New Arrival: Freestyle Tide 4.0

Another eBay watch without much interest. Good news for me. I like this watch. Not the perfect color combo, with a little too much lime green. Not sure how they came up with that color. The face of this watch is a little wider than taller and the proportion seems a little off, maybe because I'm used to square and round ones. But this has a good, large stance, and a band with a good rubbery grip. The tide stuff I won't use, but otherwise is easy to use. Overall, a good watch, a 8 out of 10.
Freestyle Tide 4.0 below:

New Arrival: Nike Zero Drift ACG WA0007

Not sure what this one is called, obviously. I have seen this a fair amount on eBay, and usually not much interest. Same with this auction. This is a so-so watch. A little too small, not quite enough design interest, a little bit soft. It has compass nonsense that I'll never use. It's a little dinged up, which doesn't bother me that much. Too much gray on the band. I have a suspicion I'll end up selling this one again on eBay. But for now, I'll put it in the rotation. A 6 out of 10.
Nike ACG below:

New Arrival: Nike Mettle Anvil Super

Sorry it's been a while. I haven't stopped buying watches. In fact, I checked eBay for 2011 purchases and I think it was about 30 watches. Ouch. I have sold a bunch, so maybe it's not that bad. But pretty bad. But on to the news....
I got this Nike watch on eBay for $115. It's more than I wanted to spend. These watches have been coming onto eBay on a regular basis from a foreign website, but I got this from a US seller, slightly used. No big deal; I don't mind a used watch, or without books/boxes/manuals/etc. if it will save me a few bucks. I was worried this would be a slim watch, but it's not. It's nice and sizeable, and similar to many of the other Nike watches in this style. The rounded part at the top and bottom have been a little scuffed, as they stick out and pick up shocks. It's a little too much black for my taste as I like a bit more silver. But I like the sides and the silver there. The black rubber is nice and supple. The mechanism has the same layout as others, which I like. This is a very nice watch, a 9 out of 10.
Nike Mettle Anvil Silver below:

New Arrival: Vestal Brig

Got this one with only 3 bidders on eBay. Is it a slow time on eBay? I can't figure out eBay. The Timex WS4 that I'm eyeing to replace my all black one has been going for way too much. Maybe I should sell the one I don't like now and buy the replacement later. Anyway, I digress. I got this one for a bit more than I wanted to spend, $73, but it's worth it. Again, a hair too small of a watch, but a nice one. I thought the all black would be too much, but it works. The other version has some white in it that lightens it up, but I'm generally not a fan of white on my watches. This has a bit too complicated tide system, which again I will never use, and which shrinks the time and date readout. It also has a weird "train" thing instead of a regular stopwatch, which says, "suffer" and "recover" at intervals, and beeps. I just want to know how long it takes me to do my laps around the reservoir. But the numbers look good and the watch feels good, including some weird bumps on the inside of the band. A 8.5 out of 10.
Vestal Brig below:

New Arrival: Puma Escalate

Got this one new on eBay without many competitors. I was afraid this watch would be too small, and it is by a hair. I was also afraid of the Puma jinx, where I have bought a couple Puma watches and not liked them and resold them.
But I like this watch more than I thought I would, especially after wearing and working out with it for a day. The design is cool, and especially nice with the silver to offest the black. The dark numbers are a bit hard to read, and I don't like the double clasp system. But the styling makes up for it. A good but not great watch. A 8 out of 10.
Puma Escalate below:

New Arrival: Puma Stream

I got this watch without much competition on eBay. I'll chalk this one up to not enough homework. First, the watch is all black, and I forgot that it comes in one with a silver face, which I would like much better, and may try to get if I see one on eBay. Second, this watch has a leather band, which I generally oppose. I could have found out about this bit of info if I had actually done some reading on this watch. Third, this is an awkward watch when it sits on my wrist, and a bit hard to read. I don't think it will get much wrist time. Another in a pretty long line of weird Puma watches in my possession that I may eventually sell. A 6.5 out of 10.
Puma Stream watch below:

