Keeping up the run of unknown brands is today's watch (-don't worry, I'll be back to the more well known brands soon).

The watch is by LaiXin (or Lai Xin)  which seems to be a Chinese watch manufacturer. This watch is designed to be impressive from a distance, but isn't so convincing close up. The watch case is huge, and basically covers the width of my wrist. It has a 3 hand dial with a quartz movement, and 3 small dials on the face. When you get close, you notice that the 3 small dials are purely cosmetic, and are not able to turn (and the buttons for those dials are also fake). The strap continues with the bulky theme with a large thick black rubber construction.

It looks like the watch is modelled on the Swiss Tendence brand which releases models in the same size and with the same hour marker design (which stick out from an edge sloping towards the dial).

It has a model number on the face back of 9049, but there is no other information about its background written on the watch.

There are a few sites selling this brand, and they are a low price brand. I think that this model is quite modern (based on the watches it looks like), and is likely post-2010.

Today is my 4th of my Vestal watches, and is maybe one of their most well known (and sought after) designs.

The Vestal brand has been around since 1997, when it was started by David Bonaventura in California. They make all manner of watches, eye wear, soft goods, and accessories with the themes of image and style, and they are marketed by music culture linked artists, bands, and sports personalities.

This model is the MicroDAT, or more specifically the MicroDAT v.8. It is a large heavy metal design with a face resembling a music cassette (or maybe a Digital Audio Tape). It came in various colours, and this is the steel model with a pearl face (which one site stated was a limited version).

The watch is a 3 hand dial design, and has a date marker at the 3 o'clock position. The face is wide, and has two additional dials at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions which are used for a little stopwatch function (seconds and minutes) which runs using the buttons above and below the crown.

It is a large and chunky watch with quite a weight as it is large and made of metal. I have quite a small wrist, and although it is so large, the strap design means it isn't overwhelming. The strap is stainless steel as well, and has the Vestal name on the clip.

The MicroDAT came out in the mid 2000s and the first references seem to be about 2006, but the watch isn't available anymore. This design also was part of quite a few websites top 10 cool geeky watch lists in the late 90s (which is why I think it is one of the most well known models).

Today is probably the oldest Citizen watch I've blogged so far.

This watch is one of a Citizen range called Phynox. The Phynox range seems to have been released in the 1950s, and ran into the 60s. I've not been able to find out more about the history of the range, but there are a few other watches that are for sale from the time period, and they all seem to be hand wind mechanical models.

This watch uses a Citizen mechanical movement. It doesn't have a listed number of jewels on the case or on the movement itself, but the movement was adjustable if running fast or slow. The watch has a 2 hand main dial, but has a secondary dial for the seconds at the 6 o'clock position.

The dial is a rectangular design in gold, with a C symbol above the Citizen name and the Phynox name above the rectangular seconds dial. It comes with a matching gold coloured metal chain strap (part number 1BGF).

There are a few pieces of information on the watches back. It mentions 20 microns C.G.P (which I think relates to the gold plating), and there is the word star in a box too.

In my collection I have many watches by known manufacturers, but I'm surprised about how many can't be found on the internet, and today's is one of those.

The watch is by the Seiko brand Alba, and is likely from 1991 (but there is a chance it is 2001 although from the design I'd think that was unlikely).

This model is called the Exercise Walking, and is a watch designed for keeping track of your walks. The main feature for this is that the watch contains a pedometer, although not one that counts your steps. Instead, you set your step length and the pace you want, and the watch beeps a rhythm. Keep up with the pace, and the watch will then tell you how far you've walked. Inside is a W325 module which also has timer and alarm modes.

The display is a two line LCD. The top line covers day and date, and the distance n walking mode, while the bottom line has 6 digits for the time, or time related numbers. The watch is cased in plastic with a stainless steel back, and is 5 bar water resistant.

The full model number is W325-4000.

