We check out a distinctive timepiece from the Far East
Over the last decade or so, the mobile phone has quickly replaced the humble watch as the most popular form of portable timepiece. But smartwatches could be set to change that, and no doubt there are young people the world over who think the idea of looking at your wrist to tell the time is some radical new idea, invented by their oh-so-innovative generation, along with charity shops and facial hair.
Of course, a huge part of the appeal of smartwatches is based on the extra things they bring to the table on top of just telling the time. Why, then, would someone want to buy a regular, non-smart watch when they already have a phone? Well, one particularly important reason is looks. A watch is more than just a piece of functional hardware; it’s a fashion statement. And for watchmaking firm TokyoFlash, it’s this sentiment that directs its entire business. It wants you to want its products simply because they look good.
The Kisai Satellite X Wood is a fine example of this. You can’t look at and not be taken aback. Not only is it made out of wood, it features three interlocking LED rings rather than a clockface, which represent the hours and minutes. Does this make it difficult to tell the time? Yes, it does, but in the company’s own words, “If you're looking for a watch that simply tells the time, then our watches are probably not for you.” If, however, you want something that’s going to turn heads and maybe be a point of conversation at parties, then the Satellite X Wood (and, indeed, the rest of the TokyoFlash range) is sure to fulfil that desire. Anyway, after a day of using this watch, like us you'll probably soon grow accustomed to telling the time using its particular system – which brings us to another key point about the TokyoFlash range. Each watch has its own system and design, so new parts and new programming have to be created every time, which is why the firm’s products are all available in relatively limited numbers and, of course, why they seem to cost so much.
Indeed, price is an important matter here. Because of the way it’s produced, you couldn’t really accuse this watch of being overpriced, but £70 is not a small amount of money, and the functionality is undeniably limited (there’s no alarm mode, for example). But the fact is it does look good, and it’s built well, from high-quality materials. It also features a rechargeable battery, which you top up using a provided USB cable, and each charge should last around a month, so it’s much less annoying in this regard than a smartwatch.
We’ve been wearing the Satellite X Wood for a few days now, and we have to say we’ve grown quite attached to it. It’s the kind of thing we (and we imagine many Micro Mart readers) would appreciate as a gift, although we would urge you to check out the rest of the TokyoFlash watches first, because some of them look even more eye-catching than this one. Anthony Enticknap
Suddenly, using a wristwatch doesn’t seem so quaint.