuming you use Skype on a Bluetooth touting device.

The device accordingly comes with a headphone socket as well as an internal microphone and, should you not wish to wear it as a necklace you could just as easily attach it to a key ring or, as Tokyoflash state, pop it into a pocket (which surely kind of defeats the object doesn’t it?).

The TokyoFlash Escape C Kisai Bluetooth Necklace comes with a rechargeable battery that utilises USB connectivity to top up its power (making it easy to charge whilst out and about using your notebook) and will purportedly communicate with Bluetooth enabled devices at ranges of up to thirty three feet away.

TokyoFlash Escape C Kisai Bluetooth Necklace Key Features:

• Instantly make and receive calls hands free and wirelessly at the touch of a button.
• Great for while you’re on the move, listen to music or take calls while cycling or shopping.
• Wear at home for listening to music and taking calls hands free while doing other things.
• Move away from your computer while using applications like Skype.
• Easily accessible; no need to fumble for your phone and no more missed calls.
• Comfortable to wear; keeps your hands and pockets free.
• Keep your mp3 player and cell phone secure in your bag, not in your pocket.
• Use Escape C while driving to talk safely and comfortably.

Of course, as mentioned above, the TokyoFlash Escape C Kisai Bluetooth Necklace also serves as a timepiece though, as you’d expect from Tokyoflash, it dispenses with traditional methods of time telling, instead employing a series of blue LEDs to convey hours and minutes as shown below.

The TokyoFlash Escape C Kisai Bluetooth Necklace is available as of now and will set you back some $107.

[via Geeky Gadgets]

Hours are represented in blue, five minutes increments in purple and single minute increments are represented in pink. The lights are placed on the same points as the numbers on a clock face. Which means that in this picture the blue LED represents twelve. The purple LED represents 45 and the pink LEDs represent one minute each. Making the time, in this picture, 12:47.

Design it not limited to the watch face and casing alone, it extends to the black stainless steel strap style bracelet. The bracelet which is made of matching stainless steel dots, echoes the design on the watches face. Obviously, this watch isn’t for someone who wants a mere time piece. It is more of a fashion statement and conversation piece with time keeping capability or someone looking to add an interesting watch design to their collection.

By presenting this watch concept, Tokyo Flash shows that they are anything but conventional. The new time keeping design puts a new spin on an old practice and makes keeping time more interesting. Despite it being a suitable for all unisex design, this watch is not for the faint of heart. This Tokyo Flash watch makes a bold artistic statement and will catch the eye of on lookers where ever you go.

Since this is a concept Tokyo Flash is asking shoppers to give their opinion before rolling this out for production. No word yet on when this prospective design will come to life. Right now all you can do it look at it and weight, but if you would like to weigh in feedback is welcome on the TokyoFlash Design Studio blog. There are many watch concept designs there, but I think this is definitely on of the more interesting concepts.

Making room for the images, Hublot designers had to modify the elegant watches by losing the subsidiary seconds dial, yet they found a way to compensate by packing all these Depeche Mode watches in  an individually themed presentation box that will also feature a deluxe version of the album along with the original artwork print and a photograph signed by all members of the group.

Other than that the stitching on every watch strap matches the prominent colors on the album cover art, there’s alo a framed gold CD, an USB key and a digital edition of the album.

Bidding for the Depeche Mode Hublot watches will end on February 24, so better hurry if you want to add them to your collection and do a good deed at the same time — only thing is you should have $100,000 to spend!

Unique to only 1,000 units all paying homage to the historic link with the Italian Navy (to which Panerai was a specialised supplier), the brown matte Marina Militare 8 Giorni features a hand-wound mechanical movement that packs 191 components along with three barrels that ensure an 8 day power reserve. The watch comes with a sandwich-constructed dial completed with ecru colored indexes and numerals, a sapphire crystal, and a vintage leather strap with ecru stitching.

The new Officine Panerai Marina Militare 8 Giorni will sure grow to match the popularity and collectible value of the company’s watches from the early days, so better rush in and secure your model now.