New Arrival: Nixon Outsider Tide

I got this one a while ago used on eBay without a band clasp, so after some half-hearted searches for a replacement (I went to one watch repair place nearby and they couldn't help), I sent it back to Nixon for repair. They didn't charge me, which was nice.
In any event, this is another nice, big round-faced watch. Again with the nonsense tide stuff that I'll never use, and which makes it more complicated to set. Once I finally had it ready to go, I must admit I was a little disappointed. I should like this watch more than I do. It's quite big, and the number font is nice. The silver is well done on the face. The strap is hefty. But for some reason, the watch doesn't win me over on an aesthetic level. Maybe it's just a bit too plain. I'll give it a 7 out of 10 for trying though.
Nixon Outsider Tide below:

New Arrival: Origo Tide Sail Race Watch

I got this for a bit more than I wanted on eBay, for $55. The Origos can be a little unstylish, but this one's got some good looks. I like the matte and glossy silver on the face. I like the squared body with the round face. The band is thick and has a good slick line with holes in it. The font is similar to other Origo watches, which is a weakness of this watch. And I don't need all the fishing nonsense. Overall, a good, smart watch. By far my favorite Origo watch, and nice and big. A 8 out of 10.
Origo Tide Sail Race Watch below:

New Arrival: Columbia Meridian

Got this as the sole bidder on eBay. $35 plus $5 shipping. This is a nice, big watch, with nice design. It's ripped off the Nike Torque band with the three hole look, but okay. The font is nice, and I think it does something with a compass, which I'll never use in a million years. Stopwatch works fine. This one is a definite upgrade over my earlier Columbia watch, the somewhat girly Tailwhip.
I give this one a 8 out of 10.
Columbia Meridian watch below:

New Arrival: O.M.D. 3 Touch Digital

Got this one on eBay after some negotiation with a buy it now person for $69. A bit steep. But this is a great watch. Some watches are round, some are square; this one has both of those things. A very big watch. It has the buckle style band that you squeeze your hand through, not the kind that you put the peg through and then use a keeper. It is a good, stylish band though. I like it more than the others like that I have (now four).
This is a touchscreen watch, the first one I have owned, although I have seen several others with this operation. It makes it a little awkward, as you have to push and hold a spot on the screen to activate the touch sensors. The thing is very awkward to program. Getting the time and date set was a chore. And during my run, the seonds and 1/100ths of seconds are large, with a smaller minutes readout below, the opposite of where you would think they would be.
All in all, a great, nice, big, stylish watch. A 9 out of 10.
O.M.D. 3 Touch Digital below:

New Arrival: Nixon Connect

Got this one used on eBay. I've been on a Nixon run lately. This watch is a bit too small for me, but I like it. It's more than a little like the Freestyle Funbox, especially the side profile. The band is not the regular kind, but a clasp system that you have to slide over your hand. It's a bit awkward and it doesn't fit into my collection by spooning all the watches. The negative face (white number on black face) made it hard to read while running, especially with the small seconds on the top. But the design is great, and the case sturdy. It's an older Nixon and the word Nixon is in lower case cursive, so it doesn't look like "NOXIN" upside down, a problem with more recent Nixon watches. This is a pretty good watch, an 8 overall out of 10.
Nixon Connect below:

New Arrival: Nixon Unit

I got this one off eBay with surprisingly little interest. I got it for $65, and was the only bidder. It was advertised as used, but it is almost perfect condition. I don't really require perfect condition, and I often am glad to get a watch with some slight scratches if it keeps the cost down. This watch has been going for much more on eBay, and is a relatively new Nixon watch.
This watch looked in photos a little too much like a G-Shock watch, which I'm not crazy about. But I like the Unit watch. It's big, it's bulky, it's a little industrial. But that's okay. The band is not the pre-curved kind, and it will lay flat with the band folded on itself. The face actually is split within the screen. The numbers for the seconds are stacked vertically. On the sides between the buttons is the Nixon wordmark and the Nixon logo, which is much better than the Housing, which reads Nixon in large letters.
I give this one a 8.5 out of 10.

