Numeric keypads.
Now they're a thing aren't they.
They're a thing often attached to keyboards, providing easy fingering of numbers, symbols
and arrow keys.
For those maniacs that don't like the standard arrow keys.
Back when we were messing around with Commodore 64's, ZX Spectrums and like, we knew that
any computer with a numeric keypad, was a REAL COMPUTER.
Even computers which are fundamentally the same, such as the Amiga 600 and 500+, looks
far more serious and powerful in it's 500+ incarnation.
So you can understand my excitement, browsing the web, as I stumbled across this device
which appeared to be a numeric keypad in a wrist device.
I didn't even care what it did, because those keys were just asking to be clicked.
Well, it turned out to be a watch.
I found this model on eBay for about £50 delivered from the United States.
Apparently this originally popped up in 2011, but it's made by Click Watch.
Their website is actually still up and running.
If I'd known that I might have picked up a white one for that 90s aesthetic.
Apparently they do other watches in the form of a shower head and wall switchhhh, hmmm.
To be honest, they probably fall the wrong side of appealing, for me at least.
But anyway...
So the box is your standard cube affair, it says Click on it in some kind of retro style
font.
Inside is a cardboard inner showing further keyboard keys, and the watch face poking through
in a glory hole fashion.
The watch itself is found hugging a pillow, which both hides the instructions below and
provides reasonable padding for this terrifyingly large watch.
I mean, it is huge.
It would probably look a reasonable size on the arms of Andre the Giant (or those characters
modelled after him in Final Fight, but on my tiny wrists, it'll look like the legendary
Rick Moranis wielding a proton pack.
The watch operates by pressing a button, which then reveals the time one digit after another.
It's reminiscent of the Sinclair Black Watch, which used a press to activate button in order
to save battery life.
I've got a modern day version, known as the "Stealth Watch" here, which just does it to
stop other people from copying your time.
So even without the keyboard, it has retro heritage.
It also reminds me of those awesome Casio calculator watches.
But of course, this doesn't actually calculate anything, other than how much of a sucker
you are for buying it.
You can change between 24 and 12 hour modes by holding 0 and 8 for 2 seconds.
The watch will then display either 24 or 12 to indicate the current mode.
Setting the time involves depressing # and 9 for the same amount of time.
You can then jab the time in as it's written, so 20:09 will be 20:09.
You can set the date next by using the AMERICAN SYSTEM of entering the month first, so 04
for April and 07 for the day.
Then job done.
To display the time you press any key other than #. Whilst # will give you the date.
Other than that, the watch has no further functions....
well, other than to give you that satisfying urge to press a computer key.
It's not as clicky as I'd hoped.
There are no clicky mechanical switches here I'm afraid, but it still feels warming and
a little pleasing to have access to keys on demand.
Particularly when you're venturing, in the scary outside world, and just need the comfortable
reassurance of a numeric keypad to guide you home.
Don't worry, Microsoft Excel is just around the corner.
Of course, before you get to that stage, there are a few issues to address.
The first being the strap size.
Thankfully you can just snip the strap down and achieve a snug fit.
Of course, this means that should you wish to sell on the watch, anyone with larger wrists
than you is in for a tough time.
This limits your sale market to people of ever decreasing size.
But why would you want to sell a numeric keypad in a watch for heavens sake?!
Well, one reason might be because, this thing is so bulky, it's actually difficult to put
it under your jumper, and once you do, all manner of buttons get pressed, both decreasing
the battery life and meaning that this thing can lose it's time programming actually quite
easily.
I managed to reset the time just walking home.
Anyway, none of this is interesting, compared to what lies within.
4 screws on the back and the entire watch practically disassembles by itself.
You can see we've got the keypad resting on a rubber mat, and that's what gives you the
feedback in each key.
Pretty similar to a cheap computer keyboard of the 1980s.
Under that is the circuit board with the sensors and LEDs on one side, and really not that
much on the other.
It's a very simple setup, but it does the job.
I'll just reassemble it, and you'll notice that the rubber mat has little dimples for
the light to shine through.
The manual states you should take this to a professional shop to change the battery,
but I imagine a 6 year old could probably manage this.
So there you go.
It's a numeric keypad watch.
It caught my eye and so I thought it might interest you as well.
However, I'll probably stick to Super Mario Bros 3 for that soul warming feeling whilst
out and about.
Mainly because it doesn't take up half my bloody arm.
Thanks for watching.