Too bad there’s no word on price.

Apparently it’s not only the dudes who find it hard to come up with a gift for their loved ones, we on TFTS can confirm that women have a tough time to make the perfect present for this holiday season, too. Well the Mitsubishi RVR is not yet on the market, we already own a “few” smartphones (although a Droid would be nice), already work on powerful computers, so how about something that would make us stand out from other in the geek world? Check out the limited edition Aero Bang Drive ACF watch coming from Swiss-based watchmaker Hublot.

A microblasted black ceramic timepiece that could go out as the last Big Bang of 2009, the new Hublot Aero Bang Drive ACF watch gets the eye with an openworked skeleton, the AR-coated sapphire crystal face with rhodium-plated satin-finished applique indeces, red and blue variations.

Movement is the automatic Hublot caliber HUB4200 with 27 jewels and a power reserve of 42 hours, the rotor is tungsten carbide with black PVD treatment, as for the stylish case it has titanium and resin composites which make the watch water resistant to 100 meters.

Only 250 units of the Hublot Aero Bang Drive ACF will ever be built so better secure some green for your guy.

Swiss watchmaker Omega has unveiled a new model to their De Ville watch collection. Dubbed Omega De Ville 4-Counters Co-Axial, the stylish chronograph not only exudes elegance from every little joint, it brings a set of four black subdials each featuring small seconds, a seven day counter, 12 hour counter, and a 30 minute counter on a dark grey dial that gets the eye.

The exquisite timepiece runs on Omega’s newest Calibre 3890 automatic movement, with co-axial escapement and chronometer certification, that beats at 28,800 bph and features a power reserve of 52 hours. Available with a 41mm brushed stainless steel case and a brushed-polished 9-row stainless steel bracelet, the Omega De Ville 4-Counters Co-Axial chronograph, which by the way is water resistant to 100m, also delivers with a sapphire crystal.

Regarding availability, word is that the De Ville 4-Counters Co-Axial timepiece is to be available just in time for Valentine’s Day (a great gift idea, ladies) as Omega thinks their chronograph would be “longer lasting than flowers, and less fattening than chocolate”. Which is true, too bad we’re not the ones to get the flowers and the chocolate … right?

No word on price, for now.

Looking for a distinctive wrist watch that oozes (somewhat retro) class and which manages to be distinctive without resorting to (predominantly) tacky swathes of LEDs in order to make it truly stand out from the crowd? If so, the Void Gold VO2 wrist watch may appeal.

Sporting a half glass design with dual ‘compass needle’ hands – the shorter hand representing hours, the longer hand depicting minutes – the Void Gold VO2 wrist watch comes with a stainless steel case and, aside from coming with a gold color finish is also available in black and both polished and brushed stainless steel finishes (see below), comes with leather strap and is waterproof to 30 meters.

Proof, if ever it was needed, that one doesn’t half to overcomplicate time telling in order for a design to stand out (regular readers will know who we’re referring to here) the Void Gold VO2 wrist watch is available now for just shy of $200.

This is neither the first nor the last watch phone we will see here on TFTS but it’s a brand new one launched by Phenom Communications. It’s also supposed to be a very hot one although it’s up to you to decide if it can top LG’s watch phone which we’ve seen earlier this summer.

I for one would rather stick to regular cell phones and smartphones. The most important reason is that I value my eyesight more than my need for totally cool gadgets. Because let’s face it, a watch phone is ubercool, but it also comes with a tiny display which can’t be compared to the Droid’s 3.7-inch touchscreen display for example.

The Phenom Dream is a quad-band, dual SIM phone which can be used almost anywhere in the world. Unfortunately for this world watch phone there’s no 3G support, but we’ll let it slide for a change since we don’t really need that particular feature. What are we going to do? Browse the web from the watch phone all day long?

Phenom Dream

The Dream comes with features like an external key pad, full color touchscreen, MP3 and video player, digital and still camera, USB connectivity, up to 2GB memory space, and SD card support. The phone can take notes thanks to a compact stylus and record dictation while on the run.

