We mentioned about the Bugsy Malone style video phone watch a couple of days ago - but what if you want to take your spying skills up an extra level? Why not try this handy little device that will allow you to covertly record video!

Next week we’ll be looking at a watch that fires small anti aircraft missiles…or it glows in the dark…we can’t remember which.

c

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We all know how intricate and precise the inner workings of a watch are.  It is for this reason that all it takes is for a small grain of dirt to get inside for devastating damage to be caused.  Because of this, if you are at all unsure about whether to clean out your watch yourself, especially if it is an expensive designer watch, we highly recommend that you take it to a specialist dealer or jeweller to have them take care of it for you.

1)  The first step is to take the watch apart.  This requires you to carefully remove the case as well as the movement.

2)  Next you will need to clean the case and movement by using a special cleaner.  Many specialist jewellers may prefer to clean watches by using ultrasonic technology which very gently shakes any dirt and other dust particles free from the workings.  The chemicals arent so strong that they cause erosion to the watch parts.

3)  When you have removed the watch parts you should then take this moment to lubricate the movement.  For all you car owners this is very similar to changing the oil as adequate lubrication between the important moving parts will allow them to last their full expected life.

4)  When you have finished lubricating the movement you should then refinish the outside of the watch, meaning the casing as well as the metal band.  Due to their texture, leather and plastic bands are not able to be refinished.

5)  You should then replace the gaskets and test the watch to ensure that it is water tight.  In order to ensure that the case meets/exceeds factory standards you should take it to a certified watch maker.  If after replacing all the parts you find that the watch is letting moisture in, then refer to our article that tells you how to remove water from inside a watch.

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Earlier this year, LG electronics unveilled their new wristwatch cell phone in Las Vegas.  There are currently manufacturers who already produce wristwatch phones however it is more than likely that the LG model will be the first that has a video phone function.

This entertaining video from Wired magazine shows a larger than life LG representative demonstrating the watch’s functionality.

It certainly an interesting gadget although we at Watchsuperstar aren’t too sure about it.  It’s pretty bulky (as you would expect for a video device) and it looks like something the Jetsons might use.  Is it something we really need anyway?

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It’s understandable that watches can be subjected to a reasonable amount of wear and tear throughout their life.  However you should take extra care not to get your watch wet as it can cause potentially irreperable damage to the inner workings.  But we all know that accidents happen - so what should you do in the event that your watch gets wet?

1)  Bear in mind that you risk damaging the watch further if you are going to attempt a DIY fix so be honest with yourself and decide whether you are able to undertake the job yourself.  If you are in any doubt you should have the watch repaired professionally rather than risk damaging it or invalidating the warranty.  If you have a cheap watch then the cost of repairing it may outweigh buying a new one.

2)  If there is only a very small amount of water inside the watch, you may want to try laying the watch in a dry place to see if the water will evaporate away on its own.  Be sure to place an absorbent cloth or material underneath the watch.  If the water contained is only a very fine film that then evaporates then the likelihood is that you wont need to do anything else.

3)  A more sophisticated technique would be to seal the watch inside a plastic bag that contains unopened packets of silica gel (usually found in shoe boxes).  An interesting alternative would be to use dry rice instead of the gel packets.  Either should draw moisture from inside the watch.  this would be a good idea if you own a designer watch as it may be very risking undertaking a task that involves opening the watch up.

4)  If you’re feeling less creative then why not try directing a fant at the watch or simply use a hair dryer on its lowest setting.  Alternatively, leaving the watch on a low heat source such as a floor vent can help to evaporate water from inside the watch.

5)  If you are carrying out repair work, obtain the correct watch supplies.  You may also need to visit a jewellery shop  to obtain appropriate tools.

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Seiko Kinetic Watches offer a very unique selling point in that they don’t require a battery.  The concept behind this particular range of Seiko watches is that kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy using the natural movement on your hand.
This may sound like an extremely complicated processes, however it is actually very simple.  The movement of your hand oscillates a weight inside the watch and through the gear train drives the main motor by amplifying the rotational movement.  The inner workings of the Seiko Kinetic watch then converts this movement (kinetic energy) into electricity which is then stored using a capacitor, which is essentially acts as a small regargable battery.

