Watch Review: Phosphor E Ink Digital Hour Clock Watch with Black Leather Band

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Watch Review: Phosphor E Ink Digital Hour Clock Watch with Black Leather Band

Judie likes her loud, statement-making watches. (And she can, of course, pull it off!)

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There’s the Black Phosphor Appear she recently got.

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And there is the blinged-out version she reviewed in full. Me, I’m a bit more of a subtle guy (at least in this one regard.) That’s why I was excited to take a look at one of Phosphor’s “simpler” E-ink watches.

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This E Ink Digital Hour Clock Watch with Black Leather Band is a simple timepiece that looks great and is exceptionally comfortable to wear.

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From Phosphor:

You’ve never seen a digital watch quite like this before.

Its ergonomic curved case with ultra-thin profile fit so comfortably on your wrist you may forget you are wearing it, but others won’t.

The digital display utilizes the revolutionary E Ink electronic paper display featuring its paper-like, high contrast readability that is sure to be noticed by others around you. A standard numeric digital display in one mode, a graphic hour clock display in another, and ability to switch between white-on-black to black-on-white time display give this digital watch a style all its own.

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Here is a rundown of the specs:

Edge thickness: 8.0mm

Overall case thickness: 12.5mm

Water resistance: 5 ATM – 50m

Display: 12 hour only

Alarm: Built-in alarm

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The back of the watch is as simple as can be. That is one of the things that attracts me to this watch. The display is E-Ink just like the Kindle, the body is polished metal with the Phosphor name etched in the lower right and the band is soft leather. It is simple, looks good and does exactly what it promises… and no more.

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The main display can be black on white…

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…or white on black. It is changed using the button on the right.

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The left button toggles through the various screen modes. I think this one is particularly cool looking. The left button also controls the built in alarm.

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The watch is big but it sure isn’t as big as the ones Judie loves. And have I mentioned how comfortable it is?

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In an era when the vast majority of us don’t leave home without a smartphone that tells time, has alarms and much much more wrist watches are more about decoration than ever. That’s why this watch is so great. It is big and bold enough to draw attention without becoming the focus. And thanks to the E-Ink paper display it is easy to read in even the brightest light and it has just enough “Geek-appeal” to make people like me really happy to wear it.

You can find this watch, and the entire Phosphor line of E-Ink display watches over on the company site. You can find this watch right here.

MSRP: $185

What I Like: Looks great; Super comfortable; Easy to read in the brightest light; display can be black on white or white on black; includes an alarm; has geek-appeal

What Needs Improvement: Limited functionality compared to some other watches; a bit pricey for something that is more decorative than anything else in a smartphone world

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.