I'm back with the 6th of my Deadman watches today. I'm gradually piecing together information, and I think I might get a breakthrough from a recent purchase.

But in the interim, here is my Deadman Deluxe model.

The Deluxe is a 3 hand dial watch with a round dial, and is one of the more normal Deadman designs. It has hour markers, with numbers only at the 6 and 12 o'clock positions. Around the edge of the dial are markers for a tachymeter, which you can use against the normal seconds hand.

The watch uses a Japanese quartz movement, and in at least this model it is a Seiko Epson module (-this may be the same for all Deadmans, but I haven't been able to check yet).

The Deadman watches were released in the late 90s, and have a 60s or 70s feel. They appeared in several watch magazines when they were released, but not much is known online.

The watches came with a model number either starting GV or LSD, and this is a LSD model with the number LSD5857 (or LSD 5857).

Today's watch is a modern colourful take on the classic geeky watch - the calculator watch!

This model of calculator watch is by Casio and part of their Poptone range. The Poptone watches are designed to be a fresh take on retro designs with a combination of futuristic and retro designs and bright eye-catching colour schemes.

This watch is the Casio Poptone LDF-40. It was marketed by Casio as colourful and cute, and a fresh take on the classic 8-bit calculator watches. It has the general setup of a calculator watch, with an 8 digit LCD display, which also has a second smaller line above. Below the LCD are the 16 calculator buttons which are a deep design going through a clear plastic sheet to the layer below where the text and design is printed. It uses a 437 module, and as well as the calculator, the watch has alarm, chronograph, and dual time modes.

This particular orange and grey stripy design has the full model number of LDF-40-7ADR. It was first released in October 2008 with a price of ¥6980. This model is still available on the Casio website, and the Casio US site has it for $30.

The Flik Flak brand is one that I vaguely remember from adverts in my childhood days, but I never owned one then. I think it was a brand that I'd always wanted to have, as the adverts seemed like it was what all of the cool kids wore.

Now I'm an adult, I finally have one, and I'm blogging it today.

The Flik Flak watches are a Swiss brand made specially for kids. The brand started in 1987 to bring the creativeness of the Swatch company to the kids watch market. The name comes from Flik and Flak being the tick and took of the watch.

This model is a black and red design with a picture of a whale jumping through a flaming hoop (which is not so politically correct anymore). The velcro strap seems to connect inside the case, and is only really long enough for kids (or just about for an adult if your wrists are as thin as mine). It has a 3 hand dial design with a Swiss quartz movement, housed inside an Aluminium case.

The small text on the face of the watch says copyright ETA 1996 which means this design is likely from 1996 or 1997.

Today's watch is my second Lunar Module watch from the Citizen Trans Continents range, and looks like it might be a sequel.

This model is based around the Citizen 6350 module, and has some differences from the 6300 Lunar module I'd blogged about a while ago. Time is shown using a 3 hand dial design, and there are two dials at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions for day (left) and month (right). Instead of the date being in another small dial, it is shown with an extra hand on the main dial, with the date around the edge of the dial.

The moon phase display takes up the bottom section of the dial and has a rotating moon design which does 1 complete revolution every 56 days (and so covers 2 moon cycles). Compared to the other model, this dial moon phase dial has windows at the top and bottom, so you can see a faint outline of the moon picture which is 'hiding' while the earlier model just has a single window.

The Citizen Trans Continents range is a collaboration between Citizen and the fashion brand Trans Continents. The designs tend to have a retro sci-fi style and often look like they should be in a 1960s sci-fi movie.

This model has a model number of 6350-S018111. Assuming I was right about the 6300 being from 2003, and this being a later model, then this watch was made in 2007.

Today is my second Citizen in a row, and my third from the Vagary line.

The Vagary line by Citizen is a little bit unusual as there isn't much published about them. The watches tend to be along the more unusual and more colourful end of the scale, but they produce some normal looking models in the range too. One site suggests they are designed for maximum comfort and high functionality.

