The Phosphor World Time Sport Watch is a plastic variant of the steel World Time Watch reviewed in December 2010. These watches with e-ink displays made famous by those Kindle displays have been out for a while, but I’ve never seen this colorful model. Let’s take a closer look.
At first glance, the most obvious diference between the “sport” model and the non-sport variant is the super-bright, eye-catching red color. (Black, White, Orange/Black are also available). Instead of leather or polyurethane, the matching strap is silicone. I’ve also been told by Phosphor that the crystal is plastic, not mineral crystal.
Features:
- Case width: 38.0mm
- Edge thickness: 5.0mm
- Overall case thickness: 9.3mm
- Water resistance: 3 ATM – 30m
- Display: 12 hour large; 24 hour small
- Time of Day + World Time
- Time of Day + Calendar
- Time of Day Large
- Time of Day Small
- World Time
Time of Day + World Time. In this example, local time is 10:40AM. London is 6:40PM.
Time of Day +Calendar. Day of the week (Friday) on top, today’s date (Oct. 26th) in large digits, and current local time (10:40AM) in the middle. The square icon to the left of the large 10 indicates the Time of Day + Calendar mode.
Time of Day Large, 10:40AM
Time of Day Small, 10:40AM
World Time (London, 6:40PM). On this screen, you can view a different time zone simply by swiping your finger from the Set > Mode button (left to right).
Do you prefer a “normal” light background? Just swipe from Set > Mode (Left to Right) to invert colors.
I found the watch very comfortable to wear, thanks to the curved case and the ultra-soft silicone strap. I did notice the silicone strap is a real dust magnet. I could never seem to keep it clean.
Red will definitely scream out for attention! Good thing it’s comfortable. My wrist measures 7 inches around.
Legibility is, as you would expect, excellent. Except in the dark, that is. No backlight. This could be a dealbreaker to some.
One of the minor quirks about e-ink displays is that they leave some faint ghosting behind. This eventually corrects itself the next time the pixels are “refreshed” but it was worth mentioning.
A little ghosting can be seen in the right numeral 4.
In all the Phosphor World Time Watch has a high geek factor with excellent readability. You’re sure to find a color you can live with if red isn’t your thing. I had some trouble with the finger swiping control method- it’s certainly not a smartphone, and it took me a few tries to get it right. But once I had it set just right, I had little need to ever use the buttons. This might be a good thing if you’re really active and you’re prone to accidentally pushing buttons.
Product Information
| Price: | $99 MSRP |
| Manufacturer: | Phosphor |
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