Because this capacitor will continuously charge and recharge itself there is no need for a change in battery.  Because the Seiko Kinetic watch will never need to be opened, it is vacuum sealed to preserve the integrity of the inner workings.  The essential difference between batter, kinetic and solar powered watches is the means by which energy is drawn from and how it is transferred.

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If you have owned the same watch band for a significant period of time then it is likely that the watch band will have become worn or damaged.  It may seem like a task that should only be undertaken by a professional but you will be surprised at how simple a task it is.

1)  Start by measuring the old band.  Measure the length of the band in inches and make sure to measure the width of the connecting ends in millimetres.

2)  Next choose a watch band that will match up to the measurements of your old one.  You can choose from a variety of materials such as metal, leather or plastic.

3)  The next step is to remove the old watch band.  You will be able to purchase a special band replacement kit which contains a spring bar tool.  This is a tiny bar that looks a bit like a screwdriver and has a wrench for a head.  This tool is used to slide into the space either side of the bar that connects the band to the watch.  It then extends at either end to fit into the holes on the watch body.

4)  The holes in the watch that hold the bar in place are referred to as lug holes.  Dirt and grime collect in these holes over time and should be cleaned out with a round-headed pin.

5,)  Now it’s time to install the watch band.  Slide one end of the bar into one of the lug holes.  Push the band so that it is snug against that lug hole.  You may also be able to slide the opposite side of the bar into the opposite lug hole.  If you can’t then use the spring bar tool to retract the bar on the opposite side.  This will enable you to slide the bar into place.  Do the same again for the other side of the watch.

6)  Finally, you will need to adjust the length of the band.  A leather band may require more holes at one end or the other so that it can fit comfortably.  Professional watch repair companies will use what they call a staking tool.  This has a concave point which will make a clean cut with no ragged edges.  If you have decided to attach the type of metal band commonly found on mens and ladies designer watches then you may need to add or remove some links.  These kinds of links are held together that will need to be removed with a special pin-removing tool.  ‘Clip’ links can usually be separated with clip removing pliers.

If you are at all unsure about what you are doing at any stage in the strap replacement process then do remember that any local jewellery store will be able to take care of this for you.

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Plenty of us have to take care to protect a wrist watch or pocket watch from day to day wear.  More expensive designer watches or family heirlooms have to be handled with care, as there are no shortage of ways that your watch can get damaged throughout the course of the day.  Taking good care of a watch involves planning so if you follow these tips you should be able to prevent excessive wear and tear.

Step 1

Make sure that you take your watch off for heavy lifting or any ‘dirty jobs’.  In terms of protecting your watch, this is possibly the most important piece of advice that you could follow.  Watches being worn during heavy lifting can get scraped or broken easily - always be aware of what you are doing whilst wearing your watch

Step 2

Keep your watch out of the water.  Remember that ‘water resistant’ does not mean ‘water proof’.  Even a lot of humidity can damage a watch so for optimal care keep it away from wet or even sweaty conditions.

Step 3

Make a point of winding your watch regularly.  If it is the kind of watch that does need to be wound then establish a constant pattern for when you are winding it as this reduces general wear over time.

Step 4

Be careful with watch parts.  When you are winding or adjusting time, don’t pull to hard on the small knobs or parts of the watch.  This is another very common way that designer watches get damaged.  Make sure that you treat the parts with care and be careful with the watch strap/chain too.

Step 5

It seems an obvious point, but read the watch manual as it will give you detailed instructions for optimal care tailored specifically for your watch.

Step 6

Take the watch off at night.  You may not have realised it, but watches can be damaged at night whilst you are sleeping.

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Along with Rolex watches, Tag Heuer watches are some of the most often replicated mens designer watches around. But luckily as they are the most expensive designer watches it means that imitations are often cheap and fairly easy to spot.  If you are thinking of treating yourself to a Tag Heuer watch, here are several tell tale signs to look out for that will help you check whether the watch you are about to buy is authentic.

Step 1

First you should check the quality of the craftsmanship and examine the printing on the face of the watch. A real Tag Heuer watch should have crisp, clean printing. A fake watch is likelyto have fuzzy printing and you may find that the letters run together. Make a point of looking for glue showing through anywhere or whether there are any rough edges as an authentic Tag Heuer will be perfect and smooth.

