Hotwired: Watches

Reviewed by PAUL BRISLEN

Clockwork - it's the original geek invention. Without accurate timekeeping, where would we be? Not only sleeping in, but you'd have to ask whether we'd know where we are (limited navigation without clocks), what we're doing (forget about the PC on your desk), and how we got there (no advanced engineering without accurate timekeeping).

But the humble wristwatch is often forgotten in the rush to such heady excitement as the atomic clock, Einstein's general theory of relativity and that Mickey Mouse alarm clock you've lusted after for decades.

Well, they're forgotten no longer. While you may yearn for a Tag Heuer or a Philippe Patek, you'll probably settle for a Casio calculator watch or something similar.

However, that's only the start of the geekiness. If you want watches that take geeking to a whole new level, have a look at the Think Geek
website, for all your nerdy timekeeping requirements.

Laks MP3 Player

The Laks MP3 player watch means you'll not only know when you're early for an appointment, but will also have some tunes while you wait.

The 256MB storage capacity is enough for five hours and tiny earbuds are included with the watch. A USB connector means you can connect it to your PC or Mac to copy any kind of files across.

You can also use the watch as a voice note-taker.

The timekeeping bit isn't too shabby either. Quite a stylish look to the watch's face and a nice chunky strap to prove you're a man's geek.

Price: US$189.99

* * *

LED binary watch

Only real geeks need apply for this chronometer. Rather than using old-fashioned analogue hands, or even boring digital numbers, this watch tells the time in binary.

The top row of lights gives you the hour, the bottom row the minutes. Honestly, you'd think the Play School generation wouldn't need to learn how to read a clock, but I guess you can't rely on TV to teach you everything.

Comes with a handy instruction manual, but it's still impossible to tell the time with it. Still, it's waterproof to a depth of three atmospheres and that's more than enough for my liking.

Price: US$69.99

* * *

Rotating Earth

Finally, a cool watch. This one has a rotating representation of planet Earth that slowly turns to show you the time. Yes, if you can see your country then it's daytime!

Still, it's a nice piece of engineering. The whole thing is made of lightweight titanium, everyone's favourite metal, and it has a certain design-coolness about it. Apparently you can actually tell the time on it, which is nice but, as we've seen not necessarily essential.

Price: US$499.99