Nixon Unit below:

New Arrival: Quiksilver Mover

I officially like Quiksilver watches. This is my third. At first blush, this felt like a small watch. But I compared it to some other watches, and the face was even bigger. In any event, this has a good silver front. Nice wide band. The stopwatch was a bit hard to read during my run, as the seconds were in the top right corner and a bit awkward especially in the shade. This watch reminds me a bit of the Freestyle Lopex World Class, which is a good thing. An 8.5 out of 10.

Quiksilver Mover watch below:

Freestyle Lopex World Class below:

On an Unrelated Topic, Go Bears

This entry has nothing to do with watches. I graduated in 1997 from the University of California, Berkeley, and eared four varsity letters playing baseball. Last fall, the university announced that it would cancel baseball after the 2011 season because baseball lost so much money and hadn't been performing well. Just a few weeks ago, after a lot of work by the alums and parents, we were able to raise almost $10 million to save the baseball program. Not distracted by this problem, and likely motivated to go out in style, the baseball team was able to put together an amazing season, winning a regional series with numerous remarkable comebacks, then winning a super-regional series in the Bay Area to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 1992 (the year before I arrived on campus). The Bears finally were eliminated from the College World Series last week, but what the team was able to accomplish was incredible. I want to congratulate the team (including Pac-10 Player of the Year Tony Renda) and the coaches (including national Coach of the Year David Esquer) on an amazing run. Watching this run, I could not have been more proud to be an alum.

New Arrival: Timex WS4 Expedition

I got this watch in all black with some dark green accents. I thought I might like the silver and orange face one better, and I still may be right. I like this watch's size a lot. A vertical rectangle. A busy face. I wish the font size were more substantial, as the time readout is almost hard to read because of its thin size. It's pretty solid and substantial, which I like. The buttons are good and equally substantial. I think I'll wear this a couple more times, and maybe keep my eye out for a cheaper version of the silver and orange faced one and sell the all black one. We'll see. A 8 out of 10.
Timex WS4 Expdition in two colors below:

Talk to Me

I know there aren't many readers out there, but I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or email me at jfurstenthal@yahoo.com about watches you have or covet, and what I should know about. I have ways of discovering new watches, but the more I know about and see, the better. Also, if you know of other ways to see and read about digital watches, I would love to know about those too.
Thanks, John

New Arrival: Alessi Daytimer

This one is a bit unusual, and one of the few that don't have a stopwatch on it. It's very architectural. Very thick when you look at it from the left side profile. It was awkward to set the time on, and the paperwork is for Alessi analog watches, so that didn't help much. It is off until you activate it to check the time. When you push the bottom of the two buttons, it does a little digital dance with the pixel screen and then shows the time and the day/date. I'm not a big fan of watches that you need to activate to tell the time (why I don't use my iPod nano watchband), but not that big of a hassle. A cool design, and very different. I give it an 8 out of 10.
Alessi Daytimer below:

New Arrival: Vestal Crusader

I like this watch. I bought this in all black by mistake a few weeks ago and resold it for a profit for some reason. I got the one I really wanted with the silver stripes, and this is a good watch. I wish the display were a bit bigger, and the time setting system is a bit confusing. But this is a cool design, with a good, rounded integrated band. Nice big size, with a substantial feel. I give this one a 8.5 out of 10.
Vestal Crusader below:

New Arrival: Nike Oregon Series Alti-Compass Lance 4

I think that's what this watch is called. I got this for $67 on eBay. I don't like this watch. This is a rare negative review for a big Nike watch, but this one just doesn't work for me. I got it used, and there are a few dings on the one I got. It's nice and big, and the display is fine aesthetically and practically. But I hate the cramped sensor (I think that's what it's for) on the bottom left of the face. It feels awkward on my wrist. It feels like the smaller Nike Oregon Super (reviewed in March 2011), which I'm not crazy about either. I may sell both of these Nike watches. I'm not souring on Nike watches, which I like a lot. But this one gets a 5 out of 10.
Nike Oregon Alti-Compass below:

I made $22 by accident

I'm not going to go retire, but I just made $22 by buying an all black Vestal Crusader, receiving it and realizing it wasn't the one with the silver strips on top and bottom, deciding to sell it on eBay, and doing so. I bought it for $28 on eBay and just sold it for $50 (plus shipping). I can't explain this. Oh, well. I'll buy another watch, I guess.