The watch phone comes unlocked and we might not see any carrier around the world hurry up and sell this baby soon. The Dream will retail for the “very reasonable holiday promo price of just $375.” It sounds like a lot but the Dream is apparently the most exclusive watch phone sold by Phenom Communications. The company also has two more models, the Special OPS (pictured above) and Mi5 watch phones which seem to be made for the special James Bond in you. Naturally they both come with features similar to the Dream.

Anyone interested in watch phones?

Swiss-based watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre has added to its wide collection of luxurious watches with a limited edition AMVOX2 Racing Paris chronograph. A brand devoted to precision and perfection, this racing-inspired AMVOX2 timepiece does a great job in grabbing attention with its PVD-coated grade 5 titanium case, the complementing orange and black trim, and the black and white dial with luminescent numerals.

A prestigious luxury watch and clock manufacture, Jaeger-LeCoultre have blessed this AMVOX2 with the company’s proprietary JLC caliber 75IE automatic movement that features ruthenium-covered bridges and plates, and gives a power reserve of 65 hours. Also an eye-catcher is the stylish dial decoration that resembles with the characteristic gridwork motif of car radiator grills, with a black flange frame.

Available in a highly exclusive build of only 24 models, the new Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX2 Racing Paris Chronograph will should be available exclusively in the Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique in Paris (Place Vendôme) for some 13,500 Euro, or close to $20,000 at today’s rate.

It’s a must for any watch collector with an eye for style.

One of our favorite watch brands here on TFTS, Nixon has added to their watch collection just in time for the holidays, with the new Platform. A perfect combination of bold and minimalist style for the fashion conscious geek, the Platform watch ships with a custom stainless steel case with hardened mineral crystal, an oversized face that would welcome a helicopter to land and a rather chunky build that gets the eye on a first glance.

Available in black, silver, gunmetal and orange colorways, Nixon’s Platform is water resistant to 100m, runs on a 3-hand Japanese Quartz movement with light, has a triple gasket crown and a solid stainless steel band with a custom locking clasp. That’s what we like to call a simple, yet sophisticated timepiece, that oozes finesse and refinement.

Price wise, many would think such a fine example of “haute horologerie”, shouldn’t be an affordable accessory to adore your wrist. That’s where you’re wrong as the California watch brand is going to sell the new Platform watch between $160 and $180 (for the all black and gunmetal models).

Neat, eh?

Technology never cease to amaze us and when it’s a sleek new addition to any modern man’s life, it certainly ticks and tacks for us. I’m talking about the latest timepiece coming from watchmaker Vulcain who’s going “extreme” by releasing a limited edition for their Diver X-Treme watch that will stun with the amount of engineering it has packed under its elegant wraps.

Meant for the fashion conscious diver that exceeds the bounds of moderation (fights shark kind of things), Vulcain’s new Diver X-Treme Limited Edition is a luxury watch to charm even the pickiest. The case is made of metal (three layers of steel and titanium) and helps enhance the sound of the alarm when you’re underwater, even when you’re down to 100 meters.

With nothing less than 257 parts, the Vulcain Diver X-Treme is a complete measuring instrument that features a Vulcain Cricket v-21 self-winding movement (18000 vibrations per hour) under the hood. On top of that there’s a domed shape sapphire, glare proofed crystal, new fluted outer rotating bezel serving as a 60-minute counter, hour-markers covered with Superluminova and a stylish vulcanised rubber or calf leather strap.

Perfect for pursuing the exploration of the ocean depths, the timepiece is limited to only 150 pieces. Retail is probably over $10,000!

There’s an old saying that money can buy you anything, but what we have our eyes on is actually a watch that money can’t buy, unless you know a thing or two about karate. Dubbed the Black Belt Watch, the elegant timepiece features Swiss mechanics which are recognized to be just as precise as a Japanese ninja attack.

