Thanks very much for this review and yes, I am one of those consideringt
buying a new watch but I didn't really want an Apple Watch or any other
Smart Watch for that matter as I couldn't see much sense in those
devices but this watch makes perfect sense and is exactly the sort of
thing I'm after.
On 26/04/2017 4:06 AM, Gordon Smith wrote:
Good Tuesday/Wednesday to you one and all.
I’ve had a new wrist watch now for a couple of months, and thought I’d just
talk a little about it here as it’s a very interesting device.
Available in either Titanium or Stainless Steel, the Bradley “Touch & See”
watch is a reminder to me that just sometimes, somebody who loses their vision can
inspire new ways of doing things.
The watch throws out the traditional concept of the big hand and the little
hand. Instead, it uses ball-bearings which move around the face of the watch
using magnetism as the sole driving force. The front face of the watch does not
have a glass or plastic cover of any kind. Instead, the tactile markers are
visible at all times. These watches also don’t use Braille markers. Instead, it
employs different shapes to notate the four major positions on the clock face,
and the in-betweenees are just short lines.
At twelve O’Clock, there is a large triangular shaped marker. The numbers one
and two are marked with short diagonal lines. The number three has a
double-length line at 90 degrees to the twelve-O’clock marker. so it goes on
throughout the rest of the clock face.
Now, here’s the unusual and very clever idea. There is a single ball-baring
which rotates around the top surface, in place of the traditional pointer. This
is the minute hand or, the big pointer. The hours are indicated by a second
ball-bearing which rotates around the outer edge of the watch, just above what
you’d think of as the winding control. The watch’s face is separated by a gap
of about 1 sixteenth of an inch, just under a millimetre, gap between the main
part of the watch and the platter which forms the clock face. And it is within
this gap that the hour marker ball-bearing travels around the clock.
When I demonstrate this device to others, I’m always asked:
“What happens if you accidentally move the ball-bearing with your finger as you
touch it?”
This is, of course, a very valid question and in many cases you do actually
find that you’ve moved it. However, this is where the sheer simplicity of the
device’s fundamental design works in your favour. If you think that you may
have moved one of the ball-bearings, or even if you think you’ve moved both of
them, the simple solution is to give your wrist a little shake. This causes the
ball-bearings to re-align themselves with the position of the magnet. The
strongest magnet is always, of course, facing to twelve-O’Clock. Using this
fundamental aspect of physics, it possible to accurately align the all-airings
to precisely the correct time no matter what you think you may have done to
dislodge them.
Another question I have been asked several times is “What happens when you need
to change the time to reflect daylight saving time?”. “Simple,” is always my
reply. You just gently click out the time adjustment crown on the watch, and
rotate it clockwise until you have the correct time. Then, you just click the
control back into normal mode, and you’re done.”
The watch uses a standard digital device battery, which any qualified jeweller
is able to replace for you. However, because the moving parts in this device
are so small, the battery should last between 5 and 10 years.
Yes, this watch is quite a costly one to buy. However, I consider it very well
worth what I paid for it. This device is, I am proud to say, another example of
a British company coming up with a terrific device based on the forces of
nature.
The only things you need to be careful of are that, although the timepiece will
withstand gentle splashes of water, akin to those it may receive when the
wearer is washing their hands, it is in no way waterproof and should,
therefore, be treated with respect when it comes to close proximity to water.
And finally, the face of the device is not scratch-resistant. Severe scratches
can impede the device’s functions drastically. Care should, therefore, be taken
not to allow this to come about.
The watch comes in two editions. The first, and slightly cheaper of the two, is
housed in a Titanium outer case, and comes supplied with a lack canvas strap
with leather interior. The second edition comes housed in a stainless steel
case, as I mentioned earlier. This version of the device has a brown pure
leather strap and is, in my view, by far the more comfortable. I tried both
before I bought mine, and I think the extra few Pounds are definitely a
worthwhile outlay. I shall change the strap to a bracelet strap when this
leather one becomes worn. That kind of strap is always my preference.
It is also worth noting that the manufacturers do not guarantee the strap, or
the battery. That’s true of any wrist watch actually. So nothing too drastic
there.
In summary, I would say that anybody considering buying a new watch may find
value in checking out this option. Personally I have never found a talking
watch, with the exception of the one I bought over 25 years ago, which I found
to be satisfactory. Braille watches are, whilst very good in many cases,
subject to risk of harm every time you open the lid. Standard Braille watches
don’t even employ hinges on the cases any longer. Instead, they use a single
spring-loaded pin, exactly the same as that which are used to secure the
straps. I also find the concept of the traditional hands of a watch to be very
prone to inaccurate time-keeping. Since I acquired this watch in January, the
only occasion on which I have had to alter the time was when we changed to
British Summer Time. This aside, this device has not lost or gained a single
minute in all that time. One can even set the seconds correctly if one is
careful when setting up the device. Somebody who can see once told me that she
could see the minutes indicator ball-bearing moving ever so slightly as the
minutes ticked over. The movements are even and very constant.
A great buy, I would recommend. Well worth the additional cost.
========================================
My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
<[email protected]>
Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist..
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