Some Tokyoflash watches may be almost as impossible to read as they are fun, but they can’t be faulted in the eye-catching department. The latest watch in the Tokyoflash stable, the Kisai Blade, is notable not only for its take on aviation and automotive themes, but also by going against the house trend by being (almost) easy to read by the uninitiated.
Based on a concept submitted to the Tokyoflash Design Studio Blog by Britain’s Peter Fletcher, the Kisai Blade foregoes a crystal for a bespoke turbine-style lens, which uses digital tube LEDs that seem to rotate like the spokes of a wheel.
The Kisai Blade has two time settings. In the Turning Mode, the blades spin and as they do so, three blades light up briefly in turn to indicate the hours and minutes. In the Flashing Mode, one blade lights up to indicate the hour and another flashes to indicate a five minute interval in a manner similar to a conventional watch. Four LED dots by the 12 o’clock blade indicate up to four additional minutes to show the exact time.
Pressing the upper button twice displays the date in a series of numbered blade codes similar to that used to display the time.
To keep things fun, there’s also a selectable Animation mode, where the LED blades light up and seem to rotate “like a jet engine” at 15-minute intervals between the hours of 6 PM and Midnight.
The casing of the Kisai Blade is a unisex design that fits both small and large wrists. The black, silver or gold sandblasted stainless steel case with brushed detail comes with a choice of blue, green or red LEDs, and a stainless steel or leather strap. The PL301517 battery is rechargeable by connecting via USB cable to a computer. A three and a half hour charge is said to be good for up to 30 days. The watch is rated water resistant to 3 ATM.
The Kisai Blade is priced at US$169.
The video below introduces the Kisai Blade
Source: TokyoFlash