Step 2

Next you should take a look under the crystal.  If there are traces of fingerprints, dirt, hair, or you see anything else under the glass that covers the watch face then that will be a clear indication of a fake.  Tag Heuer has extremely strict quality control guidlines that the forgers wont.

Step 3

An obvious suggestion is to examine the luminosity of the printing on the watch face. You should easily be able to read the time in the dark since Tag Heuer  uses LumiNova on the numbers as well as the hands of the watch.  Imitation Tag Heuer designer watches will use a much lower quality material that doesn’t hold a charge for long and isn’t as bright.  Try holding the watch up to a light for a minute or two in order to charge it then take a look at in the dark.  If the glow of the printing is strong and it lingers, it’s almost certainly authentic.

Step 4

Look for the words ‘Swiss Made’ on the underside of the face.  Some fakes will actually say ‘Japanese Movement’, which is a clear indication of a fake as this is not printed on any genuine Tag Heuer watches.

Step 5

Finally, make sure that you check the band for links.  You should look for a left and right piece to each of the links. Fakes will more than likely have solid links, alternatively they may have a line on them that is supposed to fool you into thinking that the links are two pieces.

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For most watches you will find that the battery will be it’s power source.  This is not always the case as some designer watches are powered by a tiny kinetic generator. These generators work by the movement of the wrist. It is this movement that will causes tiny rotors within the watch to spin round and in doing so will build up the necessary electricity needed to power the watch.

How Does Quartz Keep Time?

The quartz that you will find inside serves as an oscillator. An oscillator quite simply is an object that moves constantly, steadily and when interpreted by the inner workings of a wrist watch, will indicates how much time has passed.

Why is Quartz an Ideal Material?

The reason that Quartz is so widely used is that it loses so little energy as it vibrates - this means that the vibrations will occur at a steady pace. The average quartz in a watch vibrates 32,768 times every second - this sends the same amount of electric pulses into the watch’s circuitry. This internal circuitry then counts each pulse and then resets itself after counting the total amount of vibrations that have occured each second. If the wrist watch is analogue then these pulses go towards powering a tiny motor that drives the gears inside.

Is a Quartz Watch Better than a Mechanical Watch?

Quartz watches are by far the more accurate watches. On average, quartz designer watches will lose less than one minute per year. Mechanical watches will vary in their long term accuracy depending on many factors, especially the quality of the watch. Another benefit of quartz watches over mechanical watches is that they dont require any winding. Quartz watches, on average, lose less than one minute in accuracy per year. Mechanical watches vary on long-term accuracy depending on the quality of the watch. Unlike mechanical watches, quartz watches do not require any winding.

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• Case material:  Titanium
• Case diameter:  48mm
• Case thickness:  16mm
• Band material:  Titanium
• Dial colour:  Black
• Weight:  455g
• Movement:  Solar
• Water resistance:  660ft (201.17m)
• Extra features:  radio controlled

This is the long awaited titanium version of the Citizen Skyhawk radio controlled watch.  This mens designer watch keeps almost perfect time as it synchronises itself with GMT radio waves.

The build quality of the watch is excellent.  It may seem like a small point but the second hand always points precisely at each second mark on the dial as it rotates.  This gives you a measure of the attention to detail from the manufacturers.

The watch is maintenance free as it is powered by an Eco Drive (effectively a solar panel on the face of the watch) so simple everyday wear will keep it charged.  This, coupled with the automatic radio reception time hack means that the watch requires no effort from you.

In terms of visibility you will find that the light is bright and the watch hands are also luminous and easy to read in low light.  With all the additional features you may be forgiven for thinking that the Skyhawk will be difficult to fathom but thanks to the CD Rom that comes with it, you will be up and running in no time.

Despite the watch’s size, it is extremely light due to the titanium casing and strap.  The styling is very bold and purposeful, however the use of orange in the writing may not be to everyone’s taste.  If this is the case then there is a Japanese version of the watch in black and white. But on the whole overall the quality, styling and functionality of the Citizen Skyhawk AT titanium watch is difficult to match.

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