Those of you with even a passing interest in science will be aware of highly accurate atomic clocks. These types of clock use an atomic resonance frequency standard as their timekeeping element and are used to control things such as the frequency of television broadcasts and GPS systems.
In May 2009 the University of Colarado unveiled their strontium optical clock as being the world’s most accurate of it’s kind. Like other atomic clocks it harnesses the the natural and consistent vibration of atoms to keep track of time. What makes this particular clock different is that the vibration of these atoms is made even more consistent by holding them in a laser beam and then freezing them to a rather chilly -273 degrees (the temperature at which all matter stops resonating).
Even those this increase in accuracy is a minute fraction of a second, the implications of this development are large. It has great potential in areas of astrophysics and determining great distances, in particular measuring the distance to distant galaxies in space.
If it’s accuracy you are looking for in your designer watches then you should really look at quartz watches as mechanical watches are generally only accurate to -/+1 second per day, which will of course add up over the course of a year!
Whilst stumbling around the internet yesterday we came across this rather miraculous and wonderful creation: a digital clock made entirely out of analogue clocks!
It took us a moment or two to actually work out what was going on but once our eyes settled we came to realise what an ingenious creation this is. It turns out that this ‘clock’ was created by Swedish design company, Humans and consists or 24 analogue alarm clocks who’s hands come together to display the time in digital format. We wouldn’t want to be around when the alarm goes off…imagine having to turn all those clocks off at 6 in the morning!
Keen car enthusiasts will no doubt be aware of Swedish car manufacturer, Koenigsegg and their spectacular 245mph supercars.
While these cars are staggering feats of engineering what you may not be aware of is that they have turned their hands to the opposite end of the spectrum. Koenigsegg have enlisted the help of Swiss designer watch brand Edox to produce a watch who’s style complements the lines of their CCX supercar.
The watch is as predictably crazy as the car with flip up ‘doors’ around the display, a strap made from alligator and a price tag of £13,500 which is considerably cheap compared to some luxury watches and even cheaper than the car itself which comes with a hefty £350,000 label.
We may be suckers for a nice watch here but in this case give us the car any day of the week!
Some of the more discerning timepiece owners out there have certain standards when it comes to buying a designer watch. Some may want the latest cutting edge technology, some may prefer to have swiss made only whilst some prefer their timepiece to have bits of soil on it.
Yes, for the green fingered time afficianados out there you can now buy a bamboo clock that is powered by soil. That’s right - soil. This fascinating invention is powered by copper and zinc electrodes which ‘plug’ directly into the soil which functions as a conductive medium through which an electrical charge can pass. All you have to do is remember to keep your plants well watered!
With christmas coming this could be the ideal gift for that special hippy in your life!
After trawling the net, here are 5 beautiful luxury designer watches which Watch Superstar think will really pave the way for future watch design!
1) Parmigiani Fleurier Bugatti 370
This stunningly obscure watch was created by Parmigiana Fleurier to commemorate the release of Bugatti’s incredible Veyron car. The appearance of the 370 watch was designed to parallel the styling of the Veyron’s engine. The face can be easily viewed thanks to the cylindrial design whilst the movement is easily accessible. This watch is highly exclusive as there are only 150 lucky recipients each year!
2) Maître du Temps Chapter One
The Maître du Temps Chapter One is a ’super brand’ watch, created by three of the world’s top watch designers all of whom have worked for some of the most prominent companies in Switzerland. This spectacular watch looks hugely futuristic whilst maintaining a certain retro look and feel. It features a manual wind mechanical movement, one minute tourbillon and a retrograde GMR indicator. Most worthy of your attention are the attractive rolling bars at the top and bottom of the case. The bottom roller displays the day whilst the top roller (which is so precise that Maître du Temps holds a patent on it) displays the gradual transition from day to night.
3) Pita Barcelona Oceana
The record for the deepest diving watch is held by the small spanish firm, Pita Barcelona. Usable at a staggering depth of 5000 metres, the Oceana has a truly innovative case design and some of the most durable construction that you will find in any watch today. The case has no winding crown, nor does it have a back cover as these are the 2 most common areas where the watertight seal of a watch is broken. These are even more exclusive than the Bugatti watch as just 80 are made each year!
4) Armin Strom Blue Chip Skeleton
The tiny company of Armin Strom employs less than 20 people across all of it’s 16 departments yet despite this then have managed to open a cutting edge manufacturing facility based in Biel. Unusually for such a small company they are on the verge of producing a completely in-house watch - an achievement that can only usually be afforded by much larger firms. The exquisite movement is hand decorated to such a high level of quality as to be unmatched by any other watch in it’s price bracket.
5) The Urwerk 202
This is quite possibly our favourite one on this list. The Urwerk 202 was released just over a year ago and looks so awesome, menacing and futuristic. This watch was the first to integrate fluid dynamics into a watch’s movement. Each of the three gauges extend and retract to point to the appropriate time whilst the winding is regulated by two small turbines seen through the back of the case. All this sounds massively complicated but all we know is - we want one.
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.
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?
Those of you with even a passing interest in science will be aware of highly accurate atomic clocks. These types of clock use an atomic resonance frequency standard as their timekeeping element and are used to control things such as the frequency of television broadcasts and GPS systems.
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