Capable of causing some serious drooling, the new Black Belt Watch features a satin finished and PVD coated case, a steel sandblasted bezel with polished Kanji characters, a kimono inspired dial and elegant hands that resemble a Shinai bamboo sword. As for the stylish strap, its made of processed Alzavel waterproof calfskin and high-tech pierced rubber.

Meant to show respect to the 7 virtues associated with the samurai’s Bushido Code (the “way of the warrior”) — rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honour and loyalty, the new Black Belt Watch is hailed as the “first watch in the world that money can’t buy,” since you’ll need to be a martial art practitioner to put one of these on your wrist.

The watch will debut at the “Martial Arts Evening” on October 30 at the Bout-du-Monde stadium in Geneva.

With a history of over 160 years behind their back, you could say that Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin knows a thing or two about building watches. Renowned for their marine-inspired timepieces, Ulysse Nardin is now paying homage to the Principality of Monaco with the new Monaco YS watch.

Part of the company’s Marine Diver collection, the exquisite chronograph brings back the old times when people were struggling to conquer the oceans. The watch comes with a black DLC (diamond-like-carbon) treated stainless steel case and features a wave-patterned black dial with dark grey luminous indexes and red sub-dial hands. There’s also a scratch resistant glass, a black ceramic folding clasp and a stylish rubber strap to add to the whole aesthetic feel.

On top of that, the new Ulysse Nardin Monaco YS should be available with a Swiss self-winding movement, a power reserve indicator, an oversized small seconds register, an unidirectional rotating bezel and a diving scale in case you’re trying to charm some fish — since it’s water resistant to 200m, too.

Individually numbered and with only 100 pieces to ever see daylight, I guess there’s no reason to ask how much this beauty is going to sell for. It looks way out of our league …

Swiss watchmaker Hublot is giving a whole new twist to their All Black collection with this stylish piece of machinery. Following on the mysterious concept of “invisible visibility”, the Hublot All Black Big Bang King watch stands out by having a matte finish paintjob and an unidirectional rotating bezel with raised figures stencilled in a stealthy black ceramic surface.

Definitely a must-have for anyone looking to add some great gear to their collection, the Hublot All Black Big Bang King features a 48mm case sandblasted black ceramic (largest of the various Big Bang models), a titanium back and a sapphire crystal with anti-reflection treatment.

It runs on a self-winding Swiss movement and other than the faceted matte black hands and black nickel applique indices and numerals, there’s also a tungsten-carbide central rotor.

Although an elegant watch, the All Black Big Bang proves its sportiness with its impressive 300 meter water resistance and a smooth rubber strap. Just keep in mind that Hublot is serious about the fact that only 500 models will ever be produced.

Its been a whilst since we brought you a particularly interesting wrist watch here on TFTS – mainly due to the fact that that nothing’s especially caught our eye – but then watches quite as distinctive and, dare we say it, playful as this concept watch by designer Alexandros Stasinopoulos, known merely as the Ora, don’t tend to come along all that often.

Serving to tell the time with measuring tapes – or, at least, tapes resembling a measuring tapes – Alexandros Stasinopoulos’ Ora watch utilises three separate interwoven tapes to indicate the hour, minute and day thus allowing you to truly measure time which, reassuringly, or not, will never quite marry up with the numbers I see when measuring up my own expanding waistline – if only there were that many hours in a day.

Billed by the designer as being a study in the field of ‘haute horlogeri’, the chance of the Ora  making it as a commercial product is remote (nay, none existent) but, aside from the sheer bulk of the thing (a result of the mechanisms needed to drive the tapes independently) its hard not to admire the ingenuity of it all (not that we’d wear it).

[Alexandros Stasinopoulos | via Yanko]

Be it cars or watches, there is something about the matte black paint job that steals a man’s heart. And speaking of matte black check out the latest timepiece coming from Swiss watchmaker Fortis. Dubbed Fortis B-42 Black & Black, the automatic watch is expected to be available in a limited edition of only 2012 pieces. Don’t ask us why only 2012 because we don’t know it, what we know is that it certainly makes for an elegant accessory to any modern man’s wrist.