New Arrival: Converse Scoreboard

I just got this watch for $25 plus shipping on eBay without competing bidders. I've seen this watch a lot on eBay for near or at $75 sticker price.
This is a bit unusual watch. I think Converse makes only a few watches. I hadn't seen this watch in person before buying it. It came in a weird cardboard box that left lots of dust on the watch. A wash in the sink took care of that. It only has three buttons and is awkward to set and the stopwatch is awkward to operate. The time is displayed in a stack on hours, minutes, seconds. You have to scroll to get the date. The display is somewhat dark, and it doesn't have any of my silver on it. The band is unusual as well: thick and pliable, and with an unusual, rubber clasp. I don't think I own or have seen a clasp that isn't metal, although the prongs are. It's very wide and sticks up in the drawer. I took a couple pictures. An okay watch, a 7.5 our of 10.
Converse Scoreboard below:

Method to My Madness

I should have explained my method for reviewing watches earlier, but better late than never. It's not too complicated. I get a watch and I wear it for a day, including a timed run. I try to run every weekday. I wear it to work, to exercise, and rinse it off in the sink to get the sweat off. Then I think about what I like and don't like. That's it.
More watch reviews to come....

New Arrival: Nixon Lodown

I got this in the mail yesterday and like this watch a lot. Another eBay purchase. I suppose I should just say when I don't buy a watch on eBay, and you can otherwise assume I got it on eBay. I had this watch in my possession before when I mistakenly thought that it was a silver one based on a photo on eBay. It's much better in silver. Also, I had been mistakenly looking for this watch on eBay before as the "Lowdown" and was getting about 1/3 of the search results as I should have been getting.
Good watch, nice design. A little bit small though. I will defeintely wear it. Pretty rugged look and feel, in large part because of its good depth. I noticed it has the exact same face/design/layout as the Nixon Primer, which I also like. At least this one doesn't have the confusing "NOXIN" on it when you look at it upside down. Overall, a good watch, but not yet a favorite. A 7.5 out of 10.
Nixon Lodown below:

New Arrival: Nixon Delta II SS/PU

I got this watch for a song on eBay, $56 plus shipping. Another one sold for about $90 on eBay a few hours later. Not sure why this one was so much cheaper, but I'll take it.
This is a nice big, thick watch. So heavy, in fact, that when I took it for its initial run, it was a little awkward as I noticed it on my wrist. I got used to it in a few minutes though. The band is good and wide, very solid. The font is great. It has a thing that spins around on the front allegedly for snowboarding, which can track the speed, direction, etc. you're going. I will not use it. The stopwatch had a cartoon rectangle thing with falling snow when the stopwatch is going. A little gimmicky, but a little cool. I like the watches that have a spinning wheel or a running man going when the stopwatch is going. By the way, I don't know what the heck the name of this watch is with the letters, etc. I think SS means stainless steel.
This is a very good watch, a 9 out of 10.
Nixon Delta II SS/PU below:

Vestal Crusader: I'll wait for silver and black one

I listed the all black watch on eBay. I'll get what I really want: the silver and black on.

New Arrival: Vestal Crusader

I bought this one on eBay for $28 plus shipping. It looked like it was the one I wanted with silver strips on top and bottom, but it's really the all black one. I am going to sleep on whether I keep this or resell it on eBay. I'll probably resell it since I find that if I don't get what I'm really looking for, I don't wear the watch. I have very rarely seen the one with the silver strips coming up on eBay, so it may be a long wait.
In general, it's a nice, fairly big watch with decent styling. Nice, flush buttons on the sides. Decent weight, nice strap. It even comes with a guitar pick as the tag, which would not come in handy at all since I'm not musical.
I'll update with my decision.
Vestal Crusaders in all black and black and silver below:

And yet another on the way

And today, for mother's day, I got myself another watch. For $50 including shipping, I picked up a Nixon Lodown. I know, I'm a dad, but whatever. Three watches on the way.... I can't wait.