This model is an ana-digi design based around the CC01 module. It has a large square design with a round dial (with stylized hours and minutes numbers on the dial). At the bottom on the dial is a small 6 digit LCD display. The LCD shows time, and other display modes are day and date, alarm, and stopwatch.

The full model number is CC01-S037970. The watch only has a 3 digit serial number, so I don't know when it was released, but my best guess would be the 2000s.

I'm back to an old G-Shock today, and as it was sunny I thought I'd blog one of their Solar models. 

This watch is the MTG-900J (I think is the Japanese model the MTG-900). It is one of the MT-G sub-line of the Casio G-Shock watches. The MT-G watches are the metal watches in the G-Shock line, and so have the impression of being the smarter and more luxurious watches. Casio stated that this line, and maybe more specifically this series, set the benchmark for men's metal digital. 

This model is an all LCD design with the normal 200m water resistance, and has Waveceptor radio control, and the Tough Solar system as well. It is powered by a 2639 module (some have 2638 modules), which gives the watch world time, time memo, alarm (x4), and stopwatch modes. 

The display is a 3 line LCD which is dominated by the large time display across the centre. The top line is a dot matrix showing day and mode descriptions and along the bottom is the date. In the top left of the display is the charge marker for the solar power, and in the bottom right is the radio reception marker. 

This model came out in the mid 2000s (I found a review from 2007) and it can be found in the Casio G-Shock archive on their website. 

Last September, I posted about a brand called Klaeuse who were a mystery brand, but one that used expensive materials. Today's watch is my second Klaeuse watch and follows the standard set by the first model.

This is the Klaeuse SK-293-F. It is a 3 hand dial design with a quartz movement.  Instead of titanium, this has a stainless steel case in silver and gold. The glass is shaped with a peak in the middle, and the glass is designed to have 12 flat faces which make it catch the light (like the cut of a diamond). On the face, at the 12 o'clock hour marker is a jewel, and according to the text on the face, this is a natural diamond.

I still haven't found any more concrete information about the Klaeuse brand as I can't find their website. The watches can be recognised by the brand name (in lower case characters) and their logo of a castle shape with a tall central tower. One site I found suggests that they are made by Elgin USA and use Swiss movements, and that model had an rrp of ¥38,000 (potentially confirming it is an expensive brand).

Today's watch is another of my Disney watches, but this time I think it's a much older model.

This model is a Disney Time watch, which was made by Seiko, and their name is hidden on the bottom of the dial and can only be seen when you take the movement out. It has a Seiko movement in the shape of a Diashock 7 jewel movement. This Diashock movement is a hand wind mechanical movement which drives a 3 hand dial. Looking inside, it seems to be a DT731 caliber 375.

The front of the watch shows the Disney character Cinderella in a pink dress rather than her more well known blue dress. It also has the name Disney Time which I presume was the name of the line.

The back also has the Disney Time name and copyright to Walt Disney Productions. It also details the Diashock 7 jewel movement, and the model number which is 73979.

With regards to the age, I've found two different conflicting dates. One site has a Mickey Mouse version in this line quoting 1961, but another site has a Cinderella watch stating 1977. From the design I'd say 60s looks more likely, but I'm not completely sure. The Disney Time watches might be quite rare and expensive, as the Mickey watch was selling with an price of ¥44,000.

A different, but high profile, brand today with a smart looking design.

This watch is a chronograph model by Nautica. The Nautica brand is an American clothing brand which has all manner of apparel with a sailing theme. It is based in New York, and was started in 1983 by David Chu, but now owned by the VF Corporation.

As part of the clothing line, they make a series of watches, which judging by the customer service email address are made by Timex. These watches are actually made by Timex Group USA, Inc. which is a subsidiary of the Dutch parent company Timex Group B.V.