The new Fortis B-42 Black & Black comes with a 42mm wide titanium case coated with black PVD that features the Russian Space program engravings on the back. Adding to the cool factor, there’s also a rotating unidirectional turning bezel with 60-minute scale, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, a Swiss automatic ETA 2836-2 movement and stylish hands covered with SuperLumiNova that makes them glow.

Water resistant to 200 meters, the new Fortis B-42 Black & Black will be available with a choice of leather or a black rubber strap. Looks nothing short of charming.

Those with a passion for aviation and aircrafts in general should know that Swiss engineer and inventor Ernst Benz is adding to their exquisite watch collection with the new Ernst Benz Great Circle Chronoscope.

Inspired by Benz’s original aircraft gauges from the 60s and 70s, the elegant timepiece features an accurate Swiss movement that follows the company’s reputation. The watches have 47mm black PVD coated cases, come with white or orange luminescent numerals and hands that look almost like a flying rotor, with either a carbon fiber mesh dial (a material often found in aerospace applications) or a matte finished dial for an amazing style statement.

Definitely ignoring the whole global recession thing, the limited edition Ernst Benz Great Circle Chronoscope offers the choice for either ballistic nylon, rubber or hand-stitched Louisiana alligator leather straps, and come with custom black calendar disks. Slated to adore any wrist it gets on, the watch will cost something between $5,100 and $5,900 and only 250 models will ever be built.

Seems like the perfect accessory to wear when taking those flying lessons, isn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of all those watches out there with their hands and easy-to-read numbers. I am so over being able to find out what time it is with just a simple glance. I want to be challenged. I want to be able to feel like I accomplished something when someone asks me for the time. The latest watch design from our friends over at NOOKA is called the ZEM and it certainly won’t hold your hand when it comes to giving you the time of day.

NOOKA appears to be a rather diverse company. They not only sell watches but it looks like they also make perfume. Hey, who am I to judge? All I know is that their watch designs are definitely an acquired taste. Their latest creation, the ZEM, is one of those watches. Apparently, they feel like we’ve been coddled for much too long with our watches. The ZEM doesn’t use hands or your typical digital display to provide the time. It uses a series of dots and slashes to indicate the hour and minutes respectively.

Now I really couldn’t tell from the images on their website, but it’s my guess that if there is one gray dot that means one o’clock and since there are 13 graduations on the minute read-out I assume that’s one for every five minutes (including zero, of course). Anyway, at least they’ve provided an AM/PM indicator and what looks like a seconds counter. I think you’ll have to buy your own so you can figure it out. Me? I think I’ll just keep using my cell phone.

The ZEM line consist of NOOKA’s four most popular faces: Zot, ZenV, ZenH, and Zoo. Each of the faces comes in both night (black) and silver and features a weighted case-back. The bands come in black leather and black or silver high-gauge stainless steel. The NOOKA ZEM is available for pre-order only at www.nooka.com and it’ll cost you $375. Expect them to start shipping sometime in early November.

Samsung is making quite a fashion statement with their latest Samsung S9110 touchscreen watchphone. Meant for a France debut this month, the new Samsung S9110 is the world’s thinnest (just 11.98mm thick) touchscreen wristwatch. It comes with a stainless steel body, has a 1.76-inch glass and a scratch-proof touchscreen display.

Direct competitor with LG’s GD910 that should release next month, the new Samsung S9110 boasts Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity and probably Wi-Fi (but not yet confirmed), Outlook email synchronization, and MP3 player, a speakerphone and voice recognition. No word on battery or if there’s a front-facing camera attached, what we know is that the tempting S9110 watchphone will go on sale for 450 Euro (some $640).

And if you can get past the price tag and just imagine that instead of keeping cellphones in your pocket or on a holster, you wrap them around your wrist, we’re certain that the elegant and captivating charm of the S9110 will suit even the pickiest of watch aficionados. We’re sold!