Exciting four hours for me today

I bought two watches today on eBay, both from my old school iPhone. That's two words with lower case first letter, upper case second letter. Anyway, I picked up the Vestal Crusader (for $32 including shipping) and the Nixon Delta Pu (for $65 including shipping) in the afternoon while at my kid's little league game and later shopping for more baby clothes. A little scary as I'm never sure the app will work on my iPhone. Reviews to come.

Mea Culpa: Nike GPS watch not too small

I was in the San Francisco Niketown store in part to see if they had the GPS watch. They did have one, in the box, in a lucite display box. I asked to check it out, which I did. It was a return, and it was the only one they had, as they were apparently in great demand. This watch was much bigger than the 25mm described by an eBay seller. It's maybe around 40mm across the front and very thick, I assume to tuck away the GPS stuff. I could have bought it for the $200, and maybe even sold it on eBay for a few extra bucks as I noticed it's been selling for higher. But I decided to do nothing. I guess I'll have to put it back on my list.

New Arrival: Freestyle Navigator 2.0

I got this in the mail last week and just got back from a run with it. I got it for $35 on eBay including shipping. I was the only bidder on the watch. A few weeks ago, I bought this watch in all black, but shortly after got a message that the watch was stolen from the seller before it was shipped. I think it's ultimately a good thing.
This is a nice, solid watch. A little bigger than I expected. The band has a gimmicky strip on it, instead of holes, so the teeth on the strap can go in anywhere, allegedly giving a more precise fit. I haven't been having a lot of problems with inaccurate sizing with the regular hole every few milimeters structure of most watches, so I don't think this is exactly necessary, but it's fine so far. I'm a little worried it may wear out, but I'll only be wearing it once a month at most, so no big deal for now. The buttons are nicely recessed, to give it a cleaner look. The silver round bezel on the face spins around, with NSEW directions on it, but that doesn't really help me. This is a nice big watch, looks great, feels good. Overall, an 8.5 out of 10. Good watch.
Freestyle Navigator 2.0 below:

Cool new watch: Nike+ SportWatch GPS: Too Small?!

I saw this some time ago before it went on sale. My wife (who generally opposes my watch interest/obsessions) ran across this watch in one of those crappy airline magazines. She actually suggested that I could get the watch.... A $200 watch, mind you. In any event, I like the watch, and was doing my due dilligence. I discovered through an eBay question, that the watch is small, really small. Only 25 mm across the front according to an eBay seller. My cutoff is generally 40 mm for the front. So I guess I'm not going to buy this one. But it still looks cool.

Nike+ SportWatch GPS watch below:

What's the Deal with this A-Hole?

I've noticed a few prices on a few watches on eBay. A Columbia watch I have had my eye on. Until I see $50 shipping for no apparent reason. Is this some kind of scam on eBay? Is this a way to avoid paying eBay their commission? Is this a way of trying to dupe people into buying who don't check the shipping price? Anyway, I don't like it. Heads up.
eBay link

New Arrival: Body Glove Warpt

Got this one in at the end of last week and took it out for a spin. An okay watch. The best thing it has going for it is the surprisingly cool font. It has stacked vertically hours, minutes, and second. On the right side is date and day of week. It took a bit to get used to reading the time this way, but my small brain figured it out. The rest of the watch is a bit pedestian. Not quite big enough. Nothing really interesting about the shape. A lot of silver color, which is nice. The strap is not quite substantial enough. Nothing failing this watch, just not especially significant. This is a bubble watch, and I might resell it on eBay. I got it for $26 including shipping. I have kept my eyes on a couple other Body Glove watches, and this one may dissuade me from future purchases. I'll mull it over for a while. Overall, a 6.5 out of 10 for this watch.
Body Glove Warpt below:

New Arrival: Nixon Housing

I was a little disappointed with this watch. I've worn it for a couple days, on a couple runs, and it's not a bad watch. It's nively appointed and I like the buttons that are flush with the sides. But I had high hopes for this one. It's heavy, but a little smaller than I had hoped. It feels a little awkward on the wrist, like the connection between the watch and the band is imperfect. The red graph thing on the screen is a little strange, and the time is a little hard to read. The clear button for the stopwatch didn't work very well. Also, my first impression was that the big "NIXON" writing on the top and bottom are very obvious and the one above the top looks like "NOXIN," which is more than a little off-putting. Weird name in general, of course bringing to mind Tricky Dick. I have high hopes for the expensive but seemingly cool and edgy Nixon stuff. Cool box, though, with a weird Nerf feeling thing inside a cardboard cover.
On a slightly related note, I stumbled across a Nixon store in Berkeley on the 4th Street shopping strip. It had only a few digital watches, the Newton and the Outsider Tide. I liked the Outsider Tide as it's really big. Only a weird navy blue color, though. And retail price, which I'm not having. The rest of the stuff was mostly women-oriented, including scarves and gloves, which was weird for a warm summer day.
The Housing gets a 7.5 from me out of 10.
Nixon Housing below:

New Arrival: Freestyle Stride

This is a brand new addition from the fine folks at Freestyle. I got this on the Freestyle website and used my $30 credit that I had "earned" by acting as a Freestyle "reviewer" by giving my opinions about possible new watches months ago. I blogged about this back then.
Anyway, this is a solid if not spectacular watch. It's a horizontal rectangle, and as I can tell from their marketing designed for walking/running. There's a big lap button on the bottom right side of the face. The readout is nice and large. I would have liked more substantial buttons on the side and a big heavier band (that felt just a bit flimsy and thin). Still a solid watch from Freestyle, and a good deal at $60 retail. I give it a 8.5 out of 10.

Freestyle Stride below:

A little less anticipation

I got an email last night saying that the seller of the Freestyle Navigator 2.0 watch that I bought on eBay had the watch stolen. He shortly after refunded me through PayPal. Is this some kind of scam? Did he not get as much money as he wanted for it? His record on eBay was clean, so I guess I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, one fewer watch I'll get my grubby mitts on. Maybe it's a blessing, because the auction was for the all black one and I really want the one with some silver in the face.
Freestyle Navigator 2.0 in black and silver below:

Oh, the anticipation

I now have three watches ordered and on their way right now. I got the Nixon Housing on eBay, the Freestyle Stride (new with a credit from the Freestyle website), and the Freestyle Navigator 2.0 on eBay just now. I can't wait for these guys to show up in the mail.

New Arrival: Nike Sledge Watch

UPDATE: thanks to a comment, I stand corrected. The right watch is a "Chisel" watch. Sorry.
You can disregard that earlier blog asking readers why this watch is so expensive. I saw this on eBay with a high, but not too high, list price of $129, and had seen this watch going for much more, so thought what the heck? I'll buy it and if it's not so great, I'll re-sell it and make a few bucks to put towards another watch. I got it and it's very impressive. Big. Big band. Cool, glossy silver finish. It's definitely different from my other all black Sledge watch (which might be called a "Mettle" watch but I can't tell from my internet search). The new one is bigger and has a cool, wraparound silver face. The strap is as big as the face, and there are five holes across the band instead of three on the "Mettle." A great watch, a 9.5out of 10.
Nike Sledge and Nike Chisel Watches below:

The Watch That Started All This: Freestyle Shark Mako

This was my first black banded, silver faced digital watch. I think it actually had a gray strap at first and it wore out and Freestyle sent me a new black one. Anyway, I've had this for years, and it was my only watch for a while. I got it in Hawaii on one of my many vacations there, and it reminds me of Hawaii and surf shops, where I first saw this watch and bought it. It's relatively small by today's standards, but it has a terrific design and shape. The band is cool, and the silver face just can't be beat. I still wear and love this watch. A big reason why I'm such a Freestyle fan.
Freestyle Shark Mako below:

New Arrivals: Nike Oregon Super and Columbia Tailwhip

I got these relatively recently, and they look similar, so I'll review these guys together. I got the Nike Oregon quite used on eBay and had to send it back to Nike because the band was too broken and I couldn't just buy a new band. It was expensive ($35) to replace the band and for the labor, but I decided to go for it. I got the Columbia watch at Big 5 Sports after seeing an ad for it. I had seen the Columbia watches online and liked them but never in person before buying this one.

