Web Logs
9/10/2003 - The Synchronar
I've decided its time for me to get a watch again. I know I don't mix well with timepieces. If I don't smash 'em I lose 'em; and if both the aforementioned fates are some how avoided the darn thing will inevitably just stop working one day. So I should probably shouldn't even be considering buying a fancy watch like the Synchronar, but hey, its a cool as hell, solar powered, LED watch. How can I resist?
Image borrowed from this Web site.
Designed the late 60s by a Mr. Roger Riehl and released to the market in the early 70s; the Synchronar became the very first wristwatch to feature an LED display and the very first solar powered watch as well. It's gone through many revisions over the decades, and even had a cheap and knock off called the "Sun Watch" at one point, but the essential design has remained unchanged, and its that enduring design that really hooks me.
The watch is pretty darn unique. Its face plate is a large solar panel split by a protective metal brace with the time itself being displayed on the side. The unit is hermetically sealed in a block of Lexan plastic (and thus waterproof to a depth of over 700 feet) and employees a pair of magnetic switches located on the top to activate all of its functions. There is something about the totality of the timepiece's design that I find very appealing. A elegant integration of several cool technologies into a very serviceable unit. Nice.
Mrs. Riehl is still hand-crafting Synchronars in New York. I'm not really sure what they're going for, but on a whim I've written him to see what is involved in obtaining one. The Synchronar was originally billed as a "century" watch. Its rugged sealed design, solar power, and sophisticated internal calendar were supposed to make it enduring and maintenance free for over a 100 years. Sadly, if I do decide to get one, I'll wager its life span with me will be considerably shorter...
Synchronar Links
- Led Watches - History of the Synchronar.
- Led Watches - A review of the Synchronar MK IV.
- The Amalgamatron - Some info and pictures on this guy's site.
- The National Watch and Clock Museum - A brief write up on this site.
- Synchronar 2100 - I can't read a bit of this site, but its got some nice pictures of the watch.