This watch is their Nautica Chronograph model, but I can't find the model number. It has a 3 hand dial which is powered by a Japanese quartz movement. On the main dial are 3 small dials towards the outside which cover 24-hr time (right), and seconds and minutes for the chronograph (bottom and left respectively).

The dial features hour markers as well as some sort of scale around the outside. I assume this is for some sort of nautical speed and has 19 at the 6 o'clock position, and finishes with 90 at the 2 o'clock position. The case also has a rotating bezel with compass markings.

The back has the Nautica sailing boat logo on and has information about the material, movement, water resistance (50m), and tells it uses a 371 battery.

This model comes with a brown leather strap with the Nautica name on the back and the sailing boat logo imprinted on the front of both halves.

This model doesn't appear on the Nautica watches website, so I don't think it is a current model, but I don't know when it was released.

I'm wearing another chronograph today, but this one is a little different.

Today's watch is a Disney Mickey Mouse Chronograph, which is a very child friendly design, but with a more adult watch feature. The design charts the progression of the Mickey design from Steamboat Willy in 1928 through the early colour design (1931), and on to what I presume was the present when the watch was released (1994). The strap also features this motif with the 3 Mickey designs running after each other. The Mickey Mouse theme also continues with the rotating bezel which has Mickey's name and a little Mickey Mouse head shape at the top.

The watch is made by the Seiko brand Alba and uses a V655 module. It is a 3 hand dial design with 3 chronograph hands on the dial. The chronograph style is similar to quite a few other watches (such as the GSX Smart Style) with a top dial covering 1/10 sec (2 sec per rotation), bottom dial for seconds, and left dial for minutes. If the chronograph dials become misaligned, they can also be adjusted by using the chronograph buttons while the crown is pulled out.

The chronograph dials also are designed to fit in with the Mickey over the ages theme. The seconds dial is designed like the old Mickey Mouse watch design with Mickey's hands acting as the watch hand, and the minutes dial has a picture of Mickey as Steamboat Willy on his boat.

It seems to be part of a range called Disney Limited Collection, and only has a 4 digit serial number, which implies there are 9999 or fewer watches (mine has a number less than 1000 though). It has a full model number of V655-605A.

Over the years, Casio has produced many simplistic LCD watch designs, and today I'm blogging another one.

This model is the F-105, and is a resin cased LCD watch. It is an alarm chrono model and also an Illuminator, meaning it has alarm, chronograph, and el-backlight, but no other modes. It uses a 2 line LCD display with time on the larger lower line, and day and date on the small top line. All of this is powered by a 1572 module with a CR2016 battery (and a 7 year battery life).

The strap is a matching resin design with a part number of 283 EJ2 18.

Based on the specs, this looks to be a modern version rather than a true retro 80s design (battery size and the el-backlight are more modern features), and it is still mentioned on the Casio website (where it can be picked up for $22).

Here is another watch from the mystery brand Deep.

The brand makes watches in China and seem to be popular in Japan. This model is a different style, and doesn't have the same DEEP logo on the back. Instead, this has a more script-like font on the back, but has the same DT type of model number.

This model is the DT-057. It is a quartz dial watch with a 3 hand dial. The dial is deep set into a purple circular case with a crown on the right. The black leather strap is fastened into a slot in the case, and is stitched in a colour that matches the case.

Still no idea on the dates for the DEEP watches, so I'm still guessing the 2000s.

I'm using another of my Super Lovers collection again today.

The Super Lovers range are from the clothing brand Harajuku Super Lovers, which was started in Tokyo in 1988. The brand is known worldwide for it's cutting edge designs and is heavily inspired by the London punk and rock scene.

This watch is from their Lovers Rock line of watches which tend to be more rock and metal inspired than the Super Lovers or Lovers House lines.

This model is a leather cuff watch in an orange leather, and has metal studs along the band. The strap also has a fabric patch which has a flame pattern which says 'Lovers Rock Equipment Since 1988'. The cuff is fastened by two sets of two press studs so the level of adjustment is quite limited.