Both of these watches are a bit too small, and would be very good watches if they were bigger. I like the big button on the bottom left on the Columbia watch. I wish I had gotten the silver background on the face on the Columbia watch. I like the silver ring around the face of the Nike watch.

I give both of these watches a seven.

Nike Oregon Super watch below:

Columbia Tailwhip watch below:

After finding the Nike Oregon Super a little too small, I remembered seeing the Nike Oregon Compass digital watch, which is similar to its smaller cousin. I'm seeing if I can't snag one of these on eBay:

Nike Oregon Compass digital watch below:

New Arrival and Departure: Origo Ranger Peak

I got his for $16.00 on eBay and it showed up in the mail today. The watch stinks. Literally, the watch smells like women's lotion or perfume or something. I've tried to clean it up with everything, but the thing is very strong. I'm guessing it wasn't worn by a woman, as it's clearly a large, man's watch. Maybe a store? Anyway, it smells to the high heavens and I'm getting rid of it. Didn't get to see it in action, but nice and big, but kinda boring design. The bezel thing spins around (N-S-E-W), not sure why. I think there's a compass in it. I would never use that. Again, very thick watch like another of my Origo watches. I give it a 6.5 if it smelled okay. I guess this is a risk of eBaying used watches.

Origo Ranger Peak watch below:

Kinda New Arrival: iPod Nano band

Okay, this is sorta a new arrival: I got the Hex watch band for the nano but decided to trade it in for the iWatchz band at the Apple store shortly after Christmas. The iWatchz band is a cool idea and it looks pretty cool when it's up and running. However, you have to hit the on button every time you want to see it. You have a headphone jack connected to your wrist when you're running. Kinda awkward, and I haven't worn much since I got it for Christmas.

Hex Watch Band

Iwatchz band

New Arrival: Origo Guide Pro

This is one mother of a big watch. It's the thickest watch I've ever seen, by far the biggest I've ever owned. It feels a little cheap as the sides and back are plastic, not metal. It's all face, which I like, and I don't like the little bits of dark green and orange. I guess it tells you when to go shoot deer or something, which isn't my cup of tea, but you can't miss that you're wearing it. The design is a little pedestrian, but I do like the shiny silver circle surrounding it. Overall an 8 out of 10.

Origo Guide Pro below:

Fursty's Yard Sale

Okay, as part of my quality, not quantity, I'm selling eight watches on eBay right now. You guessed it, they're not my favorites, but it feels good to be thinning the herd. I'm guessing a few of them won't sell, as they're a bit obscure (and undesirable), but that's the way it goes.
Check it out if you want.
http://shop.ebay.com/jfurstenthal/m.html

New Arrival: Starck Fossil O Ring

Okay, this one is a little bit out there. It is a little bit analog. It doesn't have a stopwatch so I can't use it when I got for a run. But it is black rubber with a silver face and it doesn't have hands. It gives the hour numerically and then a minute around the face for each minute. Pretty cool. It has no buttons except on the back for setting the time. You have to use the end of a paper clip. Its size is good. It has a hole in the middle to show off my wrist hair. Pretty cool, an 8.5 out of 10.
Starck Fossil O Ring Watch Below:

New Arrival: Tech 4 O Accelerator

I got this watch on eBay for quite cheap. I think less than $20 including shipping. It's too small for my taste. A little sterile and boring too. I've already got it back on eBay to sell. Not sure if it will move, but I'm trying to keep only watches I really like and will wear. I give it a 4 out of 10.
Tech 4 O Accelerator below:

New Freestyle 2011 catalog

There's a new catalog for Spring and Summer 2011 Freestyle watches. I like the Stride and the Tide 4.0 (although I'm not sure about the Tide 4.0 colors and may have to do some band changes). Here's the catalog:

http://www.freestyleusa.com/products/catalog/Freestyleusa_2011_Catalog.pdf