Casio G-Shock G-304EH-7 Eric Haze

I'm wearing today one of my few G-Shocks that haven't yet made it to my blog. Coincidentally, I bought this one two years ago this week. The G-304EH-7 originally came out in 2006, and I tried to buy one new in 2009, but found everybody sold out. Mine was purchased secondhand, so I didn't get the cool packaging. This was the second of three Eric Haze/G-Shock collaborations. The first was this 6900 and the third was this 5600. As I mentioned before, he also designed the G-Shock 25th Anniversary graphics and logos. The most unique part of this watch is certainly the band, which has a black and white striped pattern (one of Haze's trademarks) along with an embossed Haze "tag" on the end of the strap. The caseback also has the same tag. Other than the color, strap and details, the watch is a normal "Street Rider" G-Shock. It's a big watch, 45mm across, but still reasonably low-profile. The velcro strap is very comfortable, and while the reverse display is not incredibly legible, there is an EL backlight, and the analog hands are easy to read. This is one that I don't wear often because it is fairly rare and the cloth strap is less dirt resistant than the resin straps on most G-Shocks. When I do wear it I'm impressed with the comfort and uniqueness of the design. I'm very happy to have it in my collection.

Timex Helix A/D Anadigi

Today I'm wearing one of my remaining Timex Helix watches. I originally bought four of these (two styles and two colors of each style) but I think I gave one away and one other has a broken strap. A replacement strap might be impossible to find, and if I do it will probably cost as much as I paid for the watch originally. So I'm left with this watch and another Helix that you'll see next week. I was definitely drawn to the outer-space looks of this one, as well as the closeout price (something like $10.) Upon further inspection it has some pretty neat features, like rotating pushbutton crowns for selecting functions ans setting the time. Even the digital time is set in a conventional manner: you pull out the crown and rotate to change the date or time depending on what mode you are in. These see quite a bit of use doing things I wouldn't even subject a G-Shock to, like painting or staining or very muddy or dirty home and garden tasks. It's probably why one of the straps broke so quickly and definitely why this one has scuffs, scratches and paint all over it. Fortunately it take a common watch cell which it has embossed on the outside of the caseback. If only some of the manufacturers of my other quartz watches were so considerate, I'd probably have another dozen running watches right now.

Non-Stop G-Shocks: AW-570Y-9 Men In Yellow Gaussman

Today I'm wearing my newest "Men in Yellow" G-Shock, my Gaussman. (When the MIY (Men in Yellow) Fisherman that I've bought gets here then it will be my newest, and my series will be complete.) This one is called the Gaussman because it meets ISO and JIS standards for magnetic resistance. This is also mud resistant as the buttons and case are all sealed. It has a substantial wrist presence because it's big and thick with a large dial and bezel, not to mention the mostly bright yellow case and band. It's quite legible as long as you're reading the analog dial, and you're in good light. As you can see in the photos the backlight only illuminates the subdials, and the digital time window is very small and often difficult to read. I think these are a little less common than the MIY Frogman, Mudman or Riseman, possibly because it was a poor seller initially (I don't think analog G-Shocks had much popularity until more recently) or maybe they just made fewer. In any case, I'm happy I found this one in new condition to wear and add to my collection.

Citizen Eco-Drive Sailhawk Yacht Timer JR4034-53E

Man, what a day, and I'm sure I'll just get busier as we get into summer. I didn't really "forget" about posting, it just got pushed back further and further until I almost ran out of day. Anyway, today's watch is this Citizen Eco-Drive Sailhawk. It is said this is the official watch of the America's Cup team Stars & Stripes, but it doesn't make any mention of it on the watch or packaging like this watch does. The functions are pretty much the same but I actually like the looks of this new model better. It has a Rolex Yacht-Master-ish bezel (although in titanium instead of platinum) and even a similar bracelet. The dial is, of course, all Citizen, with inset digital displays as well as the function dial at 6 o'clock to show what mode the watch is in. The yellow accents are a nice touch, and work well with the dark dial, which is actually the very deep purple which is common to solar panels. Eco-Drives are all solar, if I didn't mention that before and you didn't happen to know. This being a more modern Eco-Drive than my GMT, it is supposed to keep time for 4 years(!) in total darkness on a full charge (vs. the 6 months for the older one.) It also has lots of functions, which I can't begin to describe here because I don't understand how they all work myself. I'll just copy from Amazon because I'm getting tired: "The large, silver-tone watch measures approximately 1.7 inches wide. Timing features include a yacht racing timer, time and calendar in twenty-two time zones, thirty cities, two world time alarms, a 99-minute countdown timer, one-touch interchangeable analog/digital time, and 1/100-second chronograph that measures up to 24 hours. The black face includes three subdials (24-hour, mode hand, and race timer/minute register) and large luminous hands. The band is joined by a push-button safety clasp. Other features include water resistance to 100 meters (330 feet) and a scratch-resistant, non-reflective mineral crystal." I have actually been in a few yacht races as a crew member, but that was years before I got this watch so I never had occasion to try out its yacht racing-specific functions for real. It's a really nice watch and is a great example of Citizen's ability to pack a huge amount of technology into a compact and attractive package.

Sector 600 Titanium Analog/Digital

I picked out my Sector 600-series analog/digital watch for today. This is a giant watch that would be overly flashy if it wasn't for its very rugged, mechanical appearance. It almost looks dangerous, like a Rambo-style hunting knife. The watch is a mix of stainless steel and titanium, but don't ask me what parts are which. The caseback is definitely stainless, and the band is definitely titanium, but while the rest looks like it is all titanium, I'm not really sure. In any case, it's not a light watch, but would be a lot heavier without the use of titanium. It has a pretty unique crown guard as you can see in the pictures. While you do need to flip it up to adjust the analog time, without moving the guard the crown can also be pushed to turn on the backlight or rotated to change functions. It has chronograph and countdown timer functions, as well as an additional time zone, alarm and day/date. You can also change the display so most of the LCD is off except for the date. It's one of only a few analog/digital watches I currently have and of those it's my favorite.