The watch part is a 3 hand dial design in a square case. The face has a skull & crossbones (with the text Lovers Rock) on the left half, and a large LR symbol on the right side. Around the face is a metal frame with text on the bottom which reads 'Super Lovers, London Tokyo since 1988'.

Inside is a Seiko Epson Y121 (or more correctly a Y121E) module, which means that over the years they have used Seiko, Miyota (Citizen), and Time Module Inc modules (so far... and I've got more still to blog).

It's going to be a quick blog post today. This watch is one that has no information, but I thought it looked interesting, and so wanted to blog it (as interesting, unusual, and retro are the main themes for my collection).

The watch is a cheap model which is the type that are mass produced and sold online for very little money. The build feels cheap with a thin light strap, and a build quality which is sometimes lacking.

It was the design that made me interested in the watch though. Time is told through 3 rotating discs. The centre disc has two coloured rectangles and is the seconds display. The hour and minute discs show the time through little windows to the numbers below, and are printed with an ever decreasing line of circles, which makes me think of a comet and it's tail. Reading the numbers through the windows is reasonably easy. The minutes have numbers every 5 in the smaller inner circle, but the hours are more tricky as around 1/2 past, the window is between numbers, and you have to rely on where the window is (as it is laid out the same as a normal watch with hands).

I think it is a modern watch which, can probably be found for sale still.

Today's watch is a smart and high tech model, and a model number I've not found online (so may be pretty uncommon).

The watch is made by Elgin USA. The original Elgin watches came from the Elgin National Watch Company, which was based in Elgin in the US. This company finished in 1968, and the Elgin name was sold to MZ Berger, meaning more modern Elgin watches have no link to the original brand.

This model is the FK-671-C and is an Elgin World Time Chronograph model. It is a high tech model with lots of features, and has an ana-digi display. The main dial is an electronic 2 hand dial, and there are 3 smaller dials on the face (at the 6, 9, and 12 positions). There are also 3 LCD windows on the dial so a lot of information can be shown.

For the smaller dials, they have different uses than normal, with the top dial showing UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), the left dial showing 24-hr time, and the bottom dial indicating the mode. The modes around the dial are Time, Calendar, Alarms 1-3, Chronograph, Timer, and Set.

For the LCD displays, the main one is to the right and is a 3 line display. The top line shows the world time location (3 letters) or the mode details, while the other two lines cover time and seconds. I haven't got anything to show on the other two LCD displays, so I don't know what exactly they are for (although the left one has the text H.R. and down, and the right one says up and mode).

The bottom left and top right buttons cycle forward and backwards through the time zones, with the bottom right button shifting mode. Overall, the watch is pretty complicated, so much so that I've tried all of the normal button combinations and still not been able to work out how to set it!

As for the date, not finding the model online is a problem, but suggests an older model. I'd guess that this is a late 90s or 2000s model, but can't narrow it down more than that.

Today is another brand which is hard to trace.

The watch is by Voken, and is a hand wind mechanical watch. The Voken brand is surrounded by a lot of speculation without any real confirmed information out online. There is some thought that this is a Russian brand, but the watch is actually Japanese made. There are also Q&Q watches with the Voken name, but that may just be the name of the line, but there is a lot of speculation that this is a Citizen offshoot. It is reported that they have been seen with different movements by various makers, so line to a single major brand is unlikely, and there have been models with English, Russian, or Chinese text.

This model is based on a V05 mechanical movement, and is a hand wind model with a 3 hand dial and a date marker at the 3 o'clock position.

It is a very light watch with a base metal cover to the case, but with a resin back, and a plastic glass. The face is a blue/turquoise design which has a depth and 3D holographic effect as it catches the light.

From the design it appears to be from the 60s or 70s, and this fits with the other online thoughts. The full model number is